Lion Links: 6/14/19

What’s up, Mane Landers? It’s been a wild week filled with soccer and that excitement continues into the weekend with both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B in action tomorrow. The Concacaf Gold Cup is also starting tomorrow so make sure to charge up your devices because there will hardly be any time this weekend without soccer to watch. But for now, let’s savor some links from the soccer world.

Orlando City Will Face New England Revolution

After dispatching Memphis 901 FC earlier this week, Orlando City advances to the next round of the U.S. Open Cup where it will host the New England Revolution on Wednesday, June 19. While the Revolution aren’t the most dangerous team in the tournament, they should not be slept on either. New England’s past two games played have been wins over the LA Galaxy and the New York Red Bulls.

If the Lions win, they will have a quarterfinal date with the winner of D.C. United’s showdown with New York City FC. But for now, we can only focus on one game at a time and you can purchase tickets later today for just $15 (or less if you are a season ticket member).

Matildas Come Back to Defeat Brazil

After falling into an early 2-0 hole at the start of the game, Australia was able to rally and win 3-2 over Brazil in the Women’s World Cup as the group stage continues. The Orlando Pride’s Alanna Kennedy and Emily van Egmond both played a full 90 minutes to help the Matildas win, although neither found their way on the score sheet.

Marta did however, scoring the first goal of the game with a calmly taken penalty kick. The goal was Marta’s 16th in a World Cup, extending her record in the women’s game and matching Miroslav Klose’s total overall.

Marta was substituted out after the first half and Camila rode the bench and did not feature. Both nations are still in a good spot to make the knockout stage with third-place finishers in the group stage still having a shot to advance.

Allies and Adversaries Discuss Marta

Perhaps the most dominant female player to ever take the field, Marta has earned the respect and awe from teammates and opponents alike. Many players weighed in on the 33-year-old and her legacy with some describing her as energetic as well as frightening. All seemed to agree that she is one of the most skilled and important players to ever play the game. If wanting more about Marta’s impact on the soccer world, make sure to check out this awesome feature as well.

OCB’s Rafael Santos Claims Another Goal of the Week

Orlando City B’s unbeaten streak came to an end earlier this week when the Young Lions lost 2-1 to FC Tucson, but there is still some reason to celebrate for the OCB faithful. Midfielder Rafael Santos won Goal of the Week with a strong 54% of the vote after his curling shot from range against Forward Madison FC. This makes back-to-back Goal of the Week honors for Santos and the third straight week an OCB player has won. I don’t know about you, but I remember looking at this team at the start of the season thinking they would never score. Congrats Santos!

Free Kicks

• Wearing what looks like a combination of a bucket hat and something straight out of The Handmaid’s Tale, Orlando Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner spoke about the Women’s World Cup and the Pride’s road game tomorrow night against the Houston Dash at 8:30 p.m. ET.

• Although LAFC’s Carlos Vela is the strong favorite, Nani may be in the MLS MVP race if he keeps up his strong performances. Regardless, I think we can all say that the Portuguese star is exceeding most expectations.
• The MLS All-Star Game concert here in Orlando will be headlined by Prince Royce, a big name in Latin music. Grammy-nominated DJ A-Trak will also be performing at the free event on July 27.
• The credit will go to Toronto FC’s Jordan Hamilton for the MLS Goal of the Week, but it was a team effort by Toronto with just four touches from four different players to equalize late.

• The Home Depot and MLS have extended their partnership through the end of 2022. It’s only a matter of time before we have Orlando City branded power tools.
• Check out this really cool article about the United States Women’s National Team’s equipment managers and how they managed to get 400 jerseys, 120 pairs of cleats, seven massage tables, and 60 pounds of chewing gum to France.
• With defender Tyler Adams injured and unable to join the U.S. for the Gold Cup, Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has to move forward with Reggie Cannon. Regardless of the team’s shortcomings, the USMNT is second in these power rankings.
• Grab your calendars because the English Premier League fixtures are out for the upcoming season.

That will do it for today’s links. But before I sign off, know that today is World Blood Donor Day and the need for donated blood is high and it is a lifesaving resource that can truly help those in need. As someone scared of needles, donating blood is far from my favorite thing in the world, but it’s still something I try to get out and do. Follow this link to find the blood bank nearest you and keep an eye out for blood drives today. Have a great Friday!