Lion Links: 7/11/22

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! It was a pretty good weekend for the club, though not perfect. Orlando City’s last-minute win and the Orlando Pride’s first win at home this year felt pretty good. I needed the good news considering our air conditioning unit is on the fritz and we’re dealing with some portable units to keep cool. Nothing reminds you it’s summer in Florida better than having the A/C go out. Fortunately, I have these links to keep me cool.

Orlando City B Suffers Loss to Inter Miami II

The Young Lions were unable to make it three for three for the club this weekend after falling 3-1 to Inter Miami II. Surprisingly, it was not Jack Lynn who scored the club’s only goal. OCB didn’t catch any breaks in the Subtropic Thunder rivalry match. Our Sean Rollins has your match recap. The Young Lions now sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with 14 points from 14 matches. OCB’s next match will take place this Sunday at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL against Chicago Fire II.

USWNT Closes Out Group Play Tonight

The United States Women’s National Team plays Mexico in its final group stage match of the Concacaf W Championship tonight. The U.S. has already qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, but only the winner of the tournament will directly qualify for the Olympics in 2024. Obviously, beating Mexico is always a priority, but that’s not the only reason for the USWNT to play to win. Our friends at Stars and Stripes FC have all the details to prepare you for the match tonight.

Wayne Rooney Reportedly Set to Coach D.C. United

According to the Washington Post, Wayne Rooney has agreed to terms to become D.C. United’s next head coach. This would be Rooney’s second coaching job since retiring as a player in 2021. D.C. United is coming off of a lopsided 7-0 loss to Philadelphia Union and sits at the bottom of the MLS standings. If the reported move comes to fruition, Rooney’s star power could bring in some talented players from Europe to fill the club’s open Designated Player spots and help turn things around. The 36-year-old is already in the U.S., although the visa process may mean it will take a few weeks before he’s on the sidelines coaching his former club.

Women’s Soccer Roundup

If you weren’t watching women’s soccer this Sunday, you missed some great matches. France’s 5-1 victory over Italy in the UEFA Women’s Euro featured five first-half goals from the French, including a record hat-trick by Grace Geyoro.

The Pride’s Gunny Jónsdóttir started for Iceland in a 1-1 draw against Belgium. It was an interesting match with a pair of penalty kicks and another that was called back due to an offside call. All four teams will be in action again on Thursday, with Iceland playing Italy and Belgium playing France.

The NWSL rolled on with three matches on Sunday. The North Carolina Courage and the Chicago Red Stars played to a 2-2 draw in Chicago. OL Reign hosted the Portland Thorns with a 2-2 result as well, and the Kansas City Current defeated the Washington Spirit, 1-0.

Keeping Up With Americans Abroad

Sergino Dest might be on the way out of Barcelona as the club looks to sell several players to help with its financial woes. The La Liga giants have debts totaling €1.35 billion. Barcelona is asking €20 million for the American defender to help deal with the financial crisis. Giovanni Reyna returned to training with Borussia Dortmund following an injury-plagued season. The midfielder missed the start of preseason, but will work his way back into the starting lineup. Supporters of the club and the USMNT are hoping his injury problems are in the past.

Sebastian Soto doesn’t seem to be in Dean Smith’s plans at Norwich City. As such, the striker was on trial with Barnsley over the weekend. Soto played 30 minutes in the match against Crewe Alexandra. Soto had been on loan with Livingston from Norwich since January.

Free Kicks

• D.C. United’s Brad Smith tore his ACL during the match against the Philadelphia Union. The Australian defender will miss the rest of the season, the World Cup, and potentially part of next season.
• Josef Martinez called out Atlanta United’s front office and his teammates following the club’s 3-0 loss to Austin FC in Atlanta.
• Here is a list of the 14 teams that have qualified for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, including the United States.
• There is a long list of reasons why Qatar is not my destination of choice, despite the World Cup later this year. One of those reasons is that I like beer, and Qatar is a relatively dry country. FIFA is still working on a solution with Qatar to make an exception for the World Cup, though it will be regulated.
• Valour FC’s William Akio became the textbook example of why players shouldn’t celebrate too soon. At least his side went on to win the match.

That will do it for today. Go USWNT!