Lion Links: 3/11/21

Howdy, Mane Landers. I hope you are all doing well this Thursday. Just like Junior Urso, I celebrated my birthday yesterday. I spent it doing what I love, just as he did. While Urso was training hard and doing what he does best, I was personally writing about the beautiful game as I so often am. Anyway, there is a lot happening within the soccer-sphere, so let’s get right into the links.

Orlando City set to Start Season Against Atlanta United 

Orlando City will kick off its MLS campaign against rival Atlanta United. The affair will take place at Exploria Stadium on Saturday, April 17, and will be the seventh consecutive time that the Lions have opened their season with a home fixture. 

“Atlanta will become just the fourth different team City has hosted on opening day in the club’s seven years in MLS. The Lions have previously opened against New York City FC three times, Real Salt Lake twice, and D.C. United once.”

Oscar Pareja’s men will surely hope to start the season sharper than ever given who the match is set to be against. What a way to start a season. 

USMNT Players Eliminated from Champions League

Tyler Adams and Sergino Dest were eliminated from the Champions League yesterday. RB Leipzig and Barcelona were each dumped out by Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively, in emphatic fashion. Adams played 90 minutes in his side’s 2-0 loss. The second leg saw the German club knocked out by a margin of 4-0 on aggregate. Dest, on the other hand, played 66 minutes and saw a shot hit the crossbar in Barcelona’s 1-1 draw. Said result saw the Spanish giants bested by 5-2 between two matches. 

Weston McKennie, Konrad De La Fuente, Adams, and Dest have now all been eliminated from the competition in the past two days. It’s fair to say, it hasn’t been the best set of midweek fixtures for the USMNT players in Europe. 

Jordan Siebatcheu Decides to Represent U.S. 

On a more positive note with regards to the USMNT, Young Boys striker Jordan Siebatcheu has decided he will represent the United States. 

“American soccer fans have been waiting patiently to see if Jordan Siebatcheu would be representing the United States on an international level. The player is eligible to play for the Stars and Stripes, drapeau du Cameroun, or the Tricolour. This was a mystery until today as the striker has committed to representing the United States of America according to CBS News.”

The 24-year-old has nine goals and an assist in 22 appearances in the Swiss Super League this season. His addition to the American fold could make the striker pool even stronger than it is already becoming. 

Josh Sargent on Fire for Werder Bremen 

Speaking of the American striker pool, Josh Sargent has been on fire in Germany as of late. The American has reached a new season high for himself this campaign after scoring on Wednesday. 

“U.S. forward Josh Sargent’s fifth Bundesliga goal of the season lifted Werder Bremen to a 2-0 win over 10-man Arminia Bielefeld on Wednesday, which moved his team further away from the relegation zone.”

Sargent is hitting new heights at Bremen this season. His success, coupled with the other USMNT forwards also doing well, could see the side in good shape in what was a previously problematic area. 

Free Kicks

• Daryl Dike put in a 90-minute shift for Barnsley against Derby County. The match ended 0-0, but the result sees the loanee’s side unbeaten in 10 matches.  
• 54-year-old Kazuyoshi Miura made his first appearance in his 36th season for J-League team Yokohama FC. 

• Neymar’s move to Paris Saint-Germain changed the sport forever. 
• Barcelona has reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Bayern Munich for defender David Alaba. 
• Rio voted to put Pele’s name on the famous Maracana Stadium. 

That’s all for this Thursdays set of links, folks. As ever, thanks for reading. I’ll catch you next time.