Lion Links: 11/18/19

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! What did you do this weekend? Did you get out and about in the finally pleasant weather. Were you lucky enough to have made it to Exploria Stadium to see the U.S. defeat Canada? Hopefully you had fun no matter what you ended up doing. Now, let’s get to the links.

Real Monarchs Claim First USL Championship

James O’Connor’s former USL side, Louisville City, took on the Real Monarchs in the USL Championship final match last night. However, it was the Monarchs that defeated Louisville City 3-1 to win their first title. Louisville City struck first on Magnus Rasmussen’s sixth-minute strike, but the Monarchs roared back by scoring three straight to get the job done in Louisville.

Pride Down Under

Just because the NWSL season is over, doesn’t mean Pride players aren’t playing. Emily van Egmond opened the scoring for Melbourne City FC in the 22nd minute against her former team, the Newcastle Jets, with Pride teammate Claire Emslie giving the assist.

The Jets equalized in the 67th minute and drew a point for the first time in history against Melbourne City FC. Meanwhile, Camila and Canberra United defeated Perth Glory 2-0 on a brace from Simone Charley of the Portland Thorns. Elsewhere, Alanna Kennedy’s Sydney FC defeated Melbourne Victory 3-0, though Kennedy didn’t make an appearance.

USMNT Looks to Advance

Tomorrow night, the United States Men’s National Team plays Cuba in its final Concacaf Nations League group match. Thanks to its 4-1 win over Canada on Friday erasing the goal differential, the U.S. only needs a win to advance out of the group and into the semifinal. Last month, the U.S. defeated Cuba 7-0 before the 2-0 loss to Canada. It was that loss that prompted the the team to “regroup, respond, and repeat.” Now, the team is one win away from doing just that.

MLS Coaching Updates

We’re all very well aware that Orlando City is still looking for its next head coach. There’s been a distinct lack of movement on that front, with Oscar Pareja still the leading candidate for the position. Of course, the Lions aren’t the only club looking for a new coach.

Former Orlando City skipper Jason Kreis interviewed for positions to return to Real Salt Lake. Inter Miami CF is still looking for a coach, as are the Chicago Fire after letting Veljko Paunovic go, despite earlier reports they had faith in him.

Free Kicks

• Former Lion Mohamed El-Munir is among the unprotected likely to be drafted in tomorrow’s MLS Expansion Draft per Greg Seltzer’s mock draft at MLSSoccer.com. With speed and offensive utility, he could be a smart choice at left back for either Nashville SC or Inter Miami.
• France has joined the U.S., Spain, and England in setting a new attendance record for a women’s soccer match as 30,661 fans attended Lyon’s 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
• The FSU women’s soccer team defeated South Alabama 2-0 to start the NCAA Tournament.
• Tallahassee Soccer Club moved from the Gulf Coast Premier League to the National Premier Soccer League for its second season.

Keep checking back for all the off-season news for Orlando City and have an awesome Monday.