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Lion Links: 11/1/18

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7 years ago

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Happy November, everyone, as we now begin to turn our attention slowly away from candy and toward turkey, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. We’re now four months from the start of the 2019 Orlando City season. (I’m guessing the first weekend of MLS action in 2019 will be the weekend of March 1-3, so we’re officially in countdown mode!)

While it’s awful to be in such a mode with the first round of this year’s playoffs just underway, it’s all we’ve got right now, so…yeah. Just think, if you were a bear you could hibernate and wake up just in time for the season to start.

Let’s get to the links before things get too depressing, if they haven’t already, or before you try to research how to incorporate bear DNA into your body.

Orlando City Can Haz Scouting!

When you operate a professional sports franchise which relies on finding, evaluating, and recruiting athletes to come help you win games, it seems like a good idea to have some kind of organized scouting system in place. Orlando City took a big step toward doing that with the hiring of Ricardo Moreira as the club’s new director of scouting. The news was originally broken by ESPN Brasil correspondent Jorge Nicola.

Moreira was most recently the head of player recruitment and the international relations manager at Columbus Crew SC. He also used to be the scouting director for Brazil’s Grêmio Osasco Audax Esporte Clube.

Moreira will report directly to General Manager Niki Buldalić and “will support all player relations and recruitment matters for Orlando City,” according to the club. 

Only time will tell if this will be a good hire, but the Crew have long been an MLS team operating with a lower end budget and Columbus doesn’t seem to miss on a lot of players. Orlando, meanwhile, has missed on a sizable percentage of players brought in from overseas and/or internationals over the last four years, including (but not limited to) Bryan Rochez, Carlos Rivas, Sean St. Ledger, Martin Paterson, David Mateos, Devron Garcia, PC, Stefano Pinho, and (so far) Josué Colmán. At least the last name on that list could still develop into something special, but when you’re spending a DP slot, you’d like to get a bit more production, even at a young age. Hopefully Moreira will help cut down on the misses and increase the hits.

Mueller a Rookie of the Year Finalist

Orlando City’s Chris Mueller is a finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award, along with Corey Baird (Real Salt Lake) and Mark McKenzie (Philadelphia Union). With three goals and seven assist, Mueller was directly involved in 10 of Orlando City’s 43 goals in 2018. The likely winner of the award will be Baird, who scored eight goals and assisted on five others in 31 games this season for RSL, helping his team reach the postseason. McKenzie, a defender, appeared in 19 games (18 starts) with the Union. Congratulations to Chris for becoming a finalist and maybe he’ll pull off the upset.

MLS Playoffs Kick Off with Knockout Round Matches

New York City FC got a pair of early goals and cruised to a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union in the first knockout stage game of the 2018 MLS Cup playoffs last night on the awful baseball diamond field at Yankee Stadium. Ben Sweat got away with an obvious penalty that somehow never got reviewed that could have pulled the Union back into it before halftime, but instead the Pigeons move on to visit Atlanta United. So at least one of those teams will be out in the next round.

Out west, Diego Valeri scored on a screamer of a free kick to put visiting Portland ahead 1-0 in the first half at FC Dallas. The Timbers’ maestro scored a second goal in the 71st minute to lead his side to a 2-1 road win despite his team playing a man down from the 58th minute, when Larrys Mabiala was sent off for denial of a clear goal-scoring chance. Portland will play at Sporting Kansas City next if LAFC beats Real Salt Lake, or at Seattle if RSL upsets Bob Bradley’s expansion side.

Get a load of Valeri’s free kick golazo:

FIFA Gets Hacked

Hackers have apparently gotten information from FIFA after a cyberattack and President Gianni Infantino disclosed that private information was obtained from soccer’s governing body, although he didn’t say what information was accessed. I feel safe in that I don’t believe FIFA has any of my information but hopefully the kind of information that becomes public is anything that would expose any further corruption on FIFA’s part that is not already out there. I don’t have a lot of faith in the integrity of this organization as a whole. Let’s just put it that way.

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  • Former Orlando City striker Hadji Barry became a U.S. citizen. Congrats, Hadji!

  • Orlando Pride players Alanna Kennedy and Emily van Egmond — as well as former Pridesters Lisa De Vanna and Laura Alleway — have been named to a 20-player Australia squad that will face Chile in November friendlies. The matches will take place Nov. 10 and 13.
  • The move from 32 to 48 teams in the World Cup, scheduled to be instituted by 2026, could happen in 2022 in Qatar.
  • Christian Pulisic scoring goals? Christian Pulisic scoring goals!

OK, the degree of difficulty wasn’t too high on that goal from point-blank range. How about something a little sweeter from Pulisic?

  • Those born on this date include longtime Meat Loaf songwriter Jim Steinman (1947), baseball’s Fernando Valenzuela (1960), Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen (1963), and actress/model Jenny McCarthy (1972).

That’s all my time for today. Enjoy your Thursday and the entirety of your November. I leave you with Orlando Pride defender Ali Krieger’s Halloween getup. We always knew she was a warrior.

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Happy Halloween from Okoye and Wonder Woman!

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Lion Links: 6/5/25

MLS All-Star voting update, Kerry Abello shines with USWNT, Sergio Zapata earns recognition, and more.

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23 hours ago

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June 5, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been treating you well as we enjoy some international soccer and prepare for the return of NWSL action this weekend. Before we jump right into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Dylan Judelson!

Pair of Lions Lead MLS All-Star Voting

Voting for this year’s MLS All-Star Game remains underway and an update was provided on which players are leading at each position. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman leads all right backs as he enjoys a breakout season. I was aware of the buzz he’s been getting this year, but it’s still surprising to see a Lion as an All-Star frontrunner. What’s even more surprising is that Pedro Gallese leads the voting for goalkeepers. The Peruvian made a rough gaffe last week, but has otherwise had a stellar season with Orlando that’s included seven clean sheets. Voting will close on June 11, so make sure to get those votes in before then.

Kerry Abello Impresses With USMNT

Orlando Pride defender Kerry Abello made her first appearance for the United States Women’s National Team Tuesday, playing every minute of the 4-0 win over Jamaica. The versatility she’s shown with the Pride translated well in Head Coach Emma Hayes’ system, as she was able to hold things down defensively and contribute to the attack as well. Abello could end up bringing solid depth to the USWNT as Hayes figures out the team’s future core of players. Enjoy this video from the USWNT that provides a look behind the scenes of Abello’s international debut.

Sergio Zapata Named Player of the Month

Sergio Zapata scored a whopping 11 goals for Orlando City’s U-19 team over the course of just four matches in May, winning the honor of MLS NEXT Player of the Month. He had three hat tricks last month, including one against Hoosier Premier at MLS NEXT Fest. Zapata committed to Cornell, so hopefully we’ll get to see him tear it up in the Ivy League over the next couple of years.

Zack Steffen Sustains Knee Injury

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen injured his knee at the United States Men’s National Team’s training camp and will reportedly miss this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup. It’s rough news for the 30-year-old, as he was expected to compete with Matt Turner for the starting job with the USMNT. He’s been having a great season with the Colorado Rapids and returned to the club for further evaluation on the injury.

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

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Lion Links: 6/4/25

USWNT wins as Abello gets first cap, Orlando Pride’s Concacaf W Champions Cup draw, Club World Cup in Orlando, and more.

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2 days ago

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June 4, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Tuesday was a busy soccer day, especially on the women’s side. We have plenty of Orlando Pride news, and the USWNT secured yet another victory. I’m hoping the good vibes continue since I’ll be coming down to Orlando for the Pride’s match this Saturday. If you’re going to the match, let me know, as I’d love to meet as many of our readers as possible. For now, let’s get to the links.

USWNT Blanks Jamaica

The USWNT defeated Jamaica 4-0 in a friendly at Energizer Park in St. Louis. The Orlando Pride’s Kerry Abello got her first start and her first cap in the match. She went the full 90 minutes and almost had her first international goal in the second half, but the chance went a bit wide of the right post. Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored a brace as the U.S. rolled to an easy win.

Pride Internationals

Abello wasn’t the only Pride player to make an international appearance. Marta returned to international duty for Brazil getting the start and the captain’s armband in a 2-1 win over Japan. Both Grace Chanda and Barbra Banda started for Zambia in the 2-0 loss to South Africa in the Three Nations Challenge. Congratulations are also due to Zara Chavoshi, who earned her first cap with the Canadian Women’s National Team in the match against Haiti.

Concacaf W Champions Cup Draw

The Concacaf W Champions Cup draw happened yesterday and the Orlando Pride are in Group A with Club America Femenil, CF Pachuca Femenil, LD Alajuelense, and Chorrillo FC. Group B consists of NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Washington Spirit, CF Monterrey Femenil, Vancouver Rise FC Academy, and Alianza Women FC. The competition kicks off Aug. 19-21.

FIFA Loves Orlando

FIFA President Gianni Infantino sat for an interview with Jamie Seh of WKMG Orlando. Infantino spoke about the upcoming Club World Cup matches at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium. FIFA loves Orlando enough for the city to host the Club World Cup, but not the actual World Cup. Here is the schedule for the matches in Orlando. We will be bringing you coverage of these matches.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the return of the Orlando Pride this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 6/3/25

Orlando City B announces signings, details of Concacaf W Champions Cup, UEFA Nations League preview, and more.

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3 days ago

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June 3, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It’s been a pretty brutal last two games for Orlando City, there’s no getting around that fact. While it’s never fun to not have the team in action, a two-week break between games maybe isn’t the worst thing in this particular case. Even though it’ll be a minute before the Lions are back in action, we still have plenty of things to talk about, so let’s get into today’s links.

Orlando City B Announces Signings

Orlando City B announced on Monday that it has signed Clovis Archange and Jackson Platts to MLS NEXT Pro contracts. The pair are graduates of the Orlando City Development Academy and were part of the team that won the U-18 Generation Adidas Cup earlier this year. The 18-year-old Platts captained the team in the final, while Archange was named as one of the players to watch before the tournament started. They’ve both featured for their countries at the youth level, with Platts appearing for the United States U-16 and U-18 teams, and Archange suiting up for Canada’s U-17 side. Congratulations to both players!

Concacaf Announces W Champions Cup Details

Concacaf has named the 10 teams that will participate 2025-2026 Concacaf W Champions Cup and has announced the pots for tonight’s draw. The Orlando Pride are one of three American teams participating in the second year of the competition, and have been placed into Pot 2. Teams will be divided into two groups of five, with each team facing every club in its group once, and the top two sides from each group then advancing to the semifinals. The winner gets a spot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, and the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, which is set to be held for the first time in 2028. The draw takes place tonight at 8 p.m.

UEFA Nations League Preview

The UEFA Nations League returns this week, with the semifinals set for tomorrow and Thursday, and the third-place game and final taking place on Sunday. Things get started on Wednesday afternoon with Germany facing off against Portugal in Munich. Germany put away Italy 5-4 on aggregate in the quarterfinals to get to the semis for the first time, while Portugal beat Denmark 5-2, and is hunting for its second Nations League trophy. Thursday has Spain taking on France in Stuttgart. The Spanish beat the Netherlands on penalties in the semis to get here, while France took out Croatia on penalties to punch its ticket. There’s plenty of recent history in this one as these teams also met in the semifinals of Euro 2024 last year, with Spain claiming a 2-1 win.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The transfer rumor mill has kicked into full swing, so let’s catch up on some of the big talking points. Starting in England, Manchester United has reportedly increased its interest in Brian Mbuemo, with the Brentford forward said to also be interested in moving to the club. There are said to be a number of Premier League teams interested in signing Southampton midfielder Tyler Dibling after his team was relegated to the Championship this season. Jobe Bellingham will reportedly follow in his brother Jude’s footsteps, as he’s reportedly decided to join Borussia Dortmund. Finally, Inter Milan is reportedly interested in signing Marcus Rashford as the Italians look to rebuild the squad following a brutal defeat in the UEFA Champions League final.

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  • Here’s a first look at Alex Freeman in his USMNT kit:

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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