Lion Links: 7/6/22

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all of you are doing well down in Florida. I was busy working throughout the holiday weekend but am looking forward to catching up on soccer this week. There is plenty to cover today, so let's get to the links.

Joao Moutinho Linked With Move Abroad

Rumors surfaced that Orlando City defender Joao Moutinho, who is in the middle of his fourth season with the Lions, could be on the move to Ligue 1 side Toulouse. Moutinho’s contract with the Lions expires at the end of the season. The 24-year-old is also rumored to have offers from clubs in Portugal’s top flight and an offer from Serie B side Venezia.

USWNT Prepares for Jamaica

The United States Women’s National Team will face Jamaica tomorrow night in a Group A match-up at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe in the 2022 Concacaf W Championship. This will be the USWNT's second match in the group after it defeated Haiti 3-0 on Monday. Jamaica defeated Mexico 1-0 on Monday in its previous match and both teams will look to continue their winning ways for the top spot in the group. Of the 23 players on Jamaica’s roster, 12 were part of the 2019 World Cup team that qualified for its first tournament, including Manchester City’s Khadija Shaw and the North Carolina Courage’s Havana Solaun. Shaw leads Jamaica’s attack with 52 international goals and can play on the wing as well. Another Jamaican player to watch is goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer, who is an excellent shot stopper and can play out of the back with confidence. This will be the fifth meeting between these two sides, with the U.S. winning the four previous meetings. The match kicks off tomorrow at 7 p.m. and you can watch it on Paramount+.

Alejandro Pozuelo Nears Move to Inter Miami

According to Fabrizio Romano of CBS Sports, it appears midfielder and 2020 MLS MVP Alejandro Pozuelo has reportedly reached an agreement to join Inter Miami CF as a Designated Player.

Pozuelo had made 100 appearances for Toronto FC, scoring 30 regular season goals for the Reds. Once the paperwork is finalized, Pozuelo will reportedly be traded to Inter Miami in exchange for $150,000 in allocation money for Toronto. This move also opens up a Designated Player spot for Toronto, which is reportedly in negotiations to sign Italian midfielder and former Juventus player Federico Bernardeschi.

UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 Preview

The UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 kicks off today at 3 p.m. as England, the host, takes on Austria in Group A in the lone match-up of the day. There will be other exciting match-ups to look forward to later this week, with Germany facing Denmark on Friday and the Netherlands facing off against Sweden on Saturday. The Dutch bring plenty of experience and some familiar faces from their 2017 run such as Lieke Martens and Vivianne Miedema as they look to defend their title. England is currently on a 13-match unbeaten streak and has former Netherlands coach Sarina Wiegman leading the Lionesses. Spain's road to winning the tournament got more difficult after Ballon d’Or Féminin winner Alexia Putellas suffered a torn ACL in training yesterday and will be out for the tournament. Some other storylines to watch are Sweden’s potential to make a deep run, Ada Hegerberg’s return to the international stage with Norway after five years, and if Wendie Renard can lead France to its first title.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City dropped two spots to 14th in ESPN’s latest MLS power rankings after its 5-3 loss to D.C. United on the Fourth of July.
• USWNT and OL Reign star Megan Rapinoe shared her perspective on the impact of equal pay after the win against Haiti. Rapinoe discussed the hard work, dedication, and how the new collective bargaining agreement will benefit the women’s game moving forward.
• Christian Pulisic has reportedly told Chelsea he wants to stay at the club despite receiving interest from Italian clubs AC Milan and Juventus.
• Despite leading Paris Saint-Germain to a Ligue 1 title, Mauricio Pochettino was let go by the club. PSG appointed former Nice manager Christophe Galtier as its new manager.
• Former soccer star Bruce Murray shared some insight into his struggles with memory after dealing with multiple concussions in his career that may have caused CTE.
• FIFA will use artificial intelligence to track player movements at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and help referees make more accurate offside decisions.

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