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Meet the 2018 Lions of Orlando City SC

Published

6 years ago

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The 2018 MLS season is nearly upon us and Orlando City is a completely revamped team. It’s possible that many of you tuned out in the long off-season and found other hobbies, or even lives. It is mainly for you that this post exists, but even the most ardent followers of the club still want to know things like:

  • Who counts as an international?
  • Which player has changed numbers, making my expensive custom jersey obsolete?

My aim here is to introduce you to the 2018 Lions, including new shirt numbers, your internationals, Designated Players, and basically what you truly need to know about the roster headed into Orlando City’s fourth MLS campaign. Let’s get started and go in numerical order.

1 Joe Bendik, Goalkeeper

You know him, you love him. Orlando’s stopper is back between the sticks for 2018. We may hate the state his listed hometown is in (Marietta, GA), but we like it when he makes an amazing save that preserves a lead or keeps his team in the match. Joe has become one of this team’s leaders and a fixture in front of the goal Orlando City is defending. Bendik enters his third year as City’s primary goalkeeper since arriving in December of 2015 in a trade with Toronto FC.

2 Jonathan Spector, Defender

Orlando City’s best center back in MLS (to date) returns for his second season in purple to anchor the back line with his experience and veteran savvy. The 32-year-old will look to build on a solid first MLS season in which he scored one (very big) goal and added an assist in 25 appearances. After being paired with a revolving door of partners in 2017, the former Premier League defender will look to find some stability in 2018. Oh, and he was named the team’s 2018 captain on Wednesday.

3 Amro Tarek, Defender

One of the new faces for 2018, Tarek arrived on loan from Egyptian side Wadi Degla FC on a one-year loan with a club option to buy at the end of the loan agreement back on Feb. 2. Born in Los Angeles, Tarek does not occupy an international slot. He has previous MLS experience due to a brief loan from La Liga side Real Betis to Columbus in 2016, during which he appeared in one game. Much of the 25-year-old’s prior professional experience has come from playing for various German reserve sides, including SC Freiburg II (2011-2012) and VfL Wolfsburg II (2012-2013). The dual national (U.S. and Egypt) provides a physical presence on the OCSC back line and could pair with Spector for the opener due to the late arrival of Lamine Sané (more on him later).

4 Will Johnson, Midfielder

Johnson enters his second season with the Lions and switches from jersey No. 8 to No. 4 for 2018. While some fans soured on the Canadian international (who doesn’t require an international slot) after last year’s midseason arrest on domestic violence suspicion, Johnson was never prosecuted and has worked hard to put 2017 behind him. He started the preseason hot, by scoring three goals and adding an assist in Orlando City’s first two scrimmages in February. That should boost his confidence entering 2018 and he could be moved around a bit as various other pieces gain match fitness or return from injury. It will be interesting to see how Jason Kreis uses the veteran when his full squad is available.

5 Dillon Powers, Midfielder

Originally dropped at the end of 2017, Powers re-signed for a second stint with the Lions back on Dec. 18. The 2013 MLS Rookie of the Year while with Colorado, Powers was originally acquired in a trade with the Rapids last August but appeared in just six games (four starts) during the final stretch of 2017 for Orlando. On Wednesday, Jason Kreis said he did not expect Powers to be available for the opener due to an ankle injury sustained in a preseason scrimmage against Philadelphia. He turned in his No. 15 shirt and will replace Servando Carrasco as the wearer of No. 5 for the Lions.

6 Richie Laryea, Midfielder

The Lions’ No. 7 overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft is entering his third season with Orlando City. Laryea didn’t appear in any MLS games in 2016, spending the entire season with the club’s USL reserve side. He also played much of the 2017 season with OCB, but did finally get his first 12 MLS appearances (one start), logging 250 minutes and notching his first MLS assist to go along with three shots (two on target). The Canadian, who is one of Orlando’s seven internationals, is looking to break through in 2018 but a crowded midfield will make it difficult for the Generation Adidas player. An adductor strain threatened his availability for the opener but he was back at full training earlier this week.

7 Cristian Higuita, Midfielder

Despite being only 24 years old, Higuita seems like a grizzled MLS veteran. The Colombian — who has a green card and doesn’t take up an international slot — enters his fourth season with the club after being acquired in late January of 2015. Higuita bounced back and forth from the bench to the starting lineup in his first three seasons and was hampered by a hamstring issue in 2016. He’s logged 73 matches with the Lions to date, starting 59, and contributing two goals and six assists. His outlook for 2018 is cloudy with the addition of Uri Rosell and a deeper defensive midfield than we’ve seen in recent years but if he’s on the bench, that’s a good luxury to have.

8 Tony Rocha, Midfielder

Speaking of defensive midfielders with cloudy prospects for playing time, Rocha enters his third season with the club after being signed in August of 2016. The University of Tulsa product out of Spring, TX, played just 25 minutes in three MLS appearances last season. He spent the bulk of the year at OCB after picking up a preseason injury that derailed the start of his 2017 campaign. However, he did register his first MLS assist in a 2-0 win over D.C. United last May 31. He switches from No. 16 to No. 8 this season after starting his OCSC career wearing No. 46.

9 Justin Meram, Forward/Midfielder

One of the biggest names brought in over the off-season, Meram was acquired from Columbus Crew SC on Jan. 29 in exchange for $1.05 million in combined allocation money and a 2019 international roster slot. The club listed him as a forward on the roster release but he’s been a more traditional wing player through most of his pro career. The Iraqi international is a Michigan native, so he doesn’t use an international slot. Meram enters his first year as a Lion after being a Lion of Mesopotamia since 2014. He should become a fixture in the starting lineup.

10 Josué Colmán, Midfielder

Colmán is a Young Designated Player from Paraguay that Orlando signed Jan. 15 from Cerro Porteño (Paraguay). The 19-year-old is a dynamic playmaker who will help create scoring opportunities as either a right wing or a No. 10 and can even be used as a striker in a pinch, although he’ll need to further develop his goal-scoring capabilities. He replaces Kaká in the iconic purple No. 10 jersey. Colmán enters the first season of a multi-year deal as a Lion slowly, as a preseason quad contusion will keep him sidelined for Saturday’s opening game against D.C. United. It’ll be another week or two before we see the exciting young Paraguayan, who occupies one of the club’s international slots.

11 Pierre Da Silva, Midfielder

Da Silva played one minute of MLS soccer last season. That’s it. One lousy minute. But he’s worked hard this off-season and preseason to give Jason Kreis reasons to find him more playing time in his second season since signing an MLS deal last January. Da Silva, the first player to rise from Orlando City’s academy, play for OCB, and then see MLS action, was a fixture for the club’s reserve side the past two seasons. He wore No. 98 last season but switches to the No. 11 kit for 2018. His best attribute as a player is his play-making ability but he can also score goals. Still just 19 years old, Da Silva will have to impress to bypass the talent that Orlando City has amassed in the midfield this past off-season, but he has the potential to do just that. If he can’t break through, Da Silva could be loaned out to a USL side to get more minutes and develop further.

13 Mohamed El-Munir, Defender

The Lions added Libyan international fullback El-Munir on Dec. 27 because they’d rather sign potential star players than just chill over the holidays. The 25-year-old takes up an international slot, coming over from Serbia’s national champions, FK Partizan Belgrade. He also played for Belarus’ FC Dinamo Minsk in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, making 10 appearances in UEFA Europa League qualifiers and five in the Europa League competition, scoring two goals. He was brought in to battle Donny Toia for the left back spot and Orlando City’s technical staff love his creativity and speed.

14 Dom Dwyer, Forward

Yes, I know you’re well aware of Dom. Born in England, Dwyer became a U.S. citizen and not only doesn’t take up an international slot, but he also plays with the USMNT. Unfortunately, a quad injury will keep him out of the lineup to start the season but with the array of talent added this off-season, Dwyer can rest up while he dreams of all those scrumptious passes that will come his way when he’s healthy. Dwyer came over during the summer window last year from Sporting Kansas City, but this year he swaps numbers from his old No. 18 to No. 14 for the 2018 season. Dom signed a new three-year contract extension this off-season and will be one of the club’s three Designated Players.

15 Cameron Lindley, Midfielder

Orlando City shipped Rafael Ramos and $100,000 in TAM ($50,000 in both 2018 and 2019) to the Chicago Fire on Jan. 18. In exchange, the club acquired dynamic University of North Carolina midfielder Cam Lindley, a Fire Homegrown who didn’t want to play in Chicago. The Indiana native is listed as a Homegrown Player, which I find puzzling, since he never played for the OCSC Academy. However, I’m rolling with it because MLS is weird. Lindley, who signed a four-year deal with Orlando, is a 20-year-old with tremendous upside and was widely regarded one of the best players in college soccer as a sophomore last season, earning ACC Midfielder of the Year honors. He scored seven goals and added 13 assists in 22 starts for UNC last year.

16 Sacha Kljestan, Midfielder

Kljestan enters his first season with the Lions, but he’ll miss the first two matches of the season due to suspension from an incident involving Jozy Altidore during last year’s playoffs. Orlando traded for the MLS assist leader and New York Red Bulls captain on Jan. 3, sending Tommy Redding and Carlos Rivas to New York. The Lions did well to also land $150,000 in TAM and a percentage of any future sales of Redding and/or Rivas. Plagued by a lack of creativity and service throughout last year, Orlando GM Niki Budalic went out and got the guy with more MLS assists over the last three years than anyone else. His presence should improve the offense and he can also provide quality service on set pieces. Sure, we used to hate the sight of his face when he wore the energy drink logo on his shirt, but now he’s our jerk. I’m embracing that. Sacha is one of Orlando’s three Designated Players.

17 Chris Mueller, Forward

Orlando City selected Mueller with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. The kid out of Schaumburg, IL, went to the University of Wisconsin, where he posted a 20-assist season as a senior but all he’s done in the Lions’ preseason is score goals. He scored nine times his final year at Wisconsin, but he’s already got five in an Orlando City uniform, albeit in games that don’t count. With only Dwyer and Stéfano Pinho to compete with for minutes at striker, Mueller could be one of the biggest surprises in MLS this season if he can translate his preseason success to the games that matter.

19 Yoshimar Yotún, Midfielder

With all of Orlando’s roster turnover, it seems like it’s been years since the club acquired Yotún, but he was only signed last Aug. 4 and enters just his second season (first full year) with the Lions. Yoshi came in as a DP during last year’s summer window and around that same time this year he’ll be off playing for Peru in the World Cup. He’s now a TAM-level player, so he’s no longer one of the club’s DPs. The 27-year-old started all 10 of his 2017 appearances for City, and averaged being involved in a goal every other game, finishing with one goal and four assists. However, his goal and two of those assists came in one game — a glorious 6-1 beatdown of New England on Sept. 27. Yotún has played well in the preseason, scoring three goals (all from the spot, but he generally created those chances for himself) and he’ll look to be even more effective for the Lions in his first full MLS campaign.

20 Oriol “Uri” Rosell, Midfielder

MLS noobs may not recognize Rosell’s name but he was a world beater for Sporting Kansas City from 2012 to 2014. “Uri” was acquired by Orlando on Jan. 30 from Portuguese side Sporting CP, which required sending $400,000 in TAM and the top spot in the Allocation Order to FC Dallas to pave the way for the signing. Rosell helped SKC win an MLS Cup and was a rock as a defensive midfielder. He brings those skills to Orlando but isn’t yet match fit after a layoff and a lengthy process in arriving in the U.S. The native of Puig-Reig, Spain, is a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and requires an international slot. Hopefully he’ll be ready for Week 2, but we’ll see.

21 Scott Sutter, Defender

Sutter begins his second season with the Lions after being signed just two days prior to the 2017 MLS campaign from Swiss Super League side BSC Young Boys. Sutter started playing a few weeks after that without a break in between seasons. He’ll probably feel a lot fresher entering 2018 after having an actual off-season. Despite the wear and tear of such a long season, Sutter was one of Orlando’s most consistent performers in 2017. He racked up 30 starts and 32 overall appearances after his arrival, scoring one goal and assisting on four others. Teams began focusing their defending to their left to account for the Orlando City right back’s quality on the ball and chance creation. Hopefully El-Munir will act as a counterpoint on the left side to prevent that happening this season. Sutter is a Swiss international born in London, England, but doesn’t take up an international slot due to getting his green card.

22 Ludovic Lamine Sané, Defender

The club’s most recent addition, Sané signed just days ago from Werder Bremen on Feb. 20. In fact, paperwork may keep him off the field for the opener, as the Bundesliga club reportedly was missing a form necessary to complete the transfer. Hopefully it gets worked out by Saturday. The 30-year-old defender, who will require an international slot, played at a high level in both Germany and France in recent years and should finally be the partner Spector needs in central defense. The French-born Sengalese international is an intriguing player and one that I can’t wait to see on the field.

25 Donny Toia, Defender

Toia enters his second season with the Lions after Orlando acquired his rights from Atlanta following the 2016 season. If there’s a phrase that typifies Toia’s play, it’s “solid but unspectacular.” He generally did most everything right on the defensive end, but struggled to get forward into the attack in 2017. He had little competition at left back last year but El-Munir presents a challenge that will be hard to hold off. Toia even played a bit of center back in preseason and could be called on to play there in case of emergency. The Arizona native played 30 games with the Lions last year (29 starts), mustering three assists but attempting just 13 shots.

27 RJ Allen, Defender

Allen’s rights were acquired from New York City FC on Dec. 18 in exchange for a 2018 third-round MLS SuperDraft pick. The New Jersey native enters his first season as a Lion and the purple No. 27 jersey transfers from former right back Rafa Ramos to Allen. The 27-year-old worked with Kreis before at NYCFC and knows what to expect. He adds grit and depth to the team and can chip in with some occasional offense, which he showed with a goal in the preseason against the Philadelphia Union. You’d be hard pressed to find a better backup for Sutter and one you’d be comfortable having spell the Swiss-English fullback when he needs the rest. In three seasons with NYCFC, Allen played 53 games (42 starts), scoring once and providing 11 assists.

28 Chris Schuler, Defender

A trialist with Orlando City throughout the 2018 preseason, Schuler, 30, has impressed enough to land a deal to become the newest Lion just today. The 6-foot-4 St. Louis, MO, native played with Real Salt Lake from 2010-2017, so he’s well acquainted with Kreis’ expectations. RSL drafted the Creighton product in the third round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. His career has largely been derailed by injuries, but when healthy he’s provided solid play in central defense. He has appeared in 96 career MLS games (87 starts), scoring five goals and adding two assists in the regular season and 11 career appearances (10 starts) in the MLS playoffs. Schuler replaces the departed Jose Aja, who was traded just days ago to Vancouver. 

29 Stéfano Pinho, Forward

Like Allen, Pinho was signed on Dec. 18 of last year. The two-time NASL Golden Boot and Golden Ball winner comes over from Miami FC. Lions fans no doubt remember his hat trick that unexpectedly helped knock City out of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup. Pinho is a top-notch finisher and should provide outstanding depth for Dwyer. He led the NASL with 17 goals in 27 games last season. If he can translate that to the MLS level, Orlando has itself a steal. The native of Minas Gerais, Brazil has a green card and will not require an international slot.

31 Mason Stajduhar, Goalkeeper

A Homegrown Player, Mason was blindsided by a bone cancer diagnosis in November. It’s unlikely he’ll see the field in MLS in 2018, even when he beats the disease, due to the depth in front of him. We wish the 20-year-old the best of luck in his comeback.

33 Jose Villarreal, Midfielder

Villareal came to Orlando from the LA Galaxy on Dec. 27 in exchange for a third-round MLS SuperDraft pick in 2019. The 24-year-old Californian was a prized prospect out of the Galaxy academy but got stuck behind high-priced international players on the depth chart and didn’t see as much of the field as he might have on virtually any other team. LA’s second ever Homegrown signing — still listed as an HGP after switching teams — has played in 68 games (25 starts) since 2012, when he entered the league as a teenager. He has five goals and nine assists for his MLS career, meaning he’s been directly part of a goal about every 168 minutes he’s been on the pitch. That’s about one every other game. He can play either in the midfield or in a forward position.

36 Earl Edwards Jr., Goalkeeper

Suddenly 2015 MLS SuperDraft pick Edwards finds himself as one of the club’s longest-tenured players. Earl was selected Jan. 20, 2015 with the Lions’ third-round pick (No. 43 overall). He enters his fourth season with the club, serving as a backup who did not play in 2015 and 2016 but became a vital starter for OCB in 2017 as one of the USL’s top goalkeepers. He became the backup once again late last year when Josh Saunders had season-ending surgery, and made his MLS debut in the season finale. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a lot of help in what turned into a 6-1 loss in his first top flight game. Now the UCLA product is battling to back up Bendik in 2018.

94 Victor “PC” Giro, Defender

PC enters his second season in Orlando after backing up Toia in 2017. The 23-year-old Brazilian was signed to a four-year deal on Jan. 4, 2017 and appeared in eight games (five starts) last season, showing flashes of outstanding offensive play while being inconsistent on defense. He produced one assist in his first MLS campaign and rattled the crossbar, coming inches from adding a goal. His quick movement earned the game-tying free kick at Seattle. Adept at playing either left back or left wing, the young Brazilian has plenty of upside and hopefully will begin to realize some of his potential. He occupies one of Orlando’s international slots.

99 Adam Grinwis, Goalkeeper

A 25-year-old native of Ada, MI, Grinwis was signed on Jan. 5 to push Bendik and Edwards and add competition at the goalkeeper position. A Saint Louis FC keeper a year ago in the USL, Grinwis is a three-year pro who made 61 saves in the USL last season with five clean sheets in 14 appearances, including one against OCB. He was a member of the USL’s Rochester Rhinos in 2015 and 2016. He played against Orlando City during the 2017 preseason in the Lions’ final tuneup and the first ever match at Orlando City Stadium. It reamains to be seen if he or Edwards will emerge as Bendik’s backup, with the other likely being loaned out.

There you have it. Your 2018 Lions are about to embark on the grueling 2018 MLS season, with tons of travel, plenty of blisteringly hot Florida nights, and in the league’s toughest conference. However, the club has assembled the most depth and quality it has ever had. Now we wait for Saturday to see how it starts to unfold.

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Reflecting on Eight Years with The Mane Land

A look back over my time with The Mane Land (so far).

Published

10 months ago

on

June 20, 2023

By

Nick Leyva, The Mane Land

As of last week, I have been a contributor at The Mane Land for eight years. That’s longer than I’ve ever been at any of my actual jobs in my life. There are literally only a couple of people who have been with the site longer, but I’m still amazed at how long it’s been. This is not to say I’m going anywhere, but rather I wanted to take the opportunity to look back at the past eight years, and look ahead to the future.

Unlike some, I didn’t come to be a supporter of Orlando City until it was announced that the club was joining MLS. At the time, I was contemplating picking a club to follow in MLS, but being in Tallahassee, there were no nearby options at that time. I considered FC Dallas and D.C. United, given the two were geographically closer in proximity to me than any others. Fortunately, it was literally while I was considering my options that the announcement was made regarding Orlando City’s jump to MLS. It was an easy decision.

As I do in many aspects of my life, I immediately started researching my new club, which led me to the content being produced by The Mane Land. There was also an article on the site titled “Join The Mane Land Staff.” I had often over the years internally bemoaned that I rarely used my Bachelor’s degree in English, and the desire to write welled up in me so much that I emailed the staff. 

In response, one of our former editors, Andrew Marcinko, contacted me and said “I think your voice would be a great fit on TML.” He asked me to submit a Fan Post (those went away with our presence on SBN), and then another piece for review. Following that, our founder and managing editor, Michael Citro, emailed me to welcome me to the staff. I had no idea at the time how big a part of my life this blog would become.

I started out writing Monday’s Lions Links — often one of the more difficult days to write — and a feature piece. It’s been many years gone by now, but there was a time when the feature piece was “Pride Pub,” an ongoing series that paired craft beer and good food based on Orlando City’s opponent. I can tell you that the research for that was very enjoyable, and I still use some of the recipes I found to this day.

Eventually, I started contributing more match coverage and analytical pieces. Staff came and went, but I never thought to leave since I was enjoying myself. Sometime after that, I was promoted to senior columnist, for which I’m grateful. I can without reservation say that I’m a better writer thanks to my time with the site, and from working with such excellent staff.

In November of 2016, Michael asked if I wanted to give co-hosting The Mane Land PawedCast a try. My first recording was for Episode 71. We just recorded Episode 354, and with the exception of maybe two or three episodes, I have been on every single one of 283 episodes over the last six plus years. Michael and I have spent a lot of time talking on and off the podcast over the years, and I’m proud of what we have produced and to call him my friend.

We recently added an Orlando Pride-specific podcast called Skopurp: An Orlando Pride PawedCast. For years we wanted to give the Pride the time and attention the club deserves. Now, it is a reality, but one that I ask you to listen to and share. I’ll even put out that although Michael and I are the current hosts, we merely consider ourselves stewards and are hoping to get others to come onboard and eventually take it to the next level.

When I started with The Mane Land, the site had just made the move from a free WordPress site to the SBNation network. It was a big deal, and for many years it was a good partnership. Of course that all came to an end not too long ago, and our blog went the independent route thanks to the incredibly generous support of our readers and listeners. In fact, if you want to be one of those supporting our efforts, please go to our Buy Me A Coffee site to become a member. The move has allowed a flexibility we didn’t have before, but I really want others to have the same sense of joy and accomplishment that I have as a member of our staff. 

At one point we had nearly twice the staff that we do now, and as you know, many hands make light work. The opposite of that is also true. I genuinely believe that there must be others out there with the same passion for Orlando City as I have — with the same desire to have their voice heard, whether through the written word or on a podcast. I promise you there is an opportunity to contribute here with us. Our internal discussions are informative, engaging, and often funny. Please consider joining us, as I did eight years ago. I haven’t regretted it and I know you won’t either.

I want to thank all of those who contributed to The Mane Land over the years. There are many that I am still in touch with, though they are no longer a part of the staff. Of course, the current staff are a pleasure to work with, and I appreciate their dedication to what we are trying to do.

Finally, I want to thank the readers and listeners over the years. From those who regularly comment on our articles, to those that I’ve personally met at matches or even randomly on the street, you are a big reason that we do all of this. You are a big reason why I’ve been doing this for the better part of a decade. it is always a genuine pleasure hearing your thoughts or simply sharing a moment of joy together — U.S. Open Cup final, anyone?

So, thank you. I look forward to many more years of this journey together.

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The Mane Land Announces Membership Program

Maximize your Mane Land experience with our new TML membership program while supporting our independent efforts.

Published

12 months ago

on

May 4, 2023

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Hello, readers of The Mane Land and listeners of our podcasts. Before you start reading this, please note that the most important part of this post is at the end. So, don’t stop until you get to the bottom.

You may recall that when we left SBNation to become independent, we really weren’t sure the best way to go about that. Many of our readers and listeners generously offered to help us make that transition, but we still weren’t sure the best path forward, so we took a poll.

The poll was pretty much split down the middle between those who preferred a one-time, Kickstarter-style campaign (which we did, and those of you who stepped up to help completely blew us away!) and those who favored a Patreon-style, subscription-based membership with extra perks. In fact, the member subscriptions option got a few more votes in our poll.

The folks who took part in our GoFundMe fundraiser were fantastic and are now immortalized on this very site on the “Our Founders” page. But we had always planned to give folks the option to choose whichever method of support they preferred and we tried to communicate that throughout the process. It took a little longer than expected to get up and running, but our membership subscription program is now in place! (You may notice the fancy new banner ad about it on the home page, echoed below.)

Supporting TML helps build a better TML for you to enjoy, so you’re really subscribing to your own Orlando soccer fandom.

Part of that delay was thinking up something that didn’t encroach on the benefits we gave our Founders. Those folks helped us get started and deserve the exclusivity of the perks they got. The other part of the delay is that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. (However, for you guys, I’m willing to be cloned.)

We have utilized the popular Buy Me a Coffee platform to run this program. You can find the basics here. The Mane Land premium membership program includes three tiers of membership, as well as the option to click on the “Support” tab for those who just want to help us out whenever, without joining the program or adding any recurring “appointment-based” payments to their budgets. We love that feature of Buy Me a Coffee (or “Buy Us a Beer” in our case…you drink what you like).

For those who do choose to become members, we hope we have provided value and we are planning to add benefits along the way, in addition to providing special giveaways, events, etc. (more on that below). We have also provided subscription options — with monthly or annual memberships. The annual cost essentially gives you 12 months for the price of 10.

Current Benefits

The current membership benefits depend on which level of support you choose — Homegrown Player, TAM Player, or Designated Player level. Each level includes all benefits from the lower tiers, with additional benefits for each higher level.

Homegrown Player: This is a basic set-it-and-forget-it level of support for The Mane Land, providing a way for our readers and podcast listeners to contribute to the success of TML‘s independence goals. We want to compensate our current volunteers, replace lost income of those who previously received small stipends from being part of the SBNation network, add photographers, attract new writers, and expand our coverage. Additionally, each Homegrown Player Level member will be recognized in a Lion Links column, which is still typically our most widely read post of each day and one of the top daily links columns among soccer sites. Homegrown Player Level members will also be included in any future prize drawings we have or events we host and may be subject to future benefits as they are added.

TAM Player: In addition to Homegrown Player benefits, TAM Players will receive a new weekly e-newsletter in their inbox (unless you opt out…some people hate email). These will be informal missives from myself, other TML writers, or a combination, discussing what’s on our mind regarding Orlando City, the Pride, OCB, or soccer in general. Think of it as an extra post from our site that may cover multiple topics. Additionally, you’ll get a 10% discount from our web shop items that we control (presently, that means everything except our listed MLS Shop items). We will definitely have more benefits coming for this level soon and will look for opportunities to include additional benefits as they become available.

Designated Player: This limited availability level of support includes all perks from the Homegrown and TAM levels, but it goes beyond. Your discount at our webshop (for items we control) will be 15% off. Additionally, we’ll send you Zoom links to watch us “make the doughnuts” whenever we record the podcast. This includes when we interview guests. You’ll see how the sausage is made behind the scenes and everything that we say, some of which will end up on the cutting room floor before the final podcast is sent out. This includes both The Mane Land PawedCast and SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast. And after two months of membership you can commission a bonus episode of either podcast simply by letting us know what topic you want us to cover. Think of this as an extended Ask Us Anything. We’ll do a whole show about your topic and you can even join us to discuss it if you wish.

The DP Level will certainly have additional benefits tacked on as we move forward. It is currently limited to 40 members but could be expanded slightly depending on demand and our Zoom attendance.

Future Benefits / Benefits Under Consideration

While we won’t be able to schedule these due to the random nature of items falling into our hands, there will be periodic prize giveaways in drawings that include all of our members, regardless of level. The catch is that you get one entry per level of support, meaning Homegrown Player Level members will get one entry per prize drawing, TAM Player Level members will get two entries per drawing, and Designated Player Level members get three entries for prize drawings. Some of the kinds of items we have come across in the past include match tickets, trinkets, posters, scarves, and so on.

We are planning to add a message board to our website, well…soon-ish is the word that comes to mind. The plan for the message board is to build our community and further the discussion about the club. As part of this, we’re planning an exclusive, members-only area of that message board that TAM and DP members can access. This will be a place our staff can share informational nuggets we can’t necessarily write stories about for various reasons and interact with our members on a daily basis.

Other things in the works include meet-and-greets/watch parties where you can chat with TML staff members and catch a road match with a bunch of like-minded Orlando City/Pride fans while we all cheer on the team together. There may also be other informal outings with one or more members of the staff, organized fantasy leagues, random Zoom calls for Q&A sessions, and perhaps even some organized group outings for Orlando City / Pride matches, national team games, etc.

The Most Important Part of This Post

Remember at the top of this post, when I said the most important part is at the bottom? Well, that seems like a long time ago, now, so it’s OK if you’ve already forgotten.

The most important part of our membership program is you. We want your feedback so we can make this program something that interests and excites you. We want to know what you like and dislike about this program. We want to know if there are some things we didn’t think of that interest you. If you like what we’re offering, tell us! If you hate what we’re offering, we want to know what you’d prefer instead or in addition. If you want to go drinking with Dave, we can probably arrange that, but it’ll be a unique tier and we’ll have to figure out the cost of that.

No idea is too crazy to suggest, even if it’s too insane for us to actually offer. Let us know what you want from your subscription and we’ll see if that’s something we can do. We’ll make it easy for you by putting the form right here below this post, which is now concluded.

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Welcome Home!

Published

1 year ago

on

March 31, 2023

By

Where do I even start? When we were told in January that SBNation was pulling its support of The Mane Land and other MLS and NHL blogs — and many podcasts — I was devastated. The site had become my new baby in September of 2014 and after eight and a half years, I wasn’t ready to let it go.

I was in a pickle. I couldn’t afford to lose the monthly stipend I had been getting from SBNation to manage the site and provide a steady stream of content. It wasn’t that it was a huge monthly sum, but it mostly covered my car payment. That car was purchased when my salary was higher. The pandemic hit my day job like it did to many, and after a four-month layoff, I got my old job back but not at the same rate. So, imagine taking a pay decrease at work and then, on top of that, losing the amount you spend per month on your car payment. There was simply no way to launch The Mane Land independently, I thought, because I simply couldn’t cover the startup costs. Even with some generous offers from the staff to pitch in, there simply wasn’t a way.

Once we took the news public, there was an outpouring of support on social media. We appreciated both the pledges to help out that we got from the community and the signal boosting that the national media gave blogs like ours. Those national folks rely on local reporting for background.

Encouraged by this outpouring of public support, I met with the TML staff and we threw some ideas around. We polled our Twitter followers to see how our community would prefer to show their support. We got pretty close to a 50/50 split between those who wanted to provide a one-time donation via a Kickstarter or GoFundMe crowdsourcing effort, and those who would prefer some sort of premium subscription add-on service like Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee.

We didn’t get a lot of responses to that poll, but we decided as a group that since the results were so similar, we would offer both and let the public choose one path, the other, or even both. (Stay tuned for news soon-ish on the premium subscription level, but rest assured, everything you’ve been getting for free at TML will remain free!)

I was, admittedly, skeptical that we could raise enough startup money to create a private business, pay for hosting a new site and two podcasts (having long wanted to give the Orlando Pride their own unique show), registering a domain, paying for some design work and consulting, and any unexpected expenses that might come up. However, I thought we’d at least give it a try.

Then the amazing Orlando City, Orlando Pride, and TML community got involved. You guys pushed us past our bare minimum goal in just four and a half hours when our fundraiser went live on March 1. We reset our goal and you met that by midnight. We reset our goal again, to the dream total we discussed on our initial staff Zoom chat and you met that by that first weekend.

Stunned. Humbled. Amazed. Touched. All of these words apply to how that made us feel, but they don’t quite cover it. I think we all felt an enormous responsibility, as well. We felt a mandate to provide you the best site and the best coverage we can.

We got everything we needed to run the site for two years, even if we don’t earn a penny after our launch — and we plan to try, via advertising, a Patreon (or similar) program, an online shop, affiliate links, and anything else we can think of. But we decided to leave the GoFundMe open through the end of March, just in case there were folks who wanted to contribute but needed to wait for payday, or if more people wanted to become founding members of this new site.

Now, here we are. You guys did this. We’re here because of you. And this site isn’t quite what it will become. I’m still learning my way around WordPress, after being away from it for years. There’s more to build, and some of the things you’re seeing on this site now will be improved in the future. We’ll continue to tweak it, add things, and upgrade as we go.

For now, I just want to welcome you to your new online home. On behalf of our entire staff, I thank our founding members, who are now immortalized on this site in our founders section. If you weren’t able to contribute to our transition from SBNation’s network to an autonomous and independent, new version of The Mane Land, you can thank the folks on our founders page, because without them, we wouldn’t be here. And if you still want to help out, we’ve got more things on the way.

Vamos.

Michael Citro
Managing Editor

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