Lion Links: 1/21/19

Good morning, Mane Landers! The 2019 MLS off-season is finally finished, and we are now officially in the preseason. There has been plenty of team news in the past few weeks, but it will be good to finally see how the players start to put everything together and work towards a better season. 

Before we get to the links, let’s wish a happy birthday to both Will Johnson, who is turning 32 today, and Alanna Kennedy, who will be celebrating her 24th birthday. Congratulations to both!

Breaking Down the USWNT Loss

The United States Women’s National Team finally lost. The Yanks were utterly outplayed by the French and lost, 3-1. Graham Hays wrote about what he noticed from the game. One of the points that Hays mentions is one that I completely agree with: 

“Outside back, on the other hand, remains an unknown that should terrify the U.S. And Saturday exposed a lack of depth behind expected World Cup starters, O’Hara and Crystal Dunn.” 

SeaWolves in Action Tonight

The Orlando SeaWolves (2-3) host the Milwaukee Wave (8-1) tonight. Kickoff is set for 7:35 p.m. ET and can be watched on masl.tv. This is the first time that the two teams will play each other.

“The Wave are an excellent team, I enjoy watch them play,” Head Coach Tom Traxler said after training Wednesday. “They possess the ball well and move you into places they want to their benefit. They have a long list of great players. We will have to be 100 percent on top of what we have to do, but we have some keys that we think we can take advantage.”

USMNT Players in Action

Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams squared off against each other as Dortmund beat Leipzig, 1-0. Well, they didn’t exactly “square off.” Pulisic came off the bench and played 14 minutes. Meanwhile, Adams watched the full 90 minutes from the bench. Still, they did share a nice moment after the game and exchanged jerseys.

There were two other Americans that did actually play against each other though — Weston McKennie and John Brooks. FC Schalke 04 defeated VFL Wolfsburg, 2-1, as McKennie provided the game-winning assist, beating Brooks in the process.

English Premier League Recap

The Premier League table did not change much, but it might not be the same for much longer. Tottenham had trouble with Fulham, and nearly dropped points. Tied 1-1, things were not looking good for Spurs. Then, things got worse as star midfielder Dele Alli seemed to pull his hamstring. However, Fulham showed why it has been in the bottom three all year and let up as Spurs won, 2-1.

Spotted in the stands of this match was former Premier League winner Antonio Conte. Why was Conte there? He could be looking for a job with Spurs, especially with Mauricio Pochettino possibly leaving for Manchester United this summer. Or, he could also just be watching a soccer game with no hidden agenda.

In other news, Manchester City had no issues with Huddersfield Town and closed Liverpool’s lead to four points. City also became the first team in Europe’s top five league to reach 100 goals this season.

Free Kicks

• Sydney Leroux chimed in on Dom Dwyer‘s short media day press conference.

• Former Lion Pedro Ribeiro has a new club.
• Could Kylian Mbappé be on his way out of PSG?
• Jose Mourinho is seemingly always in the news, even when he isn’t currently working. Here’s some news about him that involves a laundry basket and a UEFA ban.