Lion Links: 11/13/20

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s Friday the 13th, but hopefully some good luck falls your way as we get ready for the weekend. It is a bit weird not having Orlando City soccer to watch this weekend, but it will also be nice to have a break of sorts before the playoffs. But for now, let’s hop into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Pedro Gallese Up for Save of the Year

While he didn’t make the final cut for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Gallese has a chance to win MLS Save of the Year. His penalty save against the Chicago Fire’s Alvaro Medran was included among the season’s best stops this year. Gallese finished the regular season with 52 saves in 19 games and is currently with the Peruvian National Team and will likely start tonight against Chile.

Mauricio Pereyra’s Impact on Orlando City

The Lions play significantly better when the Uruguayan midfielder is on the field pulling the strings on offense. Pereyra played in 18 games this season for the Lions and had two goals and eight assists in just 1,107 minutes. While Orlando City is a strong team with skill at each position, Pereyra adds a degree of lethality to the offense when he’s on the field. This is best seen when Orlando counters, as Pereyra can quickly flip the script against opposing teams in the blink of an eye.

Alanna Kennedy Selected in Expansion Draft

Orlando Pride defender Alanna Kennedy was selected by Racing Louisville in the 2020 NWSL Expansion Draft. Acquired through trade in 2017, Kennedy played three seasons with the Pride and scored eight goals in 60 appearances. The Australian is currently on loan with Tottenham Hotspur and it will be weird without her on the Pride’s back line next season.

Louisville also selected the Pride’s rights to Australian attacking midfielder/forward Caitlin Foord, although she is currently playing with Arsenal. The expansion club also nabbed the rights to Tobin Heath and Christen Press, who are both with Manchester United.

U.S. Draws With Wales

In its first game since February, the United States Men’s National Team played to a scoreless draw against Wales in an international friendly. Six Americans made their USMNT debuts in the match, including 17-year-old midfielder Giovanni Reyna. Although the Yanks controlled the match, they weren’t able to find the back of the net as the absences of Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent were felt on offense. Still, it was nice seeing the improvements made by players like Sergino Dest and Tyler Adams after their time in Europe. The team will play again on Monday against Panama in Austria.

Free Kicks

• Registration is open for Orlando City’s youth winter camps, which include eight sessions where academy coaches teach the basics to youngsters.
• MLS revealed the dates and deadlines for the off-season events this year.
• Before the match, the USMNT wore warm-ups that included messages calling for unity and social justice.
• Reyna signed a contract extension with Borussia Dortmund through 2024.

That’s it for today, Mane Landers. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend.