Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/22/18
Happy Thanksgiving to all. It’s a special time of year, where we eat dinner way too early, stuff ourselves so much that it hurts, remember why certain members of our family drive us insane, and watch some really boring NFL games that we don’t really care about.
Seriously though, on most nights my family eats around 6:30 p.m. but on major holidays for some reason we’re finished eating by 3:30 or 4 p.m. I don’t understand this concept, but whatever. No matter how much turkey, potatoes, stuffing and other side dishes I eat, I’m usually hungry again around bedtime, which is just dumb. Can we put a committee in charge of fixing this?
Anyway, just because it’s a holiday, it doesn’t mean we don’t have plenty to discuss, so let’s get to it. And remember, if you ever need to tune out your family for an hour or so, you can always throw in your earbuds and catch our November PawedCast with our interview of Orlando SeaWolves Head Coach Tom Traxler.
Yoshi and Peru Fall to Costa Rica, 3-2
Despite goals from Jefferson Farfan and Edison Flores, Peru lost its international friendly to Costa Rica, 3-2. Orlando City midfielder Yoshimar Yotún featured in the match, as one would expect. Here is a photo gallery from the game with some good pics of Yoshi.
Where Does the USMNT Go From Here?
After a disappointing 2018, spent entirely under an interim coach and with no discernible direction beyond #PlayYourKids, the United States Men’s National Team seems to be in limbo. Jeff Carlisle of ESPN wrote about the uncertainty surrounding the USMNT as we all wait for (presumably) Gregg Berhalter to be announced. Meanwhile, Joe Prince-Wright over at NBC is also asking, “what’s next for the U.S.?” There has never been a more baffling time to be a USMNT supporter but hopefully the tide will turn with the naming of a coach and January’s Camp Cupcake.
Dos A Cero
The U-20 USMNT defeated rival Mexico, 2-0 in the Concacaf Championship in Bradenton last night, capturing the nation’s second straight title in the competition. Alex Mendez scored both U.S. goals to lead the U-20s to victory. Check out the lovely teamwork on the second USMNT goal.
There he goes again! Alex Mendez doubles the U-20 #USMNT over Mexico!#TheFutureIsUS // #CU20pic.twitter.com/sGWmqmHXWN
— U.S. Soccer YNT (@ussoccer_ynt) November 22, 2018
Congratulations to Tab Ramos and the lads. Now go win that U-20 World Cup next year in Poland.
U-17 USWNT Falls to Germany to Close Out World Cup Run
The U-17 USWNT fell behind just four minutes into the match against Germany and despite dominating possession and chances, struggled to finish, hitting the woodwork multiple times, and having a goal waved off. Eventually the Germans doubled the lead on a counter attack against the run of play and went on to win, 4-0, despite being out-shot by a wide margin. The United States is eliminated from the U-17 Women’s World Cup. The Yanks finished 1-2-0 in group play with a win over Cameroon and losses to Korea DPR, and Germany in a disappointing World Cup run. The troubling trend at the youth level continues for the U.S. women.
#USWNT goes out in the group stage of the U-17 WWC, continuing a concerning trend over the last decade.
U-17 WWC:
2008 Runner-up
2010 DNQ
2012 Group
2014 DNQ
2016 Group
2018 GroupU-20 WWC:
2008 Champion
2010 Quarters
2012 Champion
2014 Quarters
2016 4th place
2018 Group— Paul Carr (@PaulCarr) November 21, 2018
Oh, FIFA
You can’t even make this up. FIFA ethics committee judge Sundra Rajoo was arrested on suspicion of corruption on Wednesday. Rajoo was part of a revamped ethics committee tasked with cleaning up the organization to restore its credibility. This arrest is not going to help with that.
Sundra Rajoo has been taken off cases while under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for financial wrongdoing in his job leading an arbitration service.
″(Rajoo) will not be involved in any further activities of the adjudicatory chamber (while under investigation),” FIFA said in a statement.
The decision was imposed “with immediate effect” by judging panel chairman Vassilios Skouris, FIFA said.
Who will watch the watchers? Who will watch the watchers of the watchers? FIFA won’t clean itself up until it actually has people in charge who want to do just that. This latest episode might just be the most FIFA thing ever.
Free Kicks
- Alex Calder, a fitness coach with Orlando City for the past two seasons, has departed to take a position with the Houston Dynamo as the club’s head of sport science. You may recall that the club brought in Isaac Ramos as director of fitness in August and parted ways with Dave McKay.
After 2 eventful seasons, I have decided to part ways with Orlando City. I want to thank all the players and staff for my experience, and I wish the club all the best moving forward. I have since accepted the position with Houston Dynamo as the Head of Sport Science. pic.twitter.com/Za6jNpifxi
— Alex Calder (@calder_05) November 20, 2018
- Greg Seltzer at mlssoccer.com made his picks for the player each Eastern Conference team should build around and for Orlando City, he says that player is Dom Dwyer. Is he right?
- The price to #SaveTheCrew is, according to Forbes, reportedly $150 million.
- Didier Drogba appeared to have changed his mind about retiring with a social media post from The Wolf of Wall Street recently but he has apparently changed his mind again and is calling it a career.
- LAFC has signed 21-year-old Colombian defender Eddie Segura on a six-month loan with a purchase option.
- The Bundesliga has decided to scrap Monday games under pressure from fan protests.
- Those born on this date include French general and statesman Charles de Gaulle (1890), Rodney Dangerfield (1921), Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam (1940), tennis legend Billie Jean King (1943), E Street Band guitarist/actor Little Steven Van Zandt (1950), Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth (1950), Jamie Lee Curtis (1958), German tennis great Boris Becker (1967), actor Mark Ruffalo (1967), ex-Germany international Torsten Frings (1976), Scarlett Johansson (1984), Belgium/Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini (1987), England/Manchester United defender Chris Smalling (1989), and Miami Dolphins quarterback Brock Osweiler (1990).
That’s all I’ve got for you today. Hopefully you’re not so stuffed with Lion Links that you lose your appetite for your way-too-early holiday dinner. Enjoy your Thanksgiving (if you celebrate that today) and the rest of your week.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/25/24
Duncan McGuire is an Olympic frontrunner, Orlando Pride get ready for the Washington Spirit, Colin Guske signs with Orlando City B, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this work week hasn’t been too stressful for you as we get ready for another weekend packed with Orlando soccer. All of the European soccer this week has been enjoyable as well, as teams fight for silverware and survival. It should be a fun next few days, although most of my match following will be digital. I’m hoping to get out to the stadium for a game or two over the next couple of months as well. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links!
Duncan McGuire Likely to Play in Olympics
Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire was listed as one of the frontrunners to join the U.S. for this year’s Olympics. It won’t be much of a shock if McGuire is in Paris this summer, as he’s been impressive in the time since being drafted sixth overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by the Lions. The 23-year-old has followed up a strong rookie year with three goals and an assist so far this season. It will be interesting to see who McGuire could compete with for minutes in the Olympics, with Ricardo Pepi noted as another possible option up top for the U.S. Overall, it’s nice to see McGuire is doing what’s needed to stay in the contention for Paris. I think that staying in Orlando rather than going to England has definitely helped his case.
Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit
The Orlando Pride are riding a five-game unbeaten streak and will take it to the nation’s capital for a difficult road match against the Washington Spirit Friday night. The Pride have won their past two games and will face a Spirit side that has won four of its five games this season. Both teams have been defensively sound, each conceding just four goals, so it may come down to moments of individual brilliance to make the difference. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke about the difficulty of the matchup, Orlando’s grit this season, and the impact Barbra Banda had in her debut last weekend.
Orlando City B Signs Colin Guske
Midfielder Colin Guske, who joined Orlando City’s academy back in 2020, signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B through this 2024 season. The 17-year-old made his OCB debut in the team’s season opener this year and scored the game-winning goal. He’s carved out a spot in OCB’s midfield this season, starting in four of the team’s five games. Guske has two brothers who have also gone through the club’s academy and played with OCB. A solid year with the Young Lions from Guske could result in a Homegrown Player contract for the senior team.
Columbus Crew SC Wins First Leg Against Monterrey
The Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals are here and the Columbus Crew are the only MLS team still in the tournament. They came up with a big 2-1 home win in the first leg of their matchup against Monterrey. Cucho Hernandez gave the Crew the lead in the first half and 21-year-old Jacen Russell-Rowe scored the winner in the second. An away goal by Monterrey could prove crucial though due to the tiebreakers, and the second leg will take place on May 1. The winner of this matchup will take on either Club America or Pachuca in the final on June 2.
Free Kicks
- Former Lion Dom Dwyer is reportedly headed out west to sign with Oakland Roots SC in the USL Championship.
- Toronto FC traded away $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Derrick Etienne Jr. The 27-year-old has not received much playing time this season, and Atlanta could earn another $175,000 in GAM if performance-based metrics are met.
- The San Jose Earthquakes have reportedly signed Hernan Lopez from Godoy Cruz. It would give a-needed boost to the team, which has just three points from nine games this season.
- St. Louis City winger Celio Pompeu won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his great strike from outside the box in his team’s 3-3 draw with Sporting Kansas City.
- Carlos Jimenez was fired as the Kansas City Current’s head of medical for reportedly having a relationship with a player that violated the league’s non-fraternization policy.
- Next year’s MLS NEXT season will include eight new teams, and there’s a nice breakdown on what each one brings to the table.
- Despite Sergino Dest’s recent injury, PSV Eindhoven’s Peter Bosz spoke on how he’d like the right back to stay with the team after his loan from Barcelona expires.
- Everton came up with a 2-0 win at home against rival Liverpool. Most attention will be on how this dents Liverpool’s title aspirations, but Everton deserves praise for putting more distance between itself and the relegation zone with this win during a difficult season that included point deductions.
- Atalanta beat Fiorentina 4-1 to book its spot in the Italian Cup final against Juventus. That final will take place on May 15 and should be a pretty good match.
- Xavi will reportedly stay on board as Barcelona’s manager for another season after all.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/24/24
Orlando City and Orlando Pride power rankings, USMNT player news, USWNT will host Costa Rica, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s that time of the week for some tasty links. Two seven-point weekends for Orlando’s soccer teams is nothing to sneeze at, unlike the pollen that coats my hometown of Tallahassee. It’s the time of the year that I make my money back with the unlimited car wash next to my work. Enough with my weather-related car issues, let’s get to the links.
Lions Move Up (and Down) in Power Rankings
There’s nothing that shows the value of “power rankings” better than when you can compare two different ranking lists for the same week for any given club. We all know Orlando City is undefeated in its last four matches thanks to the late heroics of Ivan Angulo to draw CF Montreal over the weekend. But, did you know that was both good and bad?
In ESPN‘s MLS power rankings, Orlando City dropped a spot from 16th to 17th despite “treading water” with a point on the road in Montreal. Meanwhile, the Lions roared ahead three spots from 21st to 18th in MLSsoccer.com’s power rankings. So, do you like that Orlando is 17th in the ESPN piece despite the drop? Or do you prefer the positivity of a three-spot jump to 18th in the MLSSoccer.com rankings?
Orlando Pride Rise in Power Rankings
Forget everything I wrote up there regarding power rankings — at least as far as the Orlando Pride are concerned. After starting the season with three draws, the Pride now have two wins in a row. As such, ESPN moved the Pride up three spots from eighth to fifth in its NWSL power rankings. Their move up the list is entirely deserved and the writer was correct in their assessment. Of course, I’m kidding but it’s still nice to see the Pride get recognized for their results. Now, we just need the Pride to continue the winning streak.
Keeping Up With USMNT Players Abroad
As we shared yesterday, Sergino Dest will likely miss this summer’s Copa America thanks to a knee injury suffered during PSV Eindhoven training. That means the USMNT has a right back situation to address and there are quite a few well known candidates to step in for Dest.
Meanwhile, Weston McKennie has reportedly rejected Juventus’ latest extension offer. I can understand his decision given it doesn’t include any additional salary. McKennie has been very good for Juve, with 10 assists on the season. He’s not the only American making a difference, as Tim Weah provided the assist on Arkadiusz Milik’s goal to send Juventus to the Coppa Italia final.
USWNT Olympic Send-Off Match
The United States Women’s National Team will play a match against Costa Rica at Audi Field on July 16. It will be the final match for the USWNT prior to the Olympics that start nine days later against Zambia. New coach Emma Hayes will join the team on June 1, which isn’t a ton of time before the Olympics start, but she has been a part of the process for months.
Free Kicks
- Former Pride players Erika Tymrak and Jordyn Listro have signed with Tampa Bay Sun FC of the new USL Super League, a Division 1-sanctioned women’s soccer league. More soccer in the U.S. is a good thing, so good luck to Tymrak and Listro.
- The New England Revolution have acquired veteran defender Xavier Arreaga from the Seattle Sounders for a 2025 international roster slot, and up to $75,000 in General Allocation Money depending on performance.
- Inter Miami’s Jordi Alba will be out for several weeks due to a hamstring injury. Fortunately, he is expected to be back in time for the match against Orlando City on May 15. Where did I put the sarcasm font?
- In an odd occurrence, a Californian team has been chastised. Four players on the LA Galaxy were found to be in violation of the mass confrontation policy in their match against the San Jose Earthquakes over the weekend.
- The unending Inter Miami signings continued, with the club signing Paraguayan midfielder Matías Rojas.
That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Pride’s match against the Washington Spirit this Friday, and Orlando City’s match against Toronto FC on Saturday. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/23/24
Ivan Angulo makes Team of the Matchday bench, Americans in action, Sergino Dest to miss Copa America, and more.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was an excellent weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as the three sides took seven of the nine points on offer. There’s no rest for the wicked this week as the Orlando Pride travel to play the Washington Spirit on Friday, Orlando City hosts Toronto FC on Saturday, and Orlando City B finishes things up at home against Toronto FC II on Sunday. Let’s take a look at today’s links.
Ivan Angulo Earns Recognition
Ivan Angulo has been named to the bench of the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. The Colombian got the start on Saturday up in Montreal, and had a good game, going the distance and completing 82% of his passes and putting one of his two shots on target. That shot was an important one, as it gave the Lions a late equalizer and helped them salvage a valuable point on the road. Sean Rollins gave him a grade of 6 in his player grades from the match, a rating that likely would have been higher had Martin Ojeda’s pass been accurate enough to allow Angulo to grab a possible winner just a few minutes after he equalized. Here’s hoping he keeps up the good work!
Americans in Midweek Action
There are a number of Americans taking part in big games this week, and the good people over at Stars and Stripes FC have you covered with the whole rundown. First up, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus will try to advance to the Coppa Italia final this afternoon, as they enter the second leg of the semifinal against Lazio with a 2-0 lead on aggregate. Tomorrow sees Monaco and Folarin Balogun meet Lille in Ligue 1 action, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace host Newcastle United in the Premier League. Things wrap up on Friday in Serie B when Gianluca Busio, Tanner Tessman, and third-place Venezia face Cremonese as they try to overtake Como and finish in one of Serie B’s two guaranteed promotion places.
Sergino Dest Sidelined Long Term
Following up on a story from yesterday’s Lion Links, The Athletic is reporting that the knee injury suffered by Sergino Dest will keep him out of Copa America, and sideline him for the rest of the year. That would be a big blow for the United States Men’s National Team, as Dest has been the nailed-on starter at right back since winning a place in the team during the qualifying cycle for the 2022 World Cup. The Yanks aren’t without options at the position, as Joe Scally could step in for Dest, or Gregg Berhalter could try deploying Weah there, but neither of the two possesses Dest’s level of offensive threat.
Inter Milan Wins Serie A
Inter Milan dispatched rival AC Milan 2-1 guaranteed that Inter will win its 20th Serie A title in club history. Fikayo Tomori’s goal in the 80th minute was the closest Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah’s club could get to leveling the score, and Inter is now a whopping 17 points clear of AC Milan with five games left to play. Inter has been imperious on its way to a 20th Scudetto, scoring the most goals in the league while also conceding the fewest and losing only once this season.
Free Kicks
- The Orlando Pride and Orlando City hosted a clean-up effort in honor of Earth Day on Monday.
- Apple is reportedly close to landing the rights of the expanded Club World Cup, set to start play in 2026. The deal is thought to be worth as much as $1 billion.
- Xavi has still not made a decision on whether he will stay or leave Barcelona at the end of the season, and will meet with club executives who reportedly want him to continue managing the Catalan club.
That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
-
Orlando City2 weeks ago
Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Five Takeaways
-
Orlando City2 weeks ago
Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Final Score 3-2 as Lions Score Twice Late to Win
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks ago
Orlando Pride vs. Utah Royals: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City3 days ago
Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match
-
Lion Links1 week ago
Lion Links: 4/17/24
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks ago
Orlando Pride vs. Utah Royals: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Claim First Win of 2024 NWSL Season
-
Orlando City4 days ago
Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Five Takeaways
-
Lion Links1 week ago
Lion Links: 4/15/24