Lion Links: 9/14/20

It’s Monday, everybody, and a very happy one at that. Orlando City got back to its winning ways by taking down Inter Miami over the weekend and another OCSC home game is just a short work week away. As usual, there’s plenty to discuss, so let’s get to it.

Orlando City’s Unbeaten Streak Continues

Orlando’s 2-1 win over Inter Miami was a strong showing to end Phase 1 and keeps the team near the top of the Eastern Conference. The Lions now have a five-game unbeaten streak, but the win felt sweeter after two consecutive draws where they squandered leads. Orlando City proved it can see out a game, even in one as physical as Saturday’s, which had 34 fouls and six yellow cards. But there is always room for improvement, particularly when the Lions are defending against crosses and set pieces. With left back João Moutinho still recovering, Kyle Smith and the rest of the defense will have to work on that moving forward. A tough Phase 2 schedule awaits, with three games in just nine days starting on Sept. 19 when Orlando hosts the Chicago Fire before a pair of road games.

Orlando Pride Players Abroad

The Orlando Pride don’t take the field for the NWSL Fall Series until Saturday against the North Carolina Courage, but Pride players were in action with other clubs this weekend. Pride teammates faced off against one another in the Women’s Super League, with Claire Emslie and Everton winning 1-0 over Alanna Kennedy, Shelina Zadorsky and the rest of Tottenham’s squad. All three players started in the match, although Emslie was substituted out at the start of the second half. Tottenham may have lost, but will definitely get a boost once Alex Morgan arrives. Elsewhere, Emily van Egmond featured for West Ham United but couldn’t get much done in a 9-1 defeat against Arsenal.

In Sweden, defender Ali Riley came on as a substitute to secure the lead for her team in a 3-0 win over KIF Orebro. Emily Sonnett served a similar role for Göteborg, coming off the bench in a 3-0 victory against Djurgarden.

Dax McCarty Replies to Miles Robinson

Before Atlanta United and Nashville SC squared off on Saturday, Atlanta center back Miles Robinson was blunt in his assessment of Nashville.

“I think the group as a whole knows we have better players than them, and I think we just have to go out there and prove it.” 

Suffice it to say, Atlanta did not go out there and prove it because it lost the game, 4-2. After the game, Nashville’s Dax McCarty hit back at Robinson’s comments saying he thought Nashville has shown that regardless of any perceived gaps in talent the team will always be competitive. He also seemed to take a shot at Robinson directly, saying, “So when you’re going through a tough time I would say that things like character, things like hard work, things like humility, they go a long way to help get your team out of a tough time.” Keep an eye on those two the next time Atlanta and Nashville play each other.

Tyler Boyd Scores for Besiktas

United States Men’s National Team player Tyler Boyd is in his second season with Turkish side Besiktas, which played its first game of the new Turkish season yesterday. Boyd got the new season underway in style, scoring an absolute beauty in the 29th minute against Trabzonspor.

That goal was Boyd’s second for the team, which sits in third place by virtue of goal difference after winning 3-1 with the American winger getting things going. At the international level, Boyd has been capped 10 times by the United States, with a pair of goals to his name.

Fight Overshadows Ligue 1 Match

Marseille beat Paris Saint-Germain for the first time since November of 2011 after a 1-0 win this weekend, but most talk surrounding the match is about the all-out brawl that occurred in the final minute of stoppage time. The match was a physical one with 36 fouls committed between the two sides, and just as it was about to end, things finally boiled over. The full-scale fight saw five players sent off — three from PSG and two from Marseille, with Neymar being one of the players from the reigning Ligue 1 champions. The Brazilian forward later took to social media and claimed he was called a racial slur, and refused to apologize for his actions because of the racial provocation. PSG currently sits in 18th in the Ligue 1 standings after two successive defeats to kick off the season.

Free Kicks

• Inter Miami is reportedly shelling out $8.8 million for Gonzalo Higuain.
• This may not be breaking news, but Jamie Vardy scores a lot of goals.

• The Houston Dynamo’s Alberth Elis looks more and more likely to head to Europe.

That’s all for me today. Y’all stay safe out there.