Lion Links: 9/4/17

Merry misfortune Monday, Mane Landers. Well, it wasn’t a good weekend for the MLS squad was it? It wasn’t very much fun for those of us watching either, unless you were smart and watched the best professional team in the city, the Orlando Pride.

Dom Dwyer: Soccer Player and Family Man

From an early age, Dom Dwyer knew that he wanted two things. To be a professional soccer player and a father. As we know, he is both. Now he is hoping to bring that sense of family to the Orlando City locker room. Teammates describe him as a guy that lights up the room. We’ve seen what happens when he comes onto the field. Let’s hope that he’s here for years to come. Oh, and then there’s the next generation Lion as well.

Australia vs. Brazil Sold Out

Alanna Kennedy and Steph Catley will host Marta, Camila, and Monica on Sept. 16, when the Matildas play Brazil in front of a sold out crowd in Penrith, Australia. It’s the largest crowd for a Australian Women’s National Team match since the Sydney Olympics. Pride supporters will be rooting for good showings and no injuries with that many Pride players on the pitch.

USMNT May Need Some Roster Changes

Following the USMNT’s loss to Costa Rica, perhaps it’s time for Head Coach Bruce Arena to make some changes before the match against Honduras on Tuesday. There were plenty of subpar performances against the Ticos, and Jozy Altidore will be out on yellow card accumulation. You can be certain that Michael Bradley will be in his normal position, and that Christian Pulisic will be a big part of the attack, but how everything else falls into place will be interesting to see. Tuesday’s match is going to feel like a must-win, but in reality the potential result offers plenty of options. Now we just have to wait until tomorrow night.

European World Cup Qualifier News

Though the USMNT is our main concern, there are other qualifying tournaments going on now as well. World Champion Germany defeated Czech Republic 2-1 to stay on top of Group C, and England made it 4-0 over Malta to stay two points above Slovakia in Group F. Previously unbeaten Poland lost to Denmark 4-0, but stays atop Goup E. Plenty more still to come.

Free Kicks

• MLS Commissioner Don Garber evidently feels that David Beckham was like Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky for MLS back in his playing days. And when his Miami team finally gets going, he’ll take the league up another level.
• David Villa is likely to miss Spain’s next qualifier match against Liechtenstein, with a muscle injury received during training. These qualifiers have been Villa’s first after a three-year absence from the Spanish national team.
• If you turned off the Lions match early, then you missed Lee Nguyen tying the MLS record for assists in a game, withe four. Well, that seems about right on how things are going right now for Orlando City
• The 2017 Beard and Mustache Championships were in Austin, TX, this weekend, and an Orlando man won the world title in the “Full Beard/Styled Mustache” category! Congrats!

Please help us in congratulating Scott Metts for winning the World Title in Full Beard/Styled Mustache!! He killed it out there in Austin. Proud of you brother! Wish we could have all been there cheering you on…. 📷@jmoustache.

A post shared by Orlando Facial Hair Club (@orlandofacialhairclub) on Sep 3, 2017 at 2:08am PDT

• Famous birthdays for today: Beyonce Knowles (35), Damon Wayans (56), Max Greenfield (36), Richard Speight Jr. (46), and Paul Harvey (1918-2009).

That’ll do it for today’s edition of Lion Links. There’s plenty of soccer this week, so stay tuned in to The Mane Land for coverage of it all.