Lion Links: 3/20/23

Good morning, Mane Landers. It was a rough weekend for Orlando City, but at least the Lions will get a full week of rest before facing Philadelphia on Saturday. Despite the loss, it’s an exciting week as an Orlando soccer fan. Not only are the Lions playing this weekend, but the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B get their seasons started this Sunday. I’m also looking forward to the Pride revealing their jersey on Wednesday. Now, let’s dive into today’s links!

Lions Called Up for International Duty

Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and midfielder Wilder Cartagena were both called up by Peru for a pair of friendlies in Europe. Peru will take on Germany in Mainz this Saturday before heading to Madrid for a friendly against Morocco. These are the South American nation’s first matches of the year and should be good tests after missing out on the 2022 World Cup.

Gallese and Cartagena aren’t the only Lions that are away on international duty this week. Forward Facundo Torres will be with Uruguay in Asia for friendlies against Japan and South Korea. Defenders Michael Halliday and Thomas Williams are with the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team, while Alex Freeman and Favian Loyola are with the U-19 team. Loyola is one of four Americans who have taken part in all six U-19 camps this cycle.

Timothy Weah Injured Ahead of USMNT Matches

Winger Tim Weah will not be with the United States Men’s National Team for the Concacaf Nations League this week after suffering a head injury in Lille’s win over Toulouse. The 23-year-old will be replaced by Djordje Mihailovic, who has not played for the USMNT since a 6-0 win over El Salvador in 2020. Since joining AZ Alkmaar in January, Mihailovic has recorded a goal and an assist in nine appearances. The USMNT will play Granada on Friday and then host El Salvador at Exploria Stadium on Monday, March 27.

U.S. Soccer Discusses Head Coaching Search

Following U.S. Soccer’s annual general meeting, CEO JT Batson spoke on how the search for a USMNT head coach will not be restricted by finances. Finding the right coach before the U.S. hosts the 2026 World Cup is critical and the federation does not want its options limited by scope or cost.

“Obviously, you want to be smart with regards to how you spend money, but there’s costs and there’s also opportunities for revenue. So as we think about our men’s national team program, we want to make sure we have the best person leading our men’s national team going forward and it’ll be a global market … we’re not starting with any restrictions in that regard.”

Batson also stated that the plan to have a new sporting director in place before the Women’s World Cup this summer is still on track. The position is being restructured since Earnie Stewart’s departure, with the job responsibilities focused more on the federation’s 27 national teams.

FA Cup Semifinals Are Set

Grimsby Town’s Cinderella run in the FA Cup came to an end after a 5-0 loss on the road to Brighton & Hove Albion in the quarterfinals. The fourth-division side conceded early on but kept the game close until Brighton scored four goals in the second half. Manchester United also advanced to the semifinals, beating Fulham 3-1 at Old Trafford. Fulham took the lead due to a goal from Aleksandar Mitrovic, but Willian was shown a red card for a handball that denied a goal. Mitrovic and manager Marco Silva were then sent off for protesting the decision and Bruno Fernandes converted the penalty to equalize. Marcel Sabitzer gave the Red Devils the lead soon after and Fernandes put the game away in stoppage time.

In the semifinals at Wembley Stadium, Brighton will face Manchester United and Manchester City will play Sheffield United. Those matches will be next month and the final could be a Manchester derby match on June 3.

Free Kicks

• The first round of the U.S. Open Cup begins this week, with 28 teams in action across the country. There are two matches between Floridian teams, including FC Nona’s game against Club de Lyon in Kissimmee on Wednesday.
• FC Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 thanks to a winner in stoppage time from Franck Kessie. It was Kessie’s first goal for Barcelona and his club is now 12 points above Madrid at the top of the La Liga standings.
• Arsenal also showed its title credentials, beating Crystal Palace 4-1 at home. English winger Bukayo Saka was impressive, scoring two goals and assisting on another in the match.
• Meanwhile, the Bundesliga title is up for grabs. Bayern Munich fell 2-1 to Bayer Leverkusen, meaning Borussia Dortmund finishes the weekend atop the table. Union Berlin is also back in the conversation after a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
• After Tottenham Hotspur blew a 3-1 lead to Southampton, Antonio Conte went on a rant to criticize the players and club.
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the oldest player to score a goal in Serie A. The 41-year-old scored from the spot in AC Milan’s 3-1 loss to Udinese.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope this work week goes smoothly for you as we gear up for an exciting weekend. Have a great Monday!