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Orlando SeaWolves 2019-2020 Season Preview

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The Orlando SeaWolves will embark on their second season in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) starting Friday night when the team hosts the rival Florida Tropics from Lakeland at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee (7:35 p.m.). The game will be live streamed on the MASL website but individual game tickets start at just $12 if you want to go check out the team in person.

If you’re not familiar with MASL soccer, think of it as a cross between regular soccer (only indoors) and hockey. The game is fast and can turn in a hurry on a weird bounce off the boards (yes, there are boards!). MASL games are generally much higher scoring than regular soccer and there can be power plays like in hockey, where one team has a temporary manpower advantage while a player sits in the penalty box.

The SeaWolves missed the MASL playoffs last season after falling off late in the season when the team had quite a few back-to-back game weekends. Injuries mounted and the team didn’t quite have the strength of depth to reach the postseason. Orlando lost six of its final seven games to fall out of contention, but the team lost a lot of close games, including a couple of one-goal games in that final stretch. Considering it was an expansion team with a first-year coach in the league in Tom Traxler, the SeaWolves did an admirable job of staying in the hunt as long as they did.

Orlando finished with a record of 9-15 last season, slipping to fourth place in the South Central Division in the season’s final weeks after contending much of the year with the Kansas City Comets and St. Louis Ambush for the division’s second playoff spot. The Milwaukee Wave ran away with the division, finishing with a 21-3 record — a full eight games better than second place Kansas City (13-11). Milwaukee made short work of Kansas City in the South Central Division final, winning the best-of-three series in a two-game sweep and out-scoring the Comets, 15-5. The Wave then beat the Baltimore Blast in the Eastern final and won the Ron Newman Cup final 5-2 over the Monterrey Flash.

The most difficult thing the club will have to do is replace leading scorer Gordy Gurson, who netted 34 goals and added 24 assists in 34 games during the 2018-2019 season, finishing fourth in the league in points (goals + assists). Gurson was involved in 58 goals and the next closest player on the team was Osvaldo Rojas, who was part of 33 goals (23 goals, 10 assist) in 23 games. Gurson has gone down I-4 and joined the hated Tropics, which will add some spice to the early games of 2019-2020, as Orlando and Florida will meet three consecutive times to start the season (this Friday and Dec. 5 in Kissimmee, and Dec. 14 in Lakeland). To make matters worse for Orlando, Rojas is still not cleared to play due to visa problems.

In addition to Ozzie Rojas’ absence, the SeaWolves may also be without midfielder Thiago Freitas (19 games, 15 goals, 16 assists a year ago) and returning defender Edwin Rojas (23 games, five goals, one assist), as well as one of the club’s newest key additions, forward/midfielder Hugo Puentes. All are currently listed on the team’s inactive list, meaning they are either awaiting league approval or international paperwork.

If you’re looking for a familiar face, former Orlando City (USL) and OCB midfielder Jonny Mendoza is back for a second season with the SeaWolves after adapting well to the indoor game last season. Mendoza was seventh on the team a year ago with 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in 19 games.

Here’s what else you need to know entering the SeaWolves’ second season:

Coaching Change

As mentioned, Traxler was a first-year head coach in the MASL last year. The former Orlando City broadcaster is no longer at the helm. General Manager Chris Kokalis, who served on the bench as an assistant last season, is now the head coach, which again might not put the club in the ideal position in comparison to bringing in a seasoned head coach with a successful track record. Kokalis, has been an assistant coach in the league in Orlando and elsewhere across five seasons but has never been the man in charge of the bench and he’ll be wearing two hats all season.

Speaking of wearing two hats, goalkeeper Piotr Sliwa will serve as a player/assistant coach in 2019-2020.

League Format Change

The South Central Division is no more. In fact, the MASL has done away with divisions and has gone to a conference format (Eastern and Western). There are 10 teams in the Eastern Conference and eight in the Western Conference. The top four teams in each conference after the 24-game regular season schedule will make the MASL playoffs.

Key Returners

  • Piotr Sliwa (Goalkeeper — 13 games (3-8 record), 53% save pct., 8.55 goals-against avg.)
  • Richard Schmermund (Defender — 21 games, 11 goals, five assists)
  • Osvaldo Rojas* (Forward — 23 games, 23 goals, 10 assists)

* Pending international paperwork

Key Additions

  • Omar Tapia (Forward — 23 goals, 12 assists with Turlock and El Paso last year)
  • Hugo Puentes (Forward/Midfielder — 27 goals, 22 assists with El Paso)
  • Odaine Sinclair (Forward — 44 goals, 48 assists in his MASL career)

Key Losses

  • Gordy Gurson* (Forward — 34 goals, 24 assists)
  • Rainer Hauss* (Goalkeeper — 16 games (6-6 record), 73% save pct., 5.78 GAA)
  • Victor France (Forward — one goal, 10 assists in just seven games due to hamstring and ACL injuries)

*Both Gurson and Hauss are now with the Florida Tropics.

Season Outlook

The SeaWolves brought in some attacking players to try to replace the loss of Gurson’s offense. If Freitas and Rojas can get cleared to play, Orlando shouldn’t drop off too much offensively. But the team didn’t do a lot to bolster the defensive end after conceding 174 goals last season. That was the worst in the division and the fourth worst in the entire MASL a year ago. That fact isn’t lost on Kokalis.

“Defensively we have to be sharp. That is what wins championships, not just in any sport, but also in this league,” Kokalis said at SeaWolves Media Day. “Last year we gave a lot of goals up that were goals that shouldn’t have happened. I want to limit our mistakes.”

The loss of Hauss doesn’t help, as he was the club’s best goalkeeper last year, with Sliwa leaking more than eight goals per game and saving just over half the shots he faced. However, Sliwa was playing through injury last year and the club will hope he can have a bounce-back year.

With a first-year head coach (again), the loss of Gurson’s prolific scoring, and a lack of notable defensive upgrades, this could be a long season for Kokalis and the SeaWolves. Orlando doesn’t look like a playoff team at this point, but things can change in a hurry in the indoor game.

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Reflecting on Eight Years with The Mane Land

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

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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.

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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!

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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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