Lion Links: 4/13/22

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all of you are doing well down in Florida. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City forward Facundo Torres! There is plenty to cover today so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Gets Ready to Face the Crew

Orlando City SC will hit the road this weekend to take on the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field on Saturday. The Lions defeated the Chicago Fire 1-0 this past weekend, with Ercan Kara scoring his first goal for the club. That win moved the Lions up to second place in the Eastern Conference. The Crew began their season with two wins and nine goals from their first three matches but have lost their last three games, including a 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union last weekend, and sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The last time these two sides met was last October in Columbus when the Crew defeated the Lions, 3-2.

Lions Move Up in MLS Power Rankings

Orlando City jumped 10 spots to reach seventh place in the latest MLS power rankings after shutting out the previously undefeated Chicago Fire this past Saturday. Although Orlando only scored one goal, it was a strong performance from an offense that created good chances throughout the match. Hopefully that momentum continues into this weekend’s match and next week’s U.S. Open Cup game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The Philadelphia Union remain in first in the power rankings after their win over the Crew. The LA Galaxy moved up to second after winning at home against LAFC, the Seattle Sounders stayed in third, LAFC dropped to fourth, and Nashville SC climbed to fifth following its 2-1 win against Sporting Kansas City.

USWNT Cruises Past Uzbekistan in Friendly

The United States Women’s National Team played its second friendly of this international window against Uzbekistan, defeating the visitors, 9-0. It was an own goal in the first minute from Uzbekistan’s Kamila Zaripova that got things started early. The USWNT scored five more times before halftime with a goal from Mallory Pugh and braces from both Catarina Macario and Rose Lavelle. In the second half, Trinity Rodman came off the bench and scored her first goal for the USWNT. Midge Purce and Ashley Sanchez each added a goal as well. The win extends the USWNT’s unbeaten streak on American soil to 67 matches.

UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals Continue

Real Madrid knocked defending champions Chelsea out of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, losing the second leg match 3-2 but advancing on aggregate. After a 3-1 loss at home in the first leg, Chelsea scored three goals to take the lead on aggregate but Rodrygo scored for Real Madrid in the 80th minute to send the game into extra time. Karim Benzema then placed a header past Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and into the back of the net to help Real Madrid claim its spot in the semifinals.

Real Madrid isn’t the only La Liga side moving on as Villarreal stunned Bayern Munich to reach the semifinals as well. Samuel Chukwueze scored an 88th-minute equalizer to secure a draw at Allianz Arena and advance 2-1 on aggregate. In today’s quarterfinal matches, Atletico Madrid will look to overcome a 1-0 deficit when it takes on Manchester City while Liverpool hosts Benfica with a 3-1 lead.

Free Kicks

• Orlando midfielder Cesar Araujo was mentioned as a young MLS player who performed well over the weekend.
• Orlando Pride midfielder Gunny Jonsdottir scored as Iceland’s captain in a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic in World Cup qualifying.

• Former Lion Albert Dikwa was named USL Championship Player of the Week, while Mechack Jerome, Cam Lindley, Aodhan Quinn, and Stefano Pinho all made the bench of the Team of the Week.
• Orlando forward Tesho Akindele gave his perspective as a player on why he prefers to play early-round U.S. Open Cup matches in smaller stadiums.

• After a scoreless draw in Mexico City, Pumas UNAM advanced past Cruz Azul to reach the Concacaf Champions League final. Pumas will take on whichever team advances tonight between the Seattle Sounders and New York City FC.
• Check out every single goal from the USMNT’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

• Speaking of the USMNT, center backs Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson have shown to be a reliable duo in the back line thanks to their experience in MLS while many other Americans play in Europe.
• MLSSoccer.com‘s Tom Bogert shared stories about Jesse Marsch’s competitiveness and how he handles the pressure while breaking American stereotypes at Leeds United.
• Crazy things have happened on a soccer pitch, but have you ever seen anything like this?

That will do it for me, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Wednesday and I’ll see you next time.