Introducing your 2022 Orlando City Beat Writer: Matthew Laboissonniere

Lionsblog announces its first-ever Orlando City Beat Writer. Welcome to the team, Matthew!

After conducting multiple interviews and analyzing many more resumes, Lionsblog has chosen Matthew Laboissonniere as its first-ever Orlando City Beat Writer. For the entire 2022 MLS season, Matthew will be in charge of writing Match Previews and Match Reviews for every game played this season. Matthew will also conduct a couple of player interviews throughout the season, so be on the lookout for those.

Learn more about the newest addition to the Lionsblog crew below.

Tell me a little bit about yourself?

- Hi guys, my name is Matt Laboissonniere and I’m a senior college student at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island. I major in Communications and double minor in Marketing and Psychology. I’m an avid soccer fan, supporting Chelsea FC and the New England Revolution, and now Orlando City! I’m an aspiring broadcaster, writer, and reporter. I can’t wait to get started!

What involvement have you had in soccer and how has the sport impacted your life?

- Soccer has been a thing in my life for as long as I can remember. I started playing when I was 4 years old and still play today. It began with youth town soccer, which expanded to playing in middle school and high school, and eventually at the club level. I was at Bayside FC in Rhode Island for 4 years, a great program that was home for a couple of players who joined the Revolution Academy. At my university, I play on the Club team as well as play intramurals. I’m a big fan, watching the Premier League and MLS games growing up. I started working in soccer when I realized how much I loved it. I started with coaching in my youth, then began working as a sports broadcaster at Bryant. I began with calling soccer and it expanded to others sports, but soccer was always #1 in my heart. Being a Communications student, I started to take a liking to sports writing on top of broadcasting, and I have always aspired to be a reporter as well. Soccer has been an outlet for me to express myself. Whenever I’m around the game I feel the most like myself. I’m hopeful I can keep soccer in my life as long as I can, playing it in my free time and working a job involving it.

What professional soccer teams do you support?

- Chelsea FC and the New England Revolution

What are your personal aspirations in sports media?

- I want to be a play-by-play broadcaster for an MLS team or a Premier League team. Additionally, I’d love to host my own soccer podcasts or be an entertainer/talent for a Premier League’s content team.

What was your reasoning behind joining Lionsblog?

- Joining Lionsblog seemed like a no-brainer to me. I’ve been looking to get into journalism for an MLS team while being able to add my own personality and flair to my writing. After talking with Gavin it seemed like I’d be able to do this and the position seemed like a great fit. Also, I want to discuss tactics, formations, and styles of play in my articles and Lionsblog constantly digs deep into Orlando City and doesn’t just give surface-level analysis. Podcasting and interviews were an added bonus to joining Lionsblog. The role fits well with my school work and I’m going to enjoy my work as well, discussing MLS games and watching my favorite sport!

What is a fun fact about you?

- I make music on the side as well.

Do you have any final words/thoughts you’d like to share?

- I’m very passionate about soccer and I’m super excited to get started!

You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattlablions Welcome to the team, Matt!