Lion Links: 7/3/22

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope you are all having a great Fourth of July weekend while cooling off from the summer heat in the pool or at the beach, enjoying food off the grill, and spending time with friends and family. There is still plenty going on in the world of soccer, so before you take off for your next holiday adventure, let’s get you caught up on the news.

Orlando Pride Set to Face Louisville at Daytona

The Orlando Pride will face Racing Louisville FC tonight at 8 p.m. at Daytona International Speedway as part of Daytona Soccer Fest. Get to know tonight’s Pride opponent to prepare for the match. Tonight’s match will be the first meeting of the 2022 season between the two sides. Last season, the teams split the three-game season set, with each going 1-1-1. The teams will make history tonight by playing on the infield at the World Center of Racing, so don’t miss it. The feature photo above shows what the pitch in the superspeedway’s infield looks like.

USMNT Goalkeeper Ethan Horvath Has a New Team

Ethan Horvath has been sent on a season-long loan to Luton Town by Nottingham Forest. The American goalkeeper joined Nottingham Forest last season from Club Brugge after winning three Belgian titles with the club. Horvath mainly served has the backup for Nottingham Forest and made only 11 appearances for the club. This loan move will surely mean more minutes for him at a time when he can continue to develop his skills in Europe while competing for the USMNT starting gig.

USWNT Will Begin Concacaf Championship Play

The USWNT opens its 2022 Concacaf W Championship campaign Monday night, aiming to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics. The first opponent in this tournament will be Haiti and here are the five things to know about Les Grenadieres ahead of the match. One player to watch for on the Haiti roster is defender Clair Constant, who was the 2017 Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia as a high schooler and has been called up to U.S. Women’s National Team camps in the past. You can check out the rest of the Haiti Women’s National Team roster in the story linked above, which also discusses the history between the two teams.

Saturday’s Results Around MLS

There were two games played last night to kick off the holiday weekend slate. In Toronto, the Seattle Sounders went on the road and defeated shorthanded Toronto FC, 2-0. The second match of the day was also in Canada, but this time on the West Coast. The Vancouver Whitecaps hosted LAFC and pulled off a 1-0 upset win at home.

Free Kicks

• Inter Miami was interested in bringing in new LAFC forward Gareth Bale, but Phil Neville explained why the signing didn’t happen.
• Sources have reported that Cristiano Ronaldo has requested a transfer from Manchester United if the club gets a viable offer.
• With the possibility of Ronaldo leaving, Manchester United have joined the race with fellow in town rival Manchester City for Serge Gnabry. This report and more in the latest Transfer Talk.
• Barcelona President Joan Laporta is not ready to let go of Frankie de Jong to Manchester United just yet.
• If you are interested in some NPSL soccer as something to do next weekend, the CFSC Panthers will be playing last home game of the regular season next Saturday.

That will do it for me. Enjoy the rest of your Fourth of July weekend, and I will see you all next time.