Lion Links: 11/13/19

Wonderful Wednesday morning to you all! Well, Disney Plus is here and it looks pretty cool. I can’t wait to start watching The Mandalorian and I’m looking forward to all the Marvel series that Disney promised are on the way. Have you signed up for the new service? Are you wondering what I’m talking about? Do you just want me to get on with today’s Links? Fine, but first let’s wish a happy 25th birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Joanna Boyles!

Orlando Pride Lose Rights to Logarzo

The Pride will not retain the rights to Australian midfielder Chloe Logarzo as she never should have been available on the re-entry waiver wire due to her loan status with Sydney FC. The bizarre news comes a week after the Pride selected her on Nov. 5 and she was wrongly allowed to go through the process and the National Women’s Soccer League didn’t correct the problem before the Pride’s selection. Despite the discrepancy, no compensation seems to be headed the Pride’s way for the error.

Marta and Morgan Nominated for Ballon d’Or

Pride players Alex Morgan and Marta have been nominated for the 2019 Women’s Ballon d’Or. They are two of the 20 shortlist nominees that includes players from various leagues including Ada Hegerberg, Sam Kerr, Rose Lavelle, Megan Rapinoe, and others. Hegerberg won the 2018 Women’s Ballon d’Or and has a chance to win again although she didn’t play at this past summer’s World Cup. Make sure to vote for your favorites or those you think are deserving.

USMNT in Exploria Stadium

This Friday, the United States Men’s National Team faces Canada in a Concacaf Nations League match. It is an important showdown that many consider a must win for the U.S following last month’s loss to the same Canadian side. As previously reported, Christian Pulisic and Michael Bradley are both out because of injury. With Pulisic and Bradley out, the U.S. needs others to take on a leadership role.

Weston McKennie might be the player to lead the U.S. against Canada according to Reggie Cannon and Gregg Berhalter. Regardless of the result, don’t look for Berhalter being fired any time soon, or even at all. USMNT General Manager Earnie Stewart has voiced his utmost confidence in Berhalter, and the progress of the team. Evidently, he and other executives at U.S. Soccer are confident that the U.S. will make the next World Cup.

Latest MLS Transfer News

We have confirmation of several transfers in MLS. First up, veteran Dax McCarty is joining Nashville SC from the Chicago Fire for $50,000 in Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM), and a second-round pick in the 2021 SuperDraft. Nashville also added defender David Romney from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $225,000 in GAM, plus another $50,000 in GAM if Romney meets some performance-based metrics.

Elsewhere, Inter Miami continued to build its roster by adding Victor Ulloa and the first pick of the 2019 MLS Re-Entry Draft from FC Cincinnati in exchange for $50,000 in GAM, a 2020 MLS SuperDraft third-round selection, and the 26th pick of the 2019 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Interestingly, it was former Orlando City General Manager Paul McDonough that brought the midfielder to Miami.

Young Lions Recognized

Orlando City B midfielder Thiago De Souza could have the chops to grab a spot on the senior squad. De Souza was a driving force on offense for the Young Lions in 2019 and led the team in defensive areas as well. Additionally, OCB midfielder Serginho’s goal is up for USL League One Goal of the Year, so go vote for OCB to win at least something this year.

Free Kicks

• Who were the Top 50 MLS players in 2019? There is a list and only one Lion made the cut. Want to guess? Too bad, it was Nani.
• United States Women’s National Team Head Coach Vlatko Andonovksi is eager to make the best team on the planet even better. The players, including Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, support him fully.
• DaMarcus Beasley will be honored prior to Friday’s USMNT match in Exploria Stadium. Beasley’s 124 USMNT caps are good for fifth best and he has appeared on four different World Cup rosters.
• David Villa might not be a born and raised New Yorker, but he is still giving back to the community that embraced him during his time with New York City FC. The former star is a lead investor on a planned USL Championship expansion team in Queens.
• The San Jose Earthquakes continued their recent youth movement by signing 14-year-old goalkeeper Emmanuel Ochoa to a Homegrown Player contract. Ochoa becomes the second youngest signing in MLS history, with Freddy Adu beating him by only 23 days.
• Seattle Sounders supporters were rowdy enough each time the team scored in the MLS Cup that they registered on seismographs according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. Now that is really living up to the name.
• The USL announced its All-League First and Second teams with former Orlando City (USL days) player Corey Hertzog making the second team for Reno 1868 FC.
• The newest NWSL team will be named Proof Louisville FC, a nod to Kentucky’s bourbon industry.
• FIFA banned South American soccer official Manuel Burga for life after its ethics committee found “overwhelming evidence” that Burga took or was promised $6.6 million in bribes related to marketing around the Copa America and Copa Libertadores. He was also fined one million Swiss Francs. Wait a minute, FIFA has an ethics committee?

Whew! That was a lot of news but keep checking back for more news from The Mane Land for all of your Orlando soccer coverage. Have a great Wednesday.