Lion Links: 4/4/23

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was a bit of a rough weekend for Orlando’s top flight soccer teams, but OCB won. Orlando City has some time off before its next game, and the Pride showed some progress in Sunday’s heartbreaking last-gasp loss. As usual, there’s a lot to talk about today, so let’s get right into it.

Orlando Pride Sign Amanda Allen

The Orlando Pride announced the signing of 18-year-old forward Amanda Allen. The attacking player is already a full Canadian international after she made her debut for the senior side in November of last year. Allen will wear No. 29 and helps bolster the Pride’s attacking corps, which features several other young talents. She spent time training with the Pride before signing and praised the environment and culture of the club, which is always great to hear. She was also called up for Canada’s upcoming match against France, so congratulations to her!

Young Lions Are Victorious

Orlando City had two academy teams in action on Monday at the Generation Adidas Cup, and both sets of baby Lions won in their final matches of group play. The U-17 team took on Nashville SC and won 1-0, thanks to a goal from Ryan Heron. With the win, the team won Group 9 with some room to spare, finishing on eight points and going undefeated through the three games. The U-15 team beat Minnesota United, 2-1, with Gustavo Delgado and Zach Olah both scoring in the first half. The win was enough to top Group 4 and also go undefeated in group play.

U.S. Soccer Releases New Kits

U.S. Soccer released new home and away uniforms for the United States Women’s National Team ahead of this summer’s World Cup. The home jersey is white with two-toned blue paint splatters. It also features gold stars above the crest and a gold Nike swoosh in honor of the USWNT’s victory in the 2019 World Cup. The away jersey is a mixture of dark blues as the base, and has red trim at the sleeves and collarbone area. The away uniform will be worn by the men’s and women’s teams for the duration of 2023, and the men will continue to wear the white uniform used at the 2022 World Cup.

Barcelona Wants La Liga President to Resign

Barcelona has called for La Liga President Javier Tebas to resign from his post over allegations that he gave false evidence against the club in a recent investigation. Spanish news outlet Vanguardia reported that Tebas gave evidence to prosecutors which implicated Barcelona having committed wrongdoing in making payments to the former vice president of Spain’s refereeing organization. The documents are reportedly several decades old though, and Barcelona has hit out by demanding his resignation, and accusing him of being obsessed with the club.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City dropped two spots to ninth in the latest edition of ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• New York City FC loaned Thiago Andrade to Athletico Paranaense through December, freeing up a U22 Initiative spot.
• Nantes dropped Jaouen Hadjam from its squad after he refused to break his fast for Ramadan.
• Lionel Messi was booed by Paris Saint-Germain’s fans as the club suffered its second straight loss in Ligue 1 play.

That’s all I have for you guys today. Y’all stay safe out there!