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Lion Links: 5/30/18

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7 years ago

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Greetings, Mane Landers! At this point hopefully you've recovered from your holiday hangover and you’ve realized that you only have three more days (or fewer) of work until another weekend!

We have a ton of news on this Wednesday morning. Both U.S. national teams have named new rosters, on which you’ll see some familiar faces. MLS has announced another expansion club for 2019. There’s also news on Jonathan Spector and the usual array of free kicks, so let’s dive in!

Spector Finally Cleared for Full Training

It’s been a while since we've seen Orlando City’s rock at center back, and him coming back couldn't be happening at a better time. Jonathan Spector is back in full training with the team after an extended absence due to a concussion.

It’s been since April 8 that we saw Spector out on the field, so he’ll be working back into match fitness but should hopefully be available in the coming weeks. The Lions need him, as the center back position has taken some serious hits with Amro Tarek out for World Cup duty and Lamine Sané and Chris Schuler sustaining injuries.

As for additional updates:

Meram Sends Message to Iraqi MLS Fan

This story is why I love sports so much. Mustafa Abed is of Iraqi decent and is a huge soccer fan. He's been unfortunate, needing a lot of medical attention after being caught in missile strikes.

Orlando City forward Justin Meram heard of the story and prepared a heart-warming message and surprise for the boy.

Three Pride Players Called in for National Team Duty

The U.S. Women’s National Team roster has been set by Head Coach Jill Ellis for camp ahead of two friendlies vs. China starting June 1. You will see many familiar faces including Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris. Additionally, center back Shelina Zadorsky got her own call-up to the Canadian National Team as it prepares for a June 10 friendly against Germany.

While there are no reports on the Canadian camp yet, we do know that U.S. players are supposed to be reporting this Friday, June 1, in advance of the Pride’s match against the Seattle Reign on Sunday. This means Orlando will go without both players as it battles another potential playoff team. If there's any consolation, the Reign will also be without two national team players as Megan Rapinoe and Allie Long will both be at camp as well.

I wrote this week about the issues that come with these call-ups. The idea of a national team camp in the heart of the season for friendlies seems a bit odd when it appears that it could have been avoided.

FourFourTwo’s Jeff Kassouf just wrote a fantastic article on the process of how Ellis and BJ Snow are managing player identification and selection, and I highly recommend taking the time.

Rachel Hill Taking Advantage in Whatever Role Given

I speak for many of us at The Mane Land when I say we are big fans of Rachel Hill and have been a bit shocked at her usage this season. While it was in a younger league, she came back from the Australian W-League this summer on a tear after garnering six assists and ranking third in the league with nine goals.

She’s been utilized as both a starter and super sub and got her third goal of the season in the onslaught 5-2 victory over Chicago this weekend. She’s taking her usage in stride though, as the second-year player is a part of an experienced attacking unit.

“I mean, everyone likes to play as much as they can so obviously I’d prefer starting,” Hill said with a smile. “Whatever’s given to me, I’ll take it. Whether I come off the bench or get the start, either way, doesn’t matter. Whatever my role is, I’ll take it and I’ll do the best I can.”

Here’s hoping for continued success and some more starts for Hill, who will be key this weekend with the absence of Alex Morgan.

Vote for Pride Players in Weekly Awards ; Dash Star Wins Player of the Week

Ashlyn Harris is up for NWSL Save of the Week and Sydney Leroux is up for Goal of the Week. Follow those links to cast your votes ASAP!

Also, Houston Dash Forward and English international Rachel Daly was named NWSL Player of the Week for her brace vs. the Washington Spirit.

USMNT Makes Roster Changes for Upcoming Friendlies

As expected, interim Head Coach Dave Sarachan made a fair amount changes in preparation of the U.S. Men’s National Team friendlies against Ireland and France. With tougher competition on deck, a few more veterans were added to the roster, which should help a team that still is carrying an average age of just over 23.

Seven total players departed while 10 were brought in for the trip. Notable departures include Christian Pulisic (a break that was well needed for him, I might add), Alex Bono, and Walker Zimmerman. The players added include veteran USMNT players DeAndre Yedlin and Bobby Wood. But there is plenty of youth here as well, and we’ll get Kenny Saief back in the side, as well as New York Red Bulls Tyler Adams and Tim Parker, as well as Luca de la Torre, a standout with the U-20s who plays for Fulham.

Cincinnati Officially Approved to Join MLS in 2019

MLS has found its 26th club, as it announced Tuesday that FC Cincinnati will join the league in 2019. In a statement, MLS Commissioner Don Garber noted:

“Major League Soccer is proud to introduce Cincinnati as our 26th team,” said Garber. “The rise of Cincinnati as a passionate soccer market in recent years, coinciding with the city’s growing economy and reputation as a top destination for young professionals makes it an ideal city for our growing league.”

It is not really a huge surprise as Cincinnati was considered a finalist in the recent expansion bids. The announcement of Miami had some worried but the club, which had been fantastic from a local support standpoint, finally got its invitation.

Interestingly, while Cincinnati was announced as the 26th club, it will actually enter in as the 24th. Nashville and Miami, which were announced in December and January, respectively, are both slated to join the league in 2020. This is a huge advantage for FC Cincinnati as it won't have to share assets in the expansion process, i.e. allocation spots, draft picks, expansion draft, etc.

Free Kicks

And I leave you with some interesting music news. If I told you a notable soccer TV personality was about to release an album, how long would it take you to get to this individual?

Not gonna lie. I’ll give it at least one listen on Spotify. Why the hell not?

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/2/25

Women’s soccer to watch in 2025, USMNT and USWNT predictions, James Sands loaned to St. Pauli, and more.

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2 hours ago

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January 2, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to the second day of the new year, Mane Landers. I didn’t do anything too monumental to ring in 2025, but it was still a fairly good start. I’ve foolishly increased my reading goal even though I didn’t hit it last year, but I’m feeling pretty optimistic. Before we get going, we here at The Mane Land want to give a special shout out to Steele Mycroft for signing up for a TAM Player-level membership on our Buy Me a Coffee page. By signing up at one of our three levels of support, our readers and podcast listeners can enjoy added benefits in addition to keeping our bills paid so we can continue doing what we do.

With that, let’s dive into today’s links!

Women’s Soccer to Watch in 2025

While most of our attention will be on whether the Orlando Pride can repeat as NWSL champions, there’s plenty worth keeping an eye on in women’s soccer this year. We’ll get to see how Brazil does without Marta in this summer’s Copa América Femenina in Ecuador. We also may get to see Barbra Banda and Grace Chanda in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, with Zambia in Group A along with host Morocco, Senegal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Every FIFA confederation will also have a club champion by the end of the year, with the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup and AFC Women’s Champions League wrapping up. There’s also the new UEFA Women’s Europa Cup, which should put a spotlight on smaller European teams.

Predicting 2025 for USMNT and USWNT

Stars and Stripes FC made predictions for how 2025 will go for both the United States Men’s National Team and United States Women’s National Team. It predicts that the USWNT will go undefeated this year, beating some of the world’s best teams along the way. Plenty of attention will be on Lily Yohannes this year, and this month’s Futures Camp is also worth noting. I’m personally hoping the Pride’s Emily Sams can claim the center back spot alongside Naomi Girma.

As for the USMNT, Stars and Stripes FC predicts it will win both the Concacaf Nations League and Concacaf Gold Cup this year. I’m mostly excited to see how Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino unlocks the offense, and I agree that Ricardo Pepi is in a great spot to score plenty of goals.

James Sands Loaned to St. Pauli

New York City FC midfielder James Sands is headed to the Bundesliga, joining St. Pauli on loan until the end of June. The loan can also be extended through the following European season if conditions are met. The 24-year-old has already spent time in Europe, joining Rangers on loan back in 2022, but the Bundesliga should be a new kind of challenge for him. St Pauli is just four points clear of the relegation zone and Sands may help the club ensure its spot in the league next year.

MLS Teams Reportedly Interested in Marcus Rashford

A move to MLS could be an option for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who has not been receiving much playing time at the club as of late. The 27-year-old still has three and a half years on his contract, but an exit before then feels inevitable. He will likely have options to stay in Europe, but MLS teams are reportedly keeping tabs on the situation and could convince Rashford to play in the U.S. While it’s not particularly novel that MLS teams would want someone of Rashford’s caliber, it’s nice that such a move isn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility.

Free Kicks

  • Austin FC signed Ilie Sanchez through 2025, removing another notable free agent from the market. The 34-year-old recorded 10 goals and 18 assists in his time with LAFC and Sporting Kansas City since joining the league in 2017.
  • The Athletic ($) dove into how Christian Pulisic will be affected by AC Milan hiring Sergio Conceicao.
  • Wrexham had a minor setback in its fight for promotion after a 2-1 loss to Barnsley dropped it to third in the League One standings. While a loss never helps, there’s still plenty of the season left to go.
  • Arsenal moved up to second in the English Premier League after a 3-1 win over Brentford. Liverpool has a six-point lead and a game in hand over Arsenal, but the transfer window could change things up in the second half of the season.

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: 1/1/25

Orlando Pride’s 2024 goals, Orlando City photographer featured, USMNT news, and more.

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1 day ago

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January 1, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to the first Lion Links of 2025, Mane Landers. I hope that you safely enjoyed ringing in the new year last night. My wife and I had a nice quiet evening at home, but there was nowhere else I wanted to be. As you saw from our Top 10 Moments of 2024, it was quite a year for those of us who support Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and OCB. Here’s hoping that 2025 brings us more of the same, or even better.

Let’s get to the links.

All the Goals!

You might think that it’s time to look forward, but sometimes it’s more fun to look back. That’s especially true when you look back at all of the amazing goals that brought the Orlando Pride two trophies. Whether it was a blast by Barbra Banda, Marta breaking defenders’ ankles with her slick moves, or Summer Yates stealing the ball and the spotlight, they were all enjoyable. Here’s your chance to experience the magic again.

Get to Know Orlando City’s Photographer

If you ever take the time to look at the photo credit information on the feature photo of our articles, you will often see that they were taken by Orlando City and Orlando Pride photographer Mark Thor — as was the photo for this article. Now, we can learn more about Thor in this feature from The Community Paper. He has taken some very memorable photos over the years for the club. Photographers like Thor and our own Dan MacDonald are often taken for granted, but we appreciate their work.

USMNT Players on the Move from Club Teams

Several USMNT players are either on the move or potentially on the move in the new year. The Seattle Sounders have a deal to acquire Jesus Ferreira from FC Dallas. The deal is still pending final approval and the paperwork. Fellow USMNT striker Brandon Vazquez is leaving Monterrey per mutual agreement. As of now, Vazquez doesn’t have a landing spot though an MLS side is a possibility.

USMNT defender Bryan Reynolds may be moving to Czech side Sparta Prague from Belgian Pro League club Westerlo. Elsewhere, PSV’s Ricardo Pepi is getting interest from other clubs in Europe, and Gio Reyna might finally move on from Borussia Dortmund. There are big things ahead for USMNT players.

2025 Predictions and Resolutions

As the year begins, there are plenty who want to make predictions in the world of soccer. Some are really stepping out on a limb by saying Inter Miami will win MLS Cup, Neymar will make the move to MLS, and more. On the U.S. Soccer front, Mauricio Pochettino needs to dominate Concacaf, Emma Hayes should keep on winning, and Christian Pulisic should embrace the whole Captain America thing.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. I hope you know how much we appreciate you reading and listening to our work. If you’re looking for a way to support our endeavors in 2025, please check out our Buy Me a Coffee subscription service. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/31/24

Orlando Cup Pro Series scheduling changes, MLS news roundup, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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December 31, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday and happy New Year’s Eve! I hope you’ve been enjoying the strange time of limbo that seems to set in during the time in between Christmas and the beginning of the new year. It’s strange to think that the year has passed by so quickly, but that just means we’re a little bit closer to the start of Orlando City’s 2025 season. We have plenty to talk over today, so let’s get into the links.

Two Teams Withdraw From Orlando Cup Pro Series

On Monday, the Orlando Cup-Pro Series announced that Santos FC and Atletico Nacional have pulled out of the competition. That means that three matches have been canceled, with Santos FC vs. Atletico Nacional, Fortaleza vs. Santos FC, and Atletico Nacional vs. Fortaleza no longer taking place. All fans who purchased tickets to those games will get refunds, and an updated match schedule will be dropping soon.

MLS News Roundup

There are a number of pieces of MLS news that we need to get to this morning. Up first is a familiar face, as former Orlando City goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. was traded from the New England Revolution to the San Jose Earthquakes, with the Revs receiving $150,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money in exchange. Up next, CF Montreal has been busy filling out its staff, as the team announced four coaching hires on Monday. They will join Head Coach Laurent Courtois, who will be in his second year at the helm of the team in 2025. Finally, former Orlando City player Felipe has been putting in the off-season work following the end of his time with the Lions.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in games throughout the week, so make sure you have everything marked down on your calendar. Things get started tomorrow when Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United host Blackburn Rovers as Leeds looks to stay atop the EFL Championship standings. Thursday sees Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Rangers in the Old Firm Derby, with the Hoops trying to remain undefeated in league play. Finally, we get some American-on-American violence on Friday, as Yunus Musah and AC Milan face Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus in an Italian Super Cup semifinal that is being played in Saudi Arabia for some reason.

European Transfer Rumor Mill

With the January transfer window quite literally just a day away from opening, rumors are flying thick and fast. We start with Brandon Vazquez, who is reportedly leaving CF Monterrey after mutually agreeing to terminate his contract with the team a little less than a year after joining. A number of MLS teams are said to be interested in securing his services. We then make a big leap across the world to Saudi Arabia, where Cristiano Ronaldo is said to be open to signing elsewhere with his Al-Nassr contract set to expire in June. On the flip side of things, Casemiro is reportedly ready to leave Manchester United and join the Saudi League, where a number of teams are said to be interested. Finally, Antonee Robinson, Marcus Rashford, and Viktor Gyokeres are among the players who could be on the move during the January window, so keep an eye on their names.

Free Kicks

  • Check out some picture perfect moments from the Orlando Pride’s 2024 season.

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

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