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Lion Links: 4/6/23

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2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope you all are having a nice week so far as we get ready for an exciting Easter weekend. We’ve also been able to enjoy academy soccer this week along with watching some of the top teams in Europe in action. Let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B defender Dominic Bell, who turns 17 today. Now, let’s dive into today’s links!

Amanda Allen Called Up By Canada

Orlando Pride forward Amanda Allen was called up by Canada for 2023 Concacaf Women’s U-20 qualifiers later this month. Canada will play four qualifiers from April 14 to 22, meaning Allen will miss the Pride’s match with NJ/NY Gotham FC on April 15 and the NWSL Challenge Cup game with the North Carolina Courage on April 19. The 18-year-old was signed by the Pride earlier this week, joining the team on a three-year contract. Allen was also called up for the senior team’s friendly with France on April 11 in Le Mans.

Orlando City U-15 Academy Team Reaches Quarterfinals

The Generation Adidas Cup is in full swing and Orlando City’s U-15 academy team advanced to the quarterfinals after a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders. Jarell Bonilla scored his first goal of the tournament and the defense secured a shutout. Orlando will take on the Columbus Crew’s U-15 time today at 11:30 a.m., with a spot in the semifinals up for grabs.

However, Orlando’s U-17 team wasn’t able to get past the round of 16. Playing a man down for nearly all of the match, Orlando was shut out in a 1-0 loss to New York City FC. It was a rough end to the U-17 team’s campaign after it went undefeated in group play.

LAFC and Tigres Win in Concacaf Champions League

In the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, LAFC went to Canada to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in an MLS showdown. After a scoreless first half, LAFC scored three goals in the span of 10 minutes, winning 3-0 on the road. Denis Bouanga had a pair of impressive goals, including this strike from distance to beat Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.

Kwadwo Opoku scored LAFC’s other goal and the second leg will take place in California on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Tigres UANL went to Honduras and won 1-0 against Motagua. Luis Quiñones scored the game’s only goal to give the Liga MX side an advantage heading into next week’s second leg.

Real Madrid Sinks Barcelona in Copa del Rey Semifinals

After falling 1-0 at home in the first leg, Real Madrid bounced back with a 4-0 drubbing of Barcelona at Camp Nou. French striker Karim Benzema had a hat trick, scoring all three of his goals in the second half. It was the first time a Real Madrid player scored a hat trick against Barcelona since 1995. Benzema also had an assist on Vinicius Jr.’s goal that opened the scoring late in the first half. Real Madrid will take on Osasuna in the final on May 6 in Seville.

Free Kicks

  • Toronto FC’s Federico Bernardeschi won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his Olimpico against Charlotte FC.
  • Sporting Kansas City waived left back Ben Sweat, who started in the club’s recent 4-1 loss to the Sounders and was sent off in the second half.
  • Chelsea is reportedly in talks with Frank Lampard for him to take over as an interim manager through the rest of the season. Lampard was sacked by Everton earlier this year and Chelsea recently parted ways with Graham Potter.
  • RB Leipzig beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the DFB Pokal to reach the semifinals. Leipzig joins Eintracht Frankfurt, Freiburg, and VfB Stuttgart in the semifinals, with the draw set for Sunday.
  • There were five goals in extra time as Sacramento Republic FC beat Crossfire Redmond 5-4 in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup. The draw for the third round takes place today at 6:30 p.m.

That’s all I have for you today. Make sure to stay hydrated out there and enjoy your Thursday!

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