Lion Links: 4/11/22

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! I don’t know about you, but I’ve watched a ton of soccer this weekend and most of it was fabulous. Not every result was perfect, but I’ve certainly had worse weekends. Plus, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. I hope you had a great weekend, but if not, I hope that today is a chance for you to start with a clean sheet, much like Orlando City did against the Chicago Fire. Let’s get to the links.

OCB Falls to Inter Miami II

Orlando City B lost for the first time this season in a 2-0 defeat to Inter Miami II. The match was the club’s first road match of the season, as the Young Lions traveled down south to take on the…baby herons? Inter Miami II scored in both halves and the Young Lions couldn’t find the back of the net to claw their way back into the match. Defender Quembol Guadalupe made his Orlando City B debut, starting at center back. OCB’s next game is this Friday as it will travel to take on Columbus Crew 2.

OCSC Academy Teams Play in Generation Adidas Cup

The group stage of the Generation Adidas Cup got started this past weekend as MLS academies face off against clubs from around the world. Orlando City’s U-17 squad lost 2-0 to Manchester United and will play against Minnesota United today and the Chicago Fire tomorrow. Orlando’s U-15 team drew with the LA Galaxy but earned an additional point by winning the penalty shootout. It then fell 1-0 to Toronto FC and will play CF Monterrey in its final group game tonight. There have been exciting match-ups throughout the tournament so far and hopefully that continues over the course of this week.

Giovanni Reyna Out for the Season

In a blow to both Borussia Dortmund and the USMNT, Giovanni Reyna will miss the remainder of the European season due to a muscle and tendon injury. The 19-year-old midfielder left the field in the first few minutes of Dortmund’s match against VfB Stuttgart on Friday. Since the World Cup is going to be played in the winter rather than the summer this year, it’s possible that Reyna will be available for the USMNT by November. Hopefully, the talented young American heals quickly.

Manchester City Draws With Liverpool

The biggest match of the weekend was the back-and-forth 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Liverpool. City took the lead on two occasions and Liverpool equalized twice despite poor play by the Reds for much of the first half. The clash between two of the top teams in the world ended up as a draw, which is what everyone should have expected. Manchester City remains a point above Liverpool heading into the final stretch of the season. The two sides will meet again this Saturday in an FA Cup semifinal.

Free Kicks

• Let’s all congratulate Orlando City winger Silvester van der Water on the birth of his son Maison!

• Did you know that Charlotte FC and Atlanta United were rivals? Me neither, but evidently they are, and Charlotte struck a blow with a 1-0 win in this storied rivalry. Jordy Alcivar provided the game-winner in stunning fashion for Charlotte.

• Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, and RB Leipzig all had big wins this weekend as European clubs fight for league titles and spots in next year’s tournaments.
• The Florida Tropics are headed to the Major Arena Soccer League playoff semifinals after defeating the St. Louis Ambush by a score of 6-4.
• The Professional Referee Organization gave a breakdown on how the Video Assistant Referee helped ensure the right call was made in El Trafico.

• In my opinion, it shouldn’t take such drastic measures to bring attention to climate change and that immediate action needs to take place around the world. But then again, no one is listening to me, so how can I condemn this guy?

• You know what? Thanks, Pep. As a Liverpool supporter, that’s something I don’t say very often, but thank you.

That will do it for me. Have a wonderful start of your week. Vamos Orlando!