Lion Links: 9/3/17

Well Mane Landers, at least it’s over. On the bright side, the Pride won again last night and it looks like, between them and Orlando City B, we’ll have some soccer to look forward to in October and perhaps beyond. Now let’s shake off the bad and bring in the good with some Lion Links!

Orlando City falls 4-0 to Revolution

In what was quite possibly their worst performance of the season, the Lions were beaten 4-0 by the New England Kamaras, I mean Revolution. Everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. Kei Kamara did what he does best and crushed the Lions with a hat trick while Lee Nguyen assisted all four goals, Dom Dwyer still hasn’t found the back of the net, and Jose Aja was sent off after earning two yellow cards. Mathematically, the Lions are still in the postseason hunt but save your Dumb and Dumber memes for next season because there’s no way this team makes the playoffs with performances like last night’s.

• Michael Citro has your match recap.
• Check out The Bearded Guy’s player grades and Man of the Match.
• And here’s the recap from the other side over at The Bent Musket.

And don’t miss Guilherme Torres’ five takeaways from the match later this morning.

Pride Continue Hot Streak After Breaking Boston 4-2

In much better news, the Pride dismantled the Boston Breakers, 4-2, to extend their win streak to five. Rookie Rachel Hill really came into her own, with two goals in the first 15 minutes of play and nearly a third just minutes later. The Breakers added a goal of their own in the second half but goals by Chioma Ubogagu and Marta, her 12th of the season, were enough for the Pride to hold off the visitors and move up to third in the NWSL standings.

Earl Edwards Jr. Nominated for USL Player of the Month

Orlando City B goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. is one of five players nominated for USL Player of the Month for August. Edwards had a stellar showing in his five appearances last month with three clean sheets and a whopping 23 saves. The 25-year-old missed OCB’s last two games in August after joining the first team to fill in for the injured Josh Saunders.

Alex Morgan Terminates Contract With Lyon

Phew. Let’s all just take a huge sigh of relief that Pride forward Alex Morgan will end her contract with Lyon and not be galavanting around France next season. While with Lyon, Morgan helped the team win the French league, domestic cup, and Champions League, but also picked up a hamstring injury that had many Pride fans worried.

“I agreed with Lyon to terminate our contract and continue with Orlando Pride moving forward. I feel that the present of this club and the future of this club is just going above and beyond and is going to do incredible things. I’m really happy here, this is my home.”

Remaining Ways USMNT Can Qualify For 2018 World Cup

The USMNT’s road to Russia has gotten much murkier after the team’s 2-0 loss to Costa Rica Friday night. The Yanks currently sit third in the Hex behind Costa Rica and Mexico, the latter of which officially qualified for the World Cup after its win over Panama. Although ahead in goal differential by eight goals, the U.S. is tied in points with Honduras and will have a lot more at stake when the two teams face off this Tuesday, Sept. 5. It’s not a must win, but a loss will definitely have fans reaching for the panic button.

Best XI Goal Scorers in Major League Soccer History

With only three years in MLS, you won’t find any players from Orlando City on this list of the best scorers in MLS history, but it’s definitely worth checking out. From Ante Razov’s pinpoint strikes from miles out to Taylor Twellman’s predatory instinct to get on the end of every ball in the box, this list is filled with players who have made a name for themselves by putting the ball in the net.

Celebrities Come Out to Play for Charity Match

In the Game4Grenfell charity match to help those affected by the West London fire that claimed 80 lives this past June, Olympic gold medalist Sir Mo Farah scored and Manchester United skipper Jose Mourinho was subbed on as a goalkeeper. The game went into penalties, where Omar Salha, a volunteer fireman on the day of the tragedy, “felt goosebumps” when his shot sailed past Mourinho to win the match.

Definitely, a feel good story to end links on after last night’s disappointment and a reminder that soccer is about fun and coming together for the one thing we all love. Have a lovely Sunday everyone. Go Lions!