Lion Links: 9/13/21

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! There have certainly been better weekends. Orlando City losing to a rival is never good, but an Orlando Pride victory takes the sting out of it just a bit. I won’t go into all the other bad results for my various teams over the last four days, but suffice to say, I’m ready to move on to this new week. To start it off, let’s get to the links.

Nadia Nadim’s Injury and More From NWSL Weekend

The Orlando Pride won 3-1 against Racing Louisville FC, but Louisville’s worst part of the weekend may be the injury to forward Nadia Nadim as she has reportedly torn her ACL and will undergo surgery. Nadim joined Louisville in June from Paris Saint-Germain and has scored three goals in eight games in the NWSL. It’s a tough blow for Louisville, the NWSL, and especially Nadim as she’s already overcome so much to make her soccer dreams a reality.

Elsewhere in the NWSL, the Portland Thorns won their first game on the road against the North Carolina Courage. Sophia Smith scored the game’s only goal to give the Thorns sole possession of first place in the standings. OL Reign moved into second place in the league after the Washington Spirit were forced to forfeit due to breaches in NWSL medical protocol. The league now heads into an international break, with the Pride’s next match set for Sept. 26 on the road against OL Reign.

Injuries and Debuts for Americans Abroad

With the first three matches of Concacaf World Cup qualifying over, American players limped back to their European clubs this weekend. Norwich City striker Josh Sargent suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty and didn’t play in a 1-0 loss to Arsenal. Norwich boss Daniel Farke is hopeful that the American won’t be out for long as he’s become an integral part of the Canaries’ attack. Christian Pulisic returned to Chelsea on crutches and isn’t expected to play in Tuesday’s Champions League match against Zenit St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, Cameron Carter-Vickers had a great start to his loan with Celtic in a 3-0 win against Ross County. The center back scored off an audacious shot from distance that took a tricky deflection to find the back of the net. Nicholas Gioacchini made his debut for Montpellier, coming on in the 58th minute to help his team win 2-0 over St. Etienne. Defenders John Brooks, Mark McKenzie, and DeAndre Yedlin all eased back into club action this weekend as well.

USSF Wants Prize Money Divided Equally

The USWNT has been fighting for equal pay for a while. Despite the challenges, it seems that the United States Soccer Federation is considering it for the USWNT and the USMNT in regards to World Cup prize money. The USSF has stated that the reason for the discrepancy is that FIFA sets the amount of prize money for the competitions. According to the USSF, until FIFA equalizes the pay, the organization will need to work with all parties to resolve the gap in prize money. Here’s hoping progress is made in some capacity. Of course, even if they do, it is still just a start along the road towards equal pay.

European Leagues Return After International Break

International players returned to their clubs this weekend, leading to exciting results across Europe as clubs get ready for tournament play this week. Cristiano Ronaldo stole the show in the English Premier League, scoring twice in Manchester United’s 4-1 win over Newcastle United. Oh, and he did so with very little training with his “new” club. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will manage Ronaldo’s minutes throughout the season, but it was quite the debut.

Meanwhile, Liverpool defeated Leeds United 3-0, with Mo Salah scoring his 100th Premier League goal. Unfortunately, young Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott suffered a dislocated ankle injury that will require surgery. Elliott seemingly maintained his positive attitude though, giving his jersey to a fellow patient.

In other news, RB Leipzig fell 4-1 to Bayern Munich in a tough result for Jesse Marsch’s squad before meeting Manchester City this Wednesday in the Champions League. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in his first match back for AC Milan since an injury sidelined him for four months. Stephan El Shaarawy scored a late winner in AS Roma’s 2-1 win over Sassuolo to give Mourinho victory in his 1,000th game as a manager.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City’s David Loera has already made his debut for Phoenix Rising FC while on loan, coming on in the 74th minute in the club’s 4-3 victory over LA Galaxy II in the USL Championship.
• Let’s all congratulate Tesho Akindele on the birth of his child.

• FC Cincinnati won 2-0 against Toronto FC, celebrating its first victory at TQL Stadium.
• The Seattle Sounders are focused on tomorrow night’s Leagues Cup match against Santos Laguna, the team that ousted the Lions from the tournament.

That will do it for me today. Fortunately there is more soccer to watch as we head into the middle of September. Vamos Orlando!