Lion Links: 10/2/18

Happy Tuesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City had the weekend off, which meant a brief respite from having my heart wrenched out and stomped on, so I suppose it was an okay weekend. The boys are back at it again this weekend though, and I’ve taken preventative measures by stocking up on alcohol. There’s plenty to discuss in the world of soccer, so let’s get to those links.

Contract Updates for Pride

Yesterday afternoon the Orlando Pride announced roster status updates following the end of the 2018 NWSL season. The club picked up the options on 10 players, retained the rights to all of its federation allocated players, and offered contracts to seven players, thereby accounting for this season’s entire roster. Realistically this is probably to be expected. With a new head coach yet to be announced after the departure of Tom Sermanni, it was always unlikely that many, if any changes would be made before a hire. Of course, this doesn’t mean that changes won’t happen and it’s probably reasonable to expect some movement in the roster ahead of a World Cup year and after failing to make the playoffs.

Rosters Announced for USMNT Friendlies

The rosters for all three teams involved have been announced ahead of the USMNT’s friendlies against Colombia and Peru. For the U.S., Dave Sarachan has called up a squad highlighted by the likes of Christian Pulisic, Bobby Wood, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Michael Bradley, and Tormentor of Mexico, Matt Miazga. Meanwhile, Colombia will bring a roster with big guns of its own, with James Rodriguez, Juan Cuadrado, Radamel Falcao, and David Ospina all making the trip. Not to be outdone, Peru will also be bringing a strong squad including Jefferson Farfan, Raul Ruidiaz, and Orlando City’s own Yoshimar Yotún. The Stars and Stripes first square off against Colombia in Tampa on Oct. 11, and then face Peru on Oct. 16 in East Hartford, CT.

Rays to Buy Rowdies

It was announced yesterday that the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball will be purchasing the USL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies. The news comes in the midst of the Rays’ quest to build a new stadium, naturally prompting speculation that part of the motivation behind the deal was gaining control of Al Lang stadium, where the Rowdies currently play. As of yet, no announcements have been made regarding the future of either team, but there is a press conference scheduled for today so keep your eyes peeled for any potential updates.

Americans Overseas Roundup

It was a bit of a rough weekend for American players plying their trade in Europe. While the start of new seasons in European leagues has gone mostly well up to this point, this weekend was an exception. Players that normally play like Fabian Johnson, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Danny Williams did not make it off the bench. Elsewhere, DeAndre Yedlin conceded a penalty in Newcastle’s 2-0 loss to Leicester, Lynden Gooch was injured in Sunderland’s draw, and Bobby Wood and Tim Ream were on the wrong end of lopsided scorelines. And while Pulisic’s Borussia Dortmund roared back from two goals down to earn a 4-2 win, the Hershey, PA native was not his usual self and was hooked in the second half. There’s always next week though, and the hope will be that the fortunes of the Americans playing abroad reverse themselves, especially ahead of next week’s friendlies.

Free Kicks

• Here is a list of NWSL players available on the Re-Entry Wire.
• Diego Maradona has said Lionel Messi should quit the Argentinian national team, thereby sending everyone “to hell.”

Orlando City hosted a Charity Footgolf Tournament yesterday to great success.

That’ll be all for me. The Lions travel to the home of first-place in the Western Conference FC Dallas on Saturday, so that should be a fun one. Keep it here for all your Orlando soccer news. Y’all come back now, ya hear?