Lion Links: 2/27/23

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! One match played, one win in the books. That’s how I like it, and I’m certain you’re pleased as well. It might not have been pretty, but a 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls is still a great way for Orlando City to start its season. Now, it’s time to move on and look forward to the week ahead. Let’s get to the links.

Crusaders Beat Tampa Twice

It was a great day for both the men’s and women’s Central Florida Crusaders teams as both were victorious on Sunday. The Crusaders traveled to Tampa to play their I-4 rivals. The men’s team won on a golden goal by Eduardo Cruz to defeat the Tampa Bay Strikers 12-11. Rapha Tobias scored five goals for the Crusaders. The win keeps the team perfect on the season so far.

The women’s team came back from a 3-0 deficit to win the match 7-6 after a shootout in overtime. Former Orlando Pride player Bridget Callahan filled in as goalkeeper for the Crusaders, but had to exit due to injury. In the shootout’s final frame, Nicole DiPerna scored for the Crusaders and Alivia Gonzalez came up with the winning save.

U.S. Falls to Mexico in Concacaf U-17 Championship

The United States played Mexico in the Concacaf U-17 Championship last night and fell 3-1. Things didn’t start out well for the U.S. The Americans gave up a penalty early on and Mexico converted the kick to take the lead in the 10th minute. Mexico added another in the second half. Pedro Soma pulled one back for the U.S. in the 69th minute, but Mexico added a third on another penalty kick in stoppage time to put the game out of reach.

Manchester United Wins the Carabao Cup

Manchester United ended a six-year trophy drought with a 2-0 win over Newcastle United to win the Carabao Cup. Casemiro opened the scoring for Manchester United in the 33rd minute. A shot from Marcus Rashford six minutes later was deflected by Sven Botman and wound up in the back of the net. It was Newcastle’s ninth loss in a row in Wembley Stadium. Many of the Newcastle supporters found the exit before the trophy presentation.

Mob Tactics in Serie A

Serie A club Sampdoria received a severed pig’s head in the mail. After all these years, I still find myself typing sentences that I never thought I’d type. There have been numerous problems for the club, and Sampdoria currently sits in 19th place and in danger of relegation. The head arrived with a message that stated “the next head will be yours.” This is not the first threatening message that the club has received and the police were contacted.

Free Kicks

• Following Orlando City’s win, forward Facundo Torres announced that he and his partner will be having a baby girl.

• Orlando City honored Central Florida journalist Dylan Lyons and soccer reporter Grant Wahl prior to the match Saturday night. Rest in peace, gentlemen.

• FIFA President Gianni Infantino reflected upon his seven years as the president of the organization. Infantino said, “Thinking about this seven-year anniversary, I would simply like to thank all of those who have been helping me, and there are many, to make FIFA a better organization, a better place.” I find that statement interesting.
• Check out how FIFA’s “The Best” Awards are selected and who the finalists are this year.
• Celtic defeated Rangers 2-1 to win the Scottish League Cup title for the 21st time. Kyogo Furuhashi scored a brace for Celtic to seal the win.
• Odion Ighalo scored four goals for Al Hilal in its 7-0 victory over Al Duhail in the AFC Champions League.

That will do it for today. Keep checking back for coverage as we get ready for Orlando City’s match against FC Cincinnati this Saturday at Exploria Stadium. Vamos Orlando!