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Lion Links: 11/23/19

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7 years ago

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Welcome to the weekend, Mane Landers. Apologies to those out there working the weekend; you’ll get yours when the rest of us are at work next week. Personally, this weekend could not have come soon enough. A busy schedule coupled with the impending holiday season rush has me exhausted, and it really hasn’t even begun. That said, I know we’re all (that drips with sarcasm for some of you) looking forward to catching up with beloved family members and eating savory foods. Speaking of foods, I’m here to serve up your Saturday Links, so let’s get to it.

Ruan Returns

I’m not the religious type, but thank God. My favorite Lion, and arguably the best Lion (I’ll die on this hill), Ruan, is returning for at least another two years with a third-year option. This is massive as Ruan is young, intelligent, and most importantly a blazing fast right back who should be a consistent contributor in 2020. I personally hope to see Ruan take on more of a leadership role on the team as well. The way he carries himself, both on and off the field, is admirable and I’m glad the club brought him back.

Okay, I’ll stop gushing. But here are his highlights in purple for you to enjoy and get excited for his future as a Lion.

Orlando SeaWolves Lose Season Opener

The Orlando SeaWolves kicked off their 2019 campaign at Silver Spurs Arena against their instate rivals, the Florida Tropics, and lost 3-2 in a tough match. Supporters have become accustomed to high scoring matches, naturally, as the league lends itself well to high scorelines — and this match was a bit of an outlier with only five goals. Jonny Mendoza and Richard Schmermund scored for the SeaWolves, but it wasn’t enough for Orlando to start the season with a win. They’ll look to right the ship on Dec. 5 with a rematch at home against the Tropics.

MLS Waivers, Free Agency, and Re-Entry

While I’d love to take the words “waivers” and “free agency” and run with it to tell you how well my fantasy football teams are doing (I have two teams, both are 7-4) I’ll spare you. Oh, I did anyway, apologies. With the MLS season behind us, we can now dive into the confusing world of an MLS off-season. I’m not going to muddy the waters more for you by trying to translate what everything means, but the league sent out its full list of players eligible for waivers, free agency, and re-entry.

Will Johnson and Sacha Kljestan are eligible for free agency. Cristian Higuita, Shane O’Neill, Dillon Powers, and Oriol Rosell are on the re-entry list. Carlos Ascues, Adam Grinwis, Cam Lindley, Greg Ranjitsingh, and Lamine Sane are all on the end-of-year waiver list.

OCSC Could Hire Within for OCB Coaching Vacancy

It appears that Marcelo Neveleff is set to take charge of Orlando City B as the team’s new head coach. Neveleff was hired by the club earlier this year as the academy director and is a logical choice to step in as head coach after Fernando Jose de Argila Irurita was fired earlier this summer. It’s not a done deal by any means, but it seems the likely choice for Orlando City’s front office to go with moving forward.

Jason Kreis No Longer a Candidate at Real Salt Lake

The former Lions gaffer was in Utah earlier this month to hold talks with Real Salt Lake about the team’s vacancies at head coach and general manager, but the talks didn’t prove fruitful for either party. Kreis won’t be in the running to return to the helm of the club he once led to an MLS Cup triumph just a decade ago. No true reasoning was released, but it may have to do with his involvement with incoming club Inter Miami or the U-23 U.S. Men’s National Team.

Free Kicks

  • D.C. United was late in announcing its post-2019 roster decisions but the club is in talks to bring back former Lions keeper Earl Edwards Jr. for the 2020 season.
  • This is an outstanding piece explaining the first-person perspective of the Spanish women’s first division players who went on strike. I don’t have an answer, and I’ll never claim to, but things need to change when it comes to women, soccer, and fair pay.
  • Check out this beauty of a team goal from Florida State University. As an old coach of mine would say, “Class in a glass.” More importantly, the Noles won 2-0 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament.

  • Hey there eSports fan (maybe there’s more than one of you, who knows?), Orlando City re-signed Abe Valbuena (FIFA Abe) as the club’s official eMLS competitor. Way to go, Abe!
  • And let’s end on a good (boy) note. Just look at this pup!

All right folks, I’m out. You can catch me somewhere in downtown Sanford today having a drink or four with good people. See you there.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/21/26

Orlando Pride prepare for the Washington Spirit, MLS playoff changes reportedly coming, Hall of Fame finalists unveiled, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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August 21, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a bit of a rough month for all three of Orlando’s soccer teams, but hopefully they can turn things around this weekend. Things haven’t been great, but surely that just means things can only go up from here, right? Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride are on the road this weekend for a match against the Washington Spirit on Sunday. It’s been a cruel summer for the Pride, as they’ve lost four of their past five games and are currently 13th in the league standings. Despite being on a three-game winless streak, the Spirit are second in the standings and will be a tough opponent for the Pride to face on the road. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on where the team needs to improve in order to get a result away from home against one of the league’s top teams.

Changes Reportedly Coming to MLS Playoff Format

For the umpteenth time, MLS is reportedly planning on overhauling its playoff format. The changes would go into effect when the league changes its calendar and they include allowing 20 teams to qualify for the playoffs, with the overall league standings being used to determine those top 20 teams. After a play-in round, the remaining 16 teams will play in a double elimination format that also features reseeding between rounds. If these changes do come to pass, hopefully the league decides to stick with it rather than constantly fiddling it with it.

National Soccer Hall of Fame Finalists Announced

The finalists for the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s class of 2027 were announced, with nine candidates making the list in their first year of eligibility. Former Orlando Pride player Ali Krieger is one of those nine, along with Megan Rapinoe, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore. Central Florida native Graham Zusi was also named as a finalist. The two players who receive the most votes and are on at least half the ballots will make the Hall of Fame, with a third player able to make it if they’re on 75% of ballots.

Storylines Ahead of English Premier League Season

The English Premier League season begins today with Arsenal starting its title defense at home against Coventry City. Arsenal has a talented team once again, but it will be interesting to see how much of a challenge Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City can pose with new managers at the helm. Managers seem to be a focal point this season, as other storylines include whether or not Michael Carrick and Unai Emery can keep succeeding at Manchester United and Aston Villa, respectively. I’m just hoping we have an exciting title race by the time spring rolls around.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City’s Antoine Griezmann tied with Robert Lewandowski for the second-highest rating of all MLS players in EA Sports FC 27.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/20/26

Orlando City defeated at home, Simone Jackson loaned to FC Rosengard, U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup roster unveiled, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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August 20, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

I think we can confidently say Orlando City’s Wednesday night excellence has come to an end after last night’s loss. I’m not going to claim the new kits are cursed after just two games, but I’ve bought some sage just in case. Before we get to that match and more in today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman.

Orlando City Falls at Home

The Lions hosted the Chicago Fire and got burned in a 2-1 loss that included a lengthy weather delay that paused things right before halftime. The Fire struck first with an early goal, but Orlando leveled things after the lightning storm passed. However, Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty kick from a needless foul in the box for the winner, with the Lions failing to claw their way back a second time. It’s a disappointing result at home and Orlando will need to figure things out before hosting Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Simone Jackson Heads to Sweden on Loan

The Orlando Pride loaned forward Simone Jackson to FC Rosengard in Sweden through June of 2027. Jackson was signed by the Pride in 2025 after four years playing collegiately at the University of Southern California and she has since made 20 appearances for the club. Hopefully this move gives her some more minutes to develop her game abroad so that she can make an impact with the Pride when she returns next summer.

U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster Announced

United States U-20 Women’s National Team Head Coach Vicky Jepson called up 21 players for the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland next month, including eight from NWSL clubs. Goalkeeper Evan O’Steen, midfielders Kennedy Fuller and Nyanya Touray, and forward Emeri Adames are a few of the U.S. players to keep an eye out for this tournament.

The team will be without notable eligible players like Lily Yohannes, Claire Hutton, and Jordyn Bugg though, as youth tournaments take place outside of official FIFA windows when teams are required to release players. United States Women’s National Team Head Coach Emma Hayes also spoke on the importance of tournaments like this one to develop talent while uncertainty looms over the event due to UEFA’s boycott of FIFA competitions. The U.S. is set to start its campaign on Sept. 6 against Italy.

Americans to Watch in the English Premier League

The English Premier League season kicks off this weekend and there are a number of Americans to root for across the league. Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards, and Fulham defender Antonee Robinson are all still in the league but have new managers at the helm of their respective teams. Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United avoided relegation last season and will look to build on that, while Haji Wright and Coventry City will fight to stay after earning promotion last season. Unfortunately, Wright will miss multiple weeks at the start of the season due to a quad injury.

Free Kicks

  • Alhassan Yusuf scored a hat trick in the New England Revolution’s 3-0 win over D.C. United, with Jack Harrison recording three assists.
  • Americans Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty both played every minute of Celtic’s 3-0 win over LASK in the first leg of its matchup against the Austrian club in UEFA Champions League qualifying
  • Bay FC announced that the club and midfielder Tess Boade mutually agreed to terminate her contract, which was set to end after this season. Boade had been with the club since being selected in the 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft and was the captain last season.
  • Aston Villa signed goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma for a reported $40 million transfer fee. Suzuki played for Japan at the recent World Cup and it will be interesting to see what this move means for Emiliano Martinez’s future at the club.
  • Brighton is covering the cost of tickets for its fans who will be making the trip to the Arctic Circle for its UEFA Conference League playoff match against Tromso in Norway.

That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/19/26

Orlando City match day, Colin Guske reportedly being loaned to RSL, Banda is an MVP candidate, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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August 19, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City plays in a midweek match that thankfully isn’t a Leagues Cup match. There are those who will say they’re sad the Lions are out of Don Garber’s cash grab competition, but I’m not one of them. The U.S. Open Cup and the MLS regular season provide plenty of fixtures for now. The schedule congestion is real, as we can see this week. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Match Day

Orlando City hosts Robert Lewandowski and the Chicago Fire tonight in an Eastern Conference clash. Defending against Lewandowski and Philip Zinckernagel will be a tough task for the Lions’ defense. Orlando City will need its offense to keep pace with the Fire if the Lions are going to take any points from the match. It will be interesting to see both Antoine Griezmann and Lewandowski on the pitch at the same time. Here is your official match guide from the club. Our match preview will drop later this morning at 11 a.m. You can also listen to our thoughts on the match on The Mane Land PawedCast.

Go West, Young Guske

It appears that Orlando City is loaning midfielder/defender Colin Guske to Real Salt Lake, according to Tom Bogert. This is not entirely surprising given how crowded Orlando City’s defensive midfield is with Joran Gerbet and Wilder Cartagena healthy and Luis Otavio rounding into form, not to mention Eduard Atuesta and Braian Ojeda once they return. It’s a good opportunity for Guske to get some minutes, given he’s a bit down on the depth chart with the senior team — far enough down to see more minutes recently at center back with the first team than in the midfield.

MVP Candidate Banda

Despite being away for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and not scoring in her first game back, Barbra Banda maintains her slim lead in the Golden Boot competition and is still a League MVP candidate. If she hopes to win either of those accolades, she will need to resume scoring. The upcoming match against the Washington Spirit this Sunday is the perfect opportunity to extend that lead.

U.S. National Team News

USMNT defender Mark McKenzie is reportedly returning to the Philadelphia Union and will occupy a Designated Player spot. Real Salt Lake’s 19-year-old forward Zavier Gozo has been signed by Premier League club Crystal Palace. Of course, there are other USMNT players already playing in Europe, and some are making a quick return to form following the World Cup. USWNT players are also experiencing ups and downs in the NWSL.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini is headed to CE Sabadell FC of the Segunda División in Spain.

That will do it for today. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for match updates and we will also have a recap of the match. Vamos Orlando!

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