Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/2/17
It’s Friday and another weekend full of soccer is upon us. Let’s get started with happy birthday wishes for Pride forward Danica Evans, who turns 22 today. Now, on to the links.
How Would Cyle Larin Fare as a Lukaku Replacement?
Transfer rumors have been swirling around Larin for a while now, with English Premier League side Everton looking the most likely to acquire his services. It is believed the club could sell star striker Romelu Lukaku, and bring in Larin, who has a similar style of play, as a replacement. Our friends over at Royal Blue Mersey did an interesting breakdown of Larin’s strengths and weaknesses to see if he’d be a good fit for their favorite club.
Pride Keeper Ready to Make Most of Playing Time
Orlando Pride goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe, injured for much of last season, is excited for the opportunity to finally get some playing time, with Ashlyn Harris now out with injury. It has been nearly a year since her last start for the club and she is ready to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
No Change for United States in New FIFA Rankings
In the most recent FIFA rankings, the United States has remained 23rd. There has not been much international action, so there was not much change on the list. However, Mexico fell slightly to 17th, with England and Peru jumping past El Tri.
United States U-20s Dominate New Zealand
It was a convincing win for the Under-20 Americans yesterday, with a 6-0 destruction of New Zealand. This tied the largest ever win at a U-20 World Cup, with six different players landing on the score sheet. The next game will be this Sunday at 2 a.m. ET, against Venezuela in the quarterfinals.
USA 6 Zealand 0. Goal: Sargent 32, Ebobisse 64, Lennon 65, Glad 76, Trusty 84, Kunga 90+3.
Kellyn Acosta and Paul Arriola talk 2015 U-20 World Cup
USMNT midfielders Kellyn Acosta and Paul Arriola still fondly recall their experience with the Under-20 World Cup in 2015, in which the team suffered a quarterfinal loss to Serbia in penalty kicks.
“It was exciting times,” Acosta added. “It was one of my dreams to play in a World Cup and it was definitely a great experience. Overall we did a really good job and came up a little bit short losing to Serbia in PKs. We were close to being able to make that jump into the final.”
Alex Morgan Earns Big Bucks in France
It has been reported that Women’s National Team star Alex Morgan is being paid approximately $33k at Lyon, per month. With the average salary of the NWSL around $16k, she is making significantly more than her domestic counterparts.
UWCL: @lequipe reports that Lyon pays Alex Morgan $33k per month. That is more than most #NWSL players make in one year. pic.twitter.com/ChQKZYkTET
— Womens Soccer Weekly (@WoSoWeekly) June 1, 2017
Morgan Subbed Out of Champions League Final
Speaking of Alex Morgan, she was subbed out early in Lyon’s penalty shootout victory in the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final against Paris St-Germain. Morgan was taken out in the 23rd minute, after pointing to her left thigh and leaving with it wrapped, which could mean a possible hamstring issue. The injury, suffered a couple of weeks ago, kept her out of the French Cup final and now jeopardizes her participation in the USWNT’s European friendlies, and possibly delays her return to the Orlando Pride lineup even longer.
Despite only playing a small part in the UWCL final, Morgan bagged another major trophy.
Alex Morgan has now won: World Cup, Olympics, #UWCL, WPS, #NWSL, French League, French Cup
— Dan Lauletta (@TheDanLauletta) June 1, 2017
That’s all I have for you today. Enjoy your weekend and be sure to check in throughout the day for more Orlando City news.