Lion Links: 10/20/21

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all of you are doing well. I had a great weekend catching up with friends in Florida this past weekend at the theme parks. Now I’m back in Chicago, getting acclimated to much cooler weather as we approach the holiday season. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links. 

Orlando City SC Takes on CF Montreal Tonight

The Lions have a midweek match-up tonight as they host CF Montreal at 7:30 p.m. at Exploria Stadium. The Lions enter the match in fourth place in the Eastern Conference after their 1-0 win against FC Cincinnati, while Montreal sits in seventh place after a thrilling 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Union this past weekend. Junior Urso scored the game-winner for the Lions and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese had three saves against FC Cincinnati in the club’s eighth shutout this year, a single-season franchise record. Miguel Gallardo and Evan Weston broke down everything to watch for in this crucial match for both sides.

Alex Morgan Discusses the NWSL and Future World Cups

United States Women’s National Team and Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan spoke about the discussions between the NWSL Players Association and the league as both sides announced an extension in talks earlier this week. As an allocated player, Morgan is not a member of the NWSLPA but was informed by Pride players on the progress of the NWSLPA’s demands.

“I feel optimistic with what information they’ve given me,” Morgan said of the Pride player reps. “The demands that the [NWSLPA] has put forth for NWSL to commit to, and to approve, have still not been taken care of, and there has been an extension, so that in itself says that the NWSL still is being a little too reactive. I know that there’s a lot of things that need to change, but we need to start building that trust, and at this point, it’s just not there yet.”

Morgan, who was recently named to a FIFA technical advisory group focused on growing women’s soccer, also weighed in on the possibility of a women’s World Cup being held every two years. Morgan acknowledged the visibility this would bring players and clubs across the world, but also noted the need for significant investment in women’s soccer for it to happen.

USWNT Prepares for South Korea

Morgan and the USWNT will face South Korea tomorrow at 8 p.m. in Kansas City in the first of two friendlies this month. South Korea’s roster for these matches includes three players from the Women’s Super League, while the other 20 play domestically in South Korea. The USWNT has never lost to South Korea, winning 10 of 13 meetings between the two nations. The USWNT will play South Korea again on Oct. 26 at Allianz Field in St. Paul, MN in what will be Carli Lloyd’s final game for the U.S. before she retires.

UEFA Champions League Group Stage Continues

The UEFA Champions League returned this week, with some of Europe’s biggest clubs in action. Lionel Messi had a brace in Paris Saint-Germain’s thrilling 3-2 win against Tyler Adams and RB Leipzig. Antoine Greizmann had a brace and a red card as Atletico Madrid fell 3-2 to Liverpool. Elsewhere, Real Madrid dominated Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0, Inter Milan won 3-1 against Sheriff Tiraspol, and Ajax cruised to a 4-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund. Today, notable match-ups include Lille taking on Sevilla, Manchester United hosting Atalanta, and FC Bayern Munich traveling to Portugal to face Benfica. 

Free Kicks

• Pride goalkeeper Erin McLeod was nominated for NWSL Save of the Week for tipping a shot from Katie McClure over the crossbar.

• Orlando City SC remains in eighth place in the MLS power rankings after picking up three points this past weekend.
• The Independent Review Panel upheld the red cards given to Atlanta United’s Ezequiel Barco and Toronto FC’s Auro Junior in their recent match. Both will miss their matches tonight as a result.
• French striker Karim Benzema discussed possibly playing in MLS in the future, although he remains committed to Real Madrid.
• According to multiple reports, FOX Sports is close to securing the UEFA European Championship rights from ESPN through 2028.
• USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi reportedly submitted a transfer request to FC Dallas. VFL Wolfsburg will have some competition to bring in the talented 18-year-old as other clubs are taking notice.

That will be all from me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Wednesday, and I’ll see you next time.