Lion Links: 2/10/22

Hello, Mane Landers. We are closing in on the end of the week and only one more night left until fans will be let back into Exploria Stadium to watch our Lions in preseason action. For now, let’s get you into the latest news.

Pints With Pareja Event Tonight

News around Orlando City has seemed to cool down for now, but that doesn’t mean the club is slowing down with its Kickoff to Soccer events. The party continues tonight at Exploria Stadium with gates opening at 6:15 p.m. for Pints with Pareja. Make sure to RSVP ahead of time if you are planing to get your thirsty Thursday on with the head coach.

USMNT Goalkeeper to Join Arsenal

Matt Turner was the man in net for most of Concacaf qualifying for the USMNT and is now set to make a move over to the Premier League and join Arsenal in the summer. The deal is reported to be worth €7 million with an extra €3 million in bonuses. Turner’s recent success for the USMNT and winning 2021 MLS Keeper of the Year has paid off as he will be joining a top club in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Although Turner won’t be joining Arsenal right away, the experience he gains there will be valuable to the national squad and he will be joining just in time for the Gunners as they prepare for next seaon.

MLS Transfer News

Add another name to the list of big name European stars coming over to join MLS as Chicago Fire officially announced the signing of Xherdan Shaqiri. The Swiss international joins Chicago as a Designated Player after previously being with Ligue 1 side Lyon and is now the Fire’s most expensive transfer signing. Shaqiri has also played for other European giants such as Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Liverpool in the past.

Atlanta United announced the signing of Thiago Almada on a Designated Player deal through 2025. The transfer fee has been reported to be an MLS-record $16 million for the attacking midfielder. Almada previously played for Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sarsfield.

After transferring Caden Clark to partner club Red Bull Leipzig, the New York Red Bulls announced that the U-20 USMNT midfielder will be rejoining the New York side on loan for the 2022 season. To receive Clark, New York sent $575,000 in General Allocation Money for the second overall spot in the MLS Allocation Order and a 2022 international roster spot. New York then sent the second overall position and $100,000 in 2022 GAM for the the first overall spot in the Allocation Order.

Notable Results in Europe

Chelsea got a 1-0 win over Al Hilal with a goal from Romelu Lukaku to earn a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup final. Manchester City got a comfortable 2-0 win over Brentford while Southampton upset Tottenham Hotspur 3-2. Tottenham lost the lead twice in the game. Over in Italy, AC Milan shut out Lazio in the Coppa Italia which included two goals from Frenchman Olivier Giroud, who has found himself in goal-scoring form as of late.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City tweeted out a video of newly acquired Facundo Torres taking in the views of Exploria Stadium for the first time.

• The Orlando Pride got in on the spelling bee action as a few of the players tested out their knowledge.

• Portland Timbers winger Andy Polo has been suspended by MLS after being accused of domestic violence.
• Could there be a playoff system coming soon for the German Bundesliga? This twitter thread goes into detail on the recent conversation.
• Sources out of Manchester United reported that the players would like to see Mauricio Pochettino as their next manager.
• Rumors of Robert Lewandowski leaving for Real Madrid heated up along with more in the latest European Transfer Talk.

That will do it for me, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Thursday and I’ll see you back here next week.