Lion Links: 5/29/18

Happy Tuesday, readers. A tough weekend for Orlando City, but at least the Pride won big. There will be another bite at the apple this weekend for both teams, as the Lions head to New York City and the Pride travel to Seattle. With no more waffling, on to the links.

Orlando Promises New Intensity on Road Trip

While the six-game winning streak was nice, the current streak of three losses in a row is troubling. Orlando City players aren’t sleeping on the issue though, as veterans Cristian Higuita and RJ Allen have promised a renewed sense of urgency ahead of the team’s upcoming road trip. The Lions are about to embark on a three-game trip to play New York City FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps, and the Montreal Impact. With the current losing streak coming right around the same time things imploded for Orlando last year, Higuita believes that, “right now we have to get the points because, if not, we’re going to be out of the playoff picture.” While I don’t think the season has quite gotten to that point, things certainly do need to get back on track.

USMNT Youngsters Victorious Over Bolivia

An incredibly young United States Men’s National Team beat an almost equally youthful Bolivia side, 3-0 last night at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, PA. All three of the goal scorers grabbed their first ever goals for the national team, with Walker Zimmerman, Josh Sargent, and Tim Weah all opening their accounts. The theme of goalkeeper errors over the past few days continued with the Sargent goal coming from a pretty awful pass from the Bolivian goalkeeper. Sargent will scarcely care though, and he still had to take advantage of the gaffe. The USMNT returns to action against Ireland this Saturday.

Stewart Set for USMNT GM Position

Earnie Stewart is expected to be announced as the first ever general manager of the United States Men’s National Team. It is expected that an announcement will be made sometime this week, with Stewart’s potential appointment coming as a reaction to the Red White & Blue’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. While it isn’t clear yet exactly what Stewart’s duties as GM would entail, he does come with a wealth of playing experience. U.S. Soccer has yet to officially comment but keep your eyes peeled for an announcement coming in the following days.

Possible New USMNT Friendlies

While nothing has been set in stone yet, the USMNT is reportedly in the process of finalizing deals to play friendlies against Colombia and Argentina, potentially in the October international window. Again, while nothing is confirmed yet the reports are that the U.S. would be hosting the two South American nations, with Miami touted as a possible venue city. The two countries would certainly pose strong opposition. The last time the U.S. played Argentina, the Yanks lost 4-0, and had 1-0 and 2-0 losses to Colombia, with all three games coming in the 2016 Copa America Centenario. Once again, stay frosty for an official announcement possibly coming soon.

Free Kicks

• An Egyptian lawyer is launching a $1.2 billion dollar lawsuit against Sergio Ramos as revenge for dislocating Mohamed Salah’s shoulder.
• The Lions have slipped to 10th in ESPN’s power rankings after the loss to Chicago on Saturday.

If you’re looking to date Toni Pressley, then Haley Kopmeyer has a couple questions for you.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Today just so happens to be my brother’s birthday, so I’m off to celebrate with him. Ciao.