Lion Links: 8/8/19

With the disappointment of Tuesday night’s U.S. Open Cup loss in the rearview mirror, Orlando City starts to look forward. The Pride have a game coming up this weekend and the Lions are not out of the hunt for the playoffs. In the meantime, let’s look at what’s going on in the soccer world on this Thursday. Here are today’s Lion Links.

Toni Pressley Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

The Orlando Pride announced yesterday afternoon that Melbourne-native defender Toni Pressley has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent surgery at Orlando Health on Friday morning as she begins her treatment. To allow her to focus on her treatment, the Pride have placed her on the 45-day disabled list. As well-wishers flood social media for the popular local defender, Pressley took to Twitter to thank everyone. Hopefully Toni will win this battle and come back stronger than ever.

Orlando City Trade with LA Galaxy

As the LA Galaxy moved to accumulate targeted allocation money (TAM), Orlando City stepped in as a trade partner. The club completed a deal that saw the Lions send $136,220 in 2019 TAM out west for $200,000 in 2020 general allocation money (GAM) in return. The Galaxy were reportedly accumulating this money in order to acquire Boca Juniors forward Cristian Pavón and reports late Wednesday said a deal was in place to bring him to MLS.

U.S. Soccer Federation Hires Lobbyist in USWNT Dispute

The United States Women’s National Team players have said that they are paid less than half of what the men’s team is paid. In order to counter these claims, U.S. Soccer has hired a pair of lobbying firms. USSF spokesman says that Neil Buethe told ESPNFC that the hiring was to ensure that the information regarding the situation is accurate.

Montreal Impact Acquire Bojan Krkic

The Montreal Impact signed former FC Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic on a free transfer. The deal will keep Bojan in Quebec through December of 2020 with options for 2021 and 2022. The Spaniard, who made one appearance for Spain in 2008, also played for AS Roma and most recently for Stoke City. The 28-year-old forward was released by the EFL Championship side on Tuesday, creating an opening for Montreal to use allocation money to make the signing.

Romelu Lukaku Headed for Italy

Manchester United and Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku is reportedly nearing a £72 million ($87.6 million) transfer to Italian giants Inter Milan. The striker reportedly traveled to Milan on Wednesday to undergo a physical and come to an agreement to complete the move. Lukaku joined United on a five-year deal from Everton in 2017.

Free Kicks

• Minnesota United FC, whose coaching staff consists of former Orlando City coaches Adrian Heath, Ian Fuller, and Mark Watson, defeated the Portland Timbers to reach the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final.
• Soccer is a global sport which brings cultures together. It also creates some funny moments, as shown by this exchange between Raheem Sterling and Pep Guardiola.
• After spending 17 years at Sevilla, FC Barcelona, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain, Dani Alves has returned to Brazil, joining São Paulo FC. 40,000 people turned out to welcome him.
• Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, and Uruguayan legendary striker Diego Forlan has announced his retirement after 21 years.
• If you like autographs, you might want to go to Top Golf on Aug. 19.

That’s it for today’s links. Only a two more days until the Pride return home to take on the Houston Dash!