Lion Links: 3/24/22

Hello, Mane Landers. Hopefully your Thursday is going well so far. We have USMNT World Cup qualifying action to get excited about later tonight against Mexico. Tonight’s match should be a fun one, but for now, let’s get to the links.

Facundo Torres Among Top Week 4 Young Performers

After scoring the game winner — his first goal for Orlando City — against the LA Galaxy, Facundo Torres’ effort was recognized as one of the best young-player performances in MLS Week 4. Torres’ header in the ninth minute was all the Lions needed to win the game on the west coast. It is good to see any Lion receive national recognition, especially after a big win. Torres opened his MLS account and we are looking forward to more from the young Uruguayan winger throughout the season once he returns from international duty.

Lions’ Passions Off the Pitch

Many professional athletes are known to start their own businesses during their playing careers to help them get a head start for what’s next after professional sports, and players on Orlando City are no different. An article from the Orlando Sentinel dives into the lives of three different Lions and what business is like for them away from soccer. It is interesting to know what some of the Lions are into personally and what they want to achieve with their business investments outside of the game. I think you might be surprised with what some of the players are doing in their spare time.

USMNT World Cup Qualifier Preview

Tonight the USMNT will face off against Mexico in Estadio Azteca at 10 p.m. and NBC Sports came out with a preview and how to watch, providing all the info you need to know to prepare yourself for this much-anticipated match. The notable news leading up to the game is the amount of injuries piling up for U.S. Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s squad. Injuries have come at a bad time for the Yanks as they are now in a crucial stretch to secure qualification for the World Cup in Qatar with only three games left. With the tough injury situation at hand, Berhalter considered fielding a “B” team against Mexico but the head coach is looking for the win.

MLS News and Notes

D.C. United has re-acquired Chris Durkin via the Houston Dynamo and the MLS Allocation Order. The young American midfielder was preciously with Belgian Pro League club Sint-Truidense. The terms of the deal are a bit complicated with D.C. having paid $700,000 transfer fee, half of the $1.4 million total loan and transfer fee they sent him to Sint-Truidense for in 2019…Colorado Rapids Head Coach Robin Fraser is excited to remain in charge of the team as the Rapids have signed Fraser to a contract extension through 2025…An executive of Peruvian club Universitario Deportes has stated that former Portland Timbers midfielder Andy Polo was paid in full by MLS and the Timbers although Polo’s contract was terminated by Portland last month. The contract was due to domestic violence accusations against Polo. Full details on the investigation by MLS on the Timbers handling of the situation can be found here.

Free Kicks

• Andres Perea was back in training with the Lions yesterday after missing the previous two games due to injury.

• Can an injury-hit squad do what is needed to reach the World Cup? A USMNT roundtable answers that question here.
• The next installment of the U.S. vs. Mexico is right around the corner, and DaMarcus Beasley tells the untold stories from this heated rivalry.
• ESPN has come up with a list of MLS’ 17 most intriguing players to watch in 2022.
• The possibility of Paul Pogba moving on from Manchester United has been going on for quite awhile, and there is now an indication of which clubs have continued to stay in contact for the services of the Frenchman if he decides to leave. This story and more in the latest Transfer Talk.

That will do it for me. Enjoy watching tonight’s USMNT qualifying match against Mexico and I’ll see you here next week.