Lion Links: 4/12/22

Happy Tuesday, everyone! We have a week packed full of soccer with games for Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and Orlando City B, in addition to the second legs of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals and a USWNT match tonight. There’s plenty to discuss today so let’s hop to it.

Exploria Stadium Will Host Lions in Open Cup

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies was originally set to be held at Osceola County Stadium, where OCB plays its home games. That plan is no more, as the match has been moved to the comfy confines of Exploria Stadium. The match will still kick off at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 20 and tickets go on sale to the general public today at 4 p.m. and will cost $15 a head. Season ticket members can grab tickets at 10 a.m. today for $10. While I don’t have anything against games being played in smaller stadiums, I think this move is for the best. The sightlines and setup at Osceola County Stadium are a bit awkward for soccer, and now fans won’t have to try to get down to Kissimmee during rush hour on a weeknight.

Alexandre Pato Makes Team of the Week Bench

Orlando City forward Alexandre Pato has been named to the bench in the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Week. The Brazilian nabbed the primary assist on the lone goal of Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire on Saturday when he neatly headed a free kick back across goal for Ercan Kara to dispatch. Outside of that, the Duck took a team-high eight shots, completed two dribbles and was generally the Lions’ most dangerous player in the attacking third. He constantly got into dangerous areas and looks capable of making something happen whenever he has the ball. His inclusion was a worthy one, and if his current form continues it won’t be the last time we see his name there.

Barcelona Reportedly Agrees to Terms With Robert Lewandowski

Barcelona has reportedly reached an agreement to sign Robert Lewandowski. Polish journalist Sebastian Staszewski reports that the Bayern Munich striker has agreed to join the Catalan club on a three-year deal. It’s important to note that this report says that Lewandowski has only agreed to personal terms with Barca, and that no agreement has been struck yet between the Spanish team and Bayern Munich. The Polish striker still has a year left on his contract, so either a transfer fee needs to be agreed to, or Bayern will need to release him from his current agreement. Keep in mind that Lewandowski and the Bavarian club are in the middle of some fairly public negotiations regarding a contract extension, so this could be nothing more than a negotiation tactic.

Fox Announces World Cup Broadcast Schedule

FOX has announced its broadcast schedule for the 2022 World Cup, and it by and large looks pretty good. Every United States Men’s National Team group stage game will be shown on network FOX and 35 games in total will be shown on the main network. That means that a slight majority of games will air on the main broadcast channel as opposed to FS1, making the tournament more accessible viewing for people who might not have FS1. Additionally, every game after the round of 16 will be on network FOX. Obviously, the network still has to do a good job when it comes to selecting commentators and studio personalities, but the large number of accessible games is a good first step.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City rose two spots to the 17th position in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• Here’s what you should watch out for in the United States Women’s National Team’s second friendly against Uzbekistan today.
• The Under-17 U.S. Women’s National Team has released its roster for the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship.
• UEFA has ordered a partial closure of the Wanda Metropolitano for tomorrow’s second leg quarterfinal against Manchester City due to “discriminatory behavior” of the team’s supporters.

That does it for me today. Y’all stay safe out there.