Lions raise $327,530 during friendly benefiting Puerto Rico
Orlando City raised $327,530 at the Fuerza Puerto Rico friendly on Nov. 4. All of the net proceeds will be donated to the United for Puerto Rico fund to aid recovery efforts on the island following hurricanes Irma and Maria.
“I’m very proud of what our Club and our partners were able to accomplish,” Orlando City SC majority owner Flávio Augusto da Silva said in a news release issued by the club. “What we did meant more than just raising funds for Puerto Rico. Once again, we came together as a community to rally behind something bigger than us all.”
Orlando City Stadium hosted 8,231 fans for the friendly. All proceeds from the match, including ticket, concessions and merchandise sales were included in the donation, in addition to the funds raised through the Orlando City Foundation’s game-worn jersey auction.
Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake is adding a women's team that will play in the National Women's Soccer League next season.
The Utah team was announced as a “new” team to the NWSL. But at a news conference Thursday league official Amanda Duffy said NWSL would remain at 10 teams for 2018, suggesting that perhaps another team was either folding or moving. But no announcement about the other team in the equation was made.
RSL becomes the fourth MLS franchise to include a women's pro club, joining the Portland Timbers (Thorns), Orlando City (Pride) and Houston Dynamo (Dash).
“During our discussions in this process, Real Salt Lake has demonstrated their unquestionable desire and commitment to bring the highest level of professional women's soccer to all fans of the game in Salt Lake City and Utah,” Duffy, NWSL managing director of operations, said in a statement.
RSL general manager Craig Waibel addressed the players who will don Salt Lake jerseys next season. A team name will be announced in the near future.
The announcement comes as FC Kansas City faces an uncertain future. The team is without a coach in the offseason after Vlatko Andonovski left for the Seattle Reign.
“We are in ongoing discussions with the FC Kansas City ownership group regarding their status and plans for the future. We will look to provide an update as soon as possible,” the NWSL said in a statement provided to the Associated Press.
Sporting Kansas City's Tim Melia has been named Major League Soccer's Goalkeeper of the Year. Melia, who is in his third season with Kansas City, had a careerhigh 12 wins, 10 shutouts, 91 saves and 31 starts. He led MLS with a 0.78 goals-against average and a 78.4 save percentage. He saved three penalty kicks.
Soccer's governing body in North and Central America and the Caribbean is following the example set by its European counterpart and establishing a League of Nations competition to replace many exhibition games.
CONCACAF said Thursday the event will begin with four dates starting in September 2018 and all 41 of its members will participate.