Lion Links: 10/16/19

Good morning, Mane Landers! We’ve made it to the halfway point for the week and today also marks five years since the groundbreaking took place at Exploria Stadium. It’s hard to believe that five years have already passed since then and it has been nice having a home to call our own. But enough reminiscing, let’s jump to the links!

Marta Nominated for Goal of the Week

Orlando Pride star Marta is up for NWSL Goal of the Week after her equalizer in the Pride’s season finale against Reign FC. The shot was taken first-time off a deflected set piece and stayed low enough that it tucked past goalkeeper Casey Murphy into the bottom corner. It is Marta’s third nomination this season and it would be her second win of the season if she earns more votes than Darian Jenkins, Domi Richardson, and Amy Rodriguez this week.

Yanks Fall to Canada in Nations League

The United States Men’s National Team lost 2-0 against Canada in its Concacaf Nations League match in Toronto. After a slow start for both sides, Alphonso Davies scored for Canada in the second half and Lucas Cavallini put the nail in the coffin late. On the other side of the ball, Orlando City rookie Kamal Miller started for Canada and played all 90 minutes, contributing to the strong defensive effort from Canada.

The rivalry talk will likely still be up for debate, but the fact remains that the USMNT was outplayed last night and that Head Coach Gregg Berhalter has work ahead of him. The Yanks will look to right the ship with another showdown against Canada on Nov. 15 here in Orlando at Exploria Stadium.

USWNT Updates

In reality, there is no news. Rumors are abundant online that Reign FC Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski will be tapped to replace Jill Ellis as the new head coach of the United States Women’s National Team. A process of elimination begins to point toward Andonovski, but a U.S. Soccer spokesperson said that a final decision has not been made and nothing has been confirmed at this point.

Speaking of the USWNT, Carli Lloyd says that the last three years have been the worst time of her life. In an interview, Lloyd spoke at length to her frustrations and the toll her diminished role on the team has taken on her personally and professionally.

“I’m not going to lie and sugarcoat it,” Lloyd said. “It was absolutely the worst time of my life. It affected my relationship with my husband, with friends. It really was rock bottom of my entire career. But somehow, you see light at the end of the tunnel, and I can honestly say I’m having more fun now playing than I ever have in my career. I think I just learned a lot throughout it. There’s no denying it, I deserved to be on that field that whole World Cup, but I wasn’t. And I think I’ve grown as a person, as a player. It sucked. It absolutely sucked.”

MLS Rookie of the Year Named

The league announced yesterday that Colorado Rapids forward Andre Shinyashiki is the 2019 AT&T MLS Rookie of the Year. Shinyashiki made 31 appearances (18 starts) this season, scoring seven goals with three assists. His first goal came in his MLS debut, where he scored a late equalizer in the snow during stoppage time. He is the second player in Colorado Rapids club history to win the award. The first? Orlando City’s Dillon Powers took the honors in 2013.

Bulgaria Takes Action

Bulgaria’s coach Krasimir Balakov said he did not hear any racist chanting during his team’s defeat against England. The teams had to stop play because of the racist chants coming from the Bulgarian fans. In an interesting turn of events, Balakov has resigned. In a statement from UEFA, President Aleksander Čeferin had this to say:

“UEFA is the only football body to ban a player for ten matches for racist behavior – the most severe punishment level in the game. Believe me, UEFA is committed to doing everything it can to eliminate this disease from football. We cannot afford to be content with this; we must always strive to strengthen our resolve.”

Free Kicks

• The West Ham United women’s team honored Toni Pressley with a custom jersey.

• Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris are joining TAG Heuer as friends of the brand.

• Allen Chapman was named MLS Referee of the Year.

That’s going to do it for me this morning, Mane Landers. Get excited though, I’ll be back tomorrow morning!