Lion Links: 10/31/22

Happy Halloween, Mane Landers! May your day be filled with treats rather than tricks. Are you dressing up in a costume? Perhaps you are taking the kids trick or treating or hosting a Halloween party. However you plan on spending the evening please have fun and be safe. Let’s get to the links.

MLS Cup Final is Set

LAFC will host the Philadelphia Union in the MLS Cup final next Saturday at 4 p.m. LAFC won the Western Conference on Sunday afternoon, defeating Austin FC 3-0 at Banc of California Stadium. Goals from Cristian Arango and Kwadwo Opoku combined with an own goal by Maxi Urruti decided the contest.

It took until the second half for the goals to come, but once they did the match between the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC took off, with the Union winning 3-1. Maxi Moralez struck first for NYCFC, but Julián Carranza and Dániel Gazdag gave Philadelphia the lead. Cory Burke added another and the Union won the Eastern Conference. It’ll be the first time the teams with the two best records in the league have met in the final since 2003.

Portland Thorns Win NWSL

The Portland Thorns defeated the Kansas City Current 2-0 Saturday night to win a record third NWSL title for the club. League MVP Sophia Smith struck early and the Thorns never looked back. A second-half own goal by Addisyn Merrick sealed the victory for Portland.

USMNT’s Weston McKennie Injured

With the World Cup only weeks away, Weston McKennie has been added to the list of USMNT players who are injured. McKennie was subbed off at halftime in Juventus’ 1-0 win over Lecce on Saturday. The midfielder suffered a thigh injury that is expected to keep him off the field for 15 days. His recovery will not leave much time before he hopefully is able to start for the U.S. in the team’s first World Cup group-stage match against Wales.

Franch Call up Expected

Goalkeeper Adrianna Franch had an excellent year for the Kansas City Current. Her five clean sheets and average of 3.4 saves per 90 minutes helped the Current make it to the NWSL Championship match. Now it appears that she will be called up to the USWNT for the upcoming friendlies against Germany next month. Franch last played for the USWNT last October. She will be replacing Aubrey Kingsbury.

Free Kicks

• Things have not gone well for Liverpool this season to say the least. The 2-1 loss to Leeds United is the fourth of the season and the once-dominant Reds are sitting in ninth. There doesn’t seem to be any particular reason for Liverpool’s struggles, but Jurgen Klopp and his squad need to get things sorted soon.
• Alex Morgan has joined the hiring platform Teamable, as an investor and as the Chief Inspiration Officer. The company has already raised $7 million, and should expect more now that Morgan is involved.
• Juan Carlos Amorós is expected to be named the new head coach for NJ/NY Gotham FC. Amorós has been the interim coach for the Houston Dash and evidently turned down an offer from the Dash to pursue the Gotham position.
• Carlo Ancelotti felt that Real Madrid lost points in the 1-1 match against Girona due to an “invented” handball penalty. Ancelotti spoke out after the match regarding what he considered a bad call.
• Manchester United will look at David De Gea’s contract following the World Cup. De Gea was left off of Spain’s roster for the World Cup.
• Former NWSL Commissioner Jeff Plush has resigned as CEO of USA Curling when it was revealed he failed to act on allegations of sexual abuse and other harassment when he was commissioner.

That will do it for today. Enjoy the free candy!