Lion Links: 9/29/22

Happy Thursday, everyone! Hopefully everyone is staying safe as Ian passes through Central Florida. To take your mind off sheltering from the wind and rain, here’s some of what is happening around the world of soccer.

Pride Prepare for Season Finale

The Pride are traveling to the Pacific Northwest to face OL Reign in the team’s final game of the 2022 NWSL season. The Pride made a run for the postseason under Interim Head Coach Seb Hines but came up short with a recent tough stretch. They ended their four-game losing streak last weekend with a draw against San Diego Wave FC and will look to end the season on a high in Seattle.

Orlando City Players Nominated for End-of-Year Awards

Major League Soccer released its nominee list for the league’s annual awards. It’s a long list, but several Orlando City players were included as nominees. Captain Mauricio Pereyra and Young Designated Player Facundo Torres have been nominated for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award, Pedro Gallese for Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year, Antonio Carlos and Robin Jansson for Defender of the Year, Cesar Araujo and Torres for Newcomer of the Year, Araujo and Torres for Young Player of the Year, Joao Moutinho and Alexandre Pato for Comeback Player of the Year, and Oscar Pareja for Sigi Schmidt Coach of the Year. There are a lot of nominees and none of Orlando’s are favorites for their individual awards at this point.

Denmark Uses World Cup Jerseys to Protest Human Rights Violations in Qatar

Denmark unveiled its World Cup jerseys Wednesday that will see the team take a stance on Qatar’s human rights record. The country unveiled jerseys in red, white, and black in which the Hummel and federation logos fade into the color of the jersey. The black jersey will have specific significance as “the color or mourning” will be worn in honor of migrant workers who died during construction of the stadiums built for the upcoming World Cup.

Serie A Will Get League’s First Woman Referee

HIstory will be made in Italy on Sunday when a woman will take charge of a Serie A game for the first time ever. Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi will be in the center for the game between Sassuolo and Salernitana. She made history last year when she became the first woman to referee a top-level Italian game when Cagliari met Cittadella in the Coppa Italia. Ferrieri Caputi joined Serie A’s officiating team in July.

Free Kicks

• Minnesota United has announced that the club has re-signed attacking midfielder Emanuel Reynoso to a three-year Designated Player deal.
• San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas has called it a career after playing 15 years in MLS.
• Brazilian forward Richarlison had a banana thrown at him following his team’s second goal against Tunisia during a 5-1 win in Paris.

That’s it for today. Stay safe during the storm and we’ll have more Lion Links for you tomorrow, weather permitting.