Lion Links: 10/12/19

How’s it going, Mane Landers? Welcome to the weekend as we say goodbye to yet another work week and hello to the last Orlando soccer game day for quite some time. The month is flying by and Halloween is right around the corner. Hopefully your costumes are coming along nicely as spooky season creeps forward. But enough about the future, let’s focus on the present and enjoy some links from around the soccer world.

Orlando Pride Host Reign FC Tonight

In their final game of a rough 2019 season, the Orlando Pride welcome Reign FC to Exploria Stadium tonight at 7:30 p.m. The match will also be the club’s inaugural Breast Cancer Awareness night and Toni Pressley, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this summer, is expected to feature in the match. So make sure to wear pink tonight or grab some of the limited edition shirts and scarves at the game, with a portion of the proceeds going to Libby’s Legacy.

Marta, Alanna Kennedy, Shelina Zadorsky, Ali Krieger, and Ashlyn Harris are back with the team after playing for their international teams, although Krieger will be out for the contest. The Pride should make the game a bit more competitive than last week’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Spirit,

Harris Fully Backs Marc Skinner

I definitely put it lightly by saying that the Pride have had a rough 2019 season. The team sits at the bottom of the table with just four wins this season after being playoff contenders the past two seasons. However, Harris doesn’t believe that Head Coach Marc Skinner deserves all of the blame. Stating that she supports Skinner 100%, Harris cites a lack of a preseason and opportunity to make roster changes as to why Skinner struggled in his first year. Harris believes Skinner is a good fit for the team and that the players need to step up if they want next season to go differently.

Orlando City Coaching Rumors

While James O’Connor’s early off-season firing is good in that the front office has plenty of time to find the coach it wants, it does mean that there are already rampant rumors about who will fill the vacancy. Former Real Madrid manager Santiago Solari is the latest name being tossed around, although it was suggested earlier this year that he would be headed to Inter Miami CF. Solari surely won’t be the last name pitched to be Orlando’s new head coach so make sure to take everything with a grain of salt.

U.S. Crushes Cuba in Nations League

It took about 30 seconds for the United States Men’s National Team to take the lead against Cuba in its first Nations League match and the team went on to win 7-0. Weston McKennie had a hat trick within 15 minutes and Jordan Morris had three assists and a goal of his own in the game. Josh Sargent scored as well in his first competitive start for the USMNT. The team will look to continue its dominance when it takes on Canada this Tuesday.

Free Kicks

• Kristen Edmonds and other players in the NWSL with 100 appearances are a testament to how the league is here to stay.
• Learn more about the new Major Arena Soccer League teams that the Orlando SeaWolves will play this year.
• The Cuban National Team will be leaving with fewer players than it arrived with after Yonaidis Garcia disappeared from the team before the match, seemingly defecting.
• In Euro 2020 qualifying action, France edged past Iceland, Portugal beat Luxembourg, and MLS forward Zdenek Ondrasek scored the winner for the Czech Republic to end England’s 43-game unbeaten streak in Euro qualifying play.
• We end our links with this amazing video of Cassius Dwyer helping Krieger with her training.

That’s going to do it for me, Mane Landers. I hope you all have a nice Saturday and enjoy tonight’s match to its fullest. Vamos Orlando!