Lion Links
Lion Links: 8/27/21
How’s it going, Mane Landers? Not only is it Friday, but it’s also an Orlando City game day as the Lions take on Inter Miami. It’s always nice having something to look forward to once the work week is over. The Orlando Pride are also in action this Sunday against NJ/NY Gotham FC, so it’s shaping up to be a fun weekend. But for now, enjoy these links from around the soccer world.
The Lions Host Inter Miami Tonight
Orlando City faces off against Inter Miami tonight at 8:30 p.m. in Exploria Stadium. It is the third and final meeting between the two Floridian clubs this season, with Orlando winning 2-1 in Fort Lauderdale on June 25 and then sharing a 1-1 result in Orlando on Aug. 4. It should be a good match-up as the Lions are riding a five-game unbeaten streak in MLS play while the Herons have won their past two games. The game is part of MLS Rivalry Week and Miguel Gallardo and Evan Weston broke down what to watch for in tonight’s Tropic Thunder showdown.
Breaking down the Fire while looking ahead to Miami in this week's Roundtable presented by @Ford 🎥 #VamosOrlando | #ORLvMIA pic.twitter.com/hQNsgbN1RS
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) August 26, 2021
Orlando Pride Sign Parker Roberts
The Orlando Pride added some depth to their midfield by signing Parker Roberts to a contract through the end of this season. The Pride traded a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft to Kansas City for Roberts’ discovery rights. The 24-year-old reunites with Pride interim head coach Becky Burleigh, who coached Roberts throughout her collegiate career at the University of Florida.
Four Pride Players Named to List of Most Marketable Athletes
The Pride’s Ashlyn Harris, Ali Krieger, Alex Morgan, and Sydney Leroux were all named to SportsPro’s annual list of the 50 Most Marketable Athletes in the world. Harris placed third on the list, finishing behind Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, while Krieger was listed at seventh, Morgan 10th, and Leroux at 45th. The metrics used for the list go beyond follower count and include reach and fan engagement to determine which athletes are most influential across multiple sports. Orlando Pride Executive Vice President Amanda Duffy weighed in on the importance of Pride players making the list and using their platform to promote social change.
“This is a tremendous honor and recognition for each of these four players,” added Amanda Duffy, EVP of the Orlando Pride. “The list itself speaks to the growing power of women and women in sport, as well as the opportunities in front of brands and agencies that choose to invest in them. While we’re elated to have four members of the Pride who call Orlando home included on this list, we’re proud of how these players, along with the full Pride roster, use their platforms as a catalyst for change both globally and right here in the Central Florida community.”
Gregg Berhalter Names USMNT World Cup Qualifying Roster
United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Gregg Berhalter called up 26 players for training camp ahead of World Cup qualifiers next week. Players in Europe such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Sergino Dest, and Giovanni Reyna will team up with MLS All-Stars such as Matt Turner, Cristian Roldan, Walker Zimmerman, and Sebastian Lletget. FC Dallas forward Ricardo Pepi was also named to the roster, choosing the USMNT over Mexico and giving Berhalter some needed firepower up top.
Orlando City’s Daryl Dike wasn’t called up, although that could be due to the shoulder injury and tendinitis that’s kept him sidelined since the Concacaf Gold Cup. The USMNT will instead rely on Pepi, Josh Sargent, and Jordan Pefok at center forward. There are three World Cup qualifying matches for the USMNT during this international window, with the first coming on Sept. 2 against El Salvador. After that match, the U.S. will host Canada on Sept. 5 in Nashville and then travel to play Honduras on Sept. 8.
Champions League Group Stage Set
The draw for the UEFA Champions League group stage was decided and there are plenty of interesting match-ups to look forward to. Group A will pit Paris Saint-Germain against Manchester City in a pairing that could also see PSG’s Lionel Messi square off against Cristiano Ronaldo as City nears a deal with Juventus for the Portuguese forward. Speaking of Juventus, it was drawn into Group H with Chelsea FC, meaning we could see a battle between the USMNT’s McKennie and Pulisic.
They aren’t the only Americans who will take part in the group stage though. A total of 12 American players will feature in the tournament. Brenden Aaronson, who scored two goals to help RB Salzburg get through the qualifying round, will play against Timothy Weah’s Lille, John Brooks’ Wolfsburg, and Sevilla in Group H. Dest and FC Barcelona will take on Bayern Munich, Benfica, and Dynamo Kyiv in Group E. Meanwhile, Reyna and Borussia Dortmund are in Group C along with Sporting Lisbon, Ajax, and a Besiktas squad spearheaded by former Lion Cyle Larin.
Free Kicks
- Nani posted a nice group photo of him, Orlando teammate Pedro Gallese, and the rest of the MLS All-Stars.
⭐𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝑳𝑨⭐ Amazing to play in the All-Star game again. Good game, Liga MX 💪🏾🇺🇸🇲🇽 Time to focus on the @MLS 👀🦁#MLSAllStar #AboutLastNight #MLS #LigaMX #Ballers #Stars #LA #Friends #LosAngeles #OrlandoCity pic.twitter.com/VJ9ExNUpdi
— Nani (@luisnani) August 26, 2021
- Orlando and Miami’s match tonight isn’t the only one to watch during Rivalry Week. FC Cincinnati midfielder Caleb Stanko is excited for the Hell is Real derby tonight against the Columbus Crew. Tomorrow’s El Trafico between LAFC and the LA Galaxy should also be a nice match-up right after All-Star week in Los Angeles.
- Crew midfielder and former Lion Kevin Molino is out for the season, and possibly an entire year, after tearing his ACL. This is his third time sustaining that injury.
- Real Madrid submitted another offer, this time at $212 million, for PSG star Kylian Mbappe as the two sides near a deal.
- Canada also named its World Cup qualifying roster, with former Orlando City players Richie Laryea, Kamal Miller, and Larin all making the cut.
- Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy was charged with four counts of rape and was suspended by the club.
That’s going to be it for today, Mane Landers. It’s an exciting time for soccer given all of the matches going on and the transfer news involving plenty of big names. Have a great Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!
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!
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