Lion Links: 4/22/23

It’s another weekend full of Orlando soccer, Mane Landers! Tonight, Orlando City is back at home in Exploria Stadium for the return match against D.C. United. Then on Sunday, we have the Pride traveling to Children’s Mercy Park for a match with the Kansas City Current at 5 p.m. Finally, we get to round out the weekend with a Sunday nightcap with the Young Lions’ match at Osceola Heritage Park against NYCFC II.

With all that soccer in one weekend, it really begs the question: which jersey should you wear? Do you start with your favorite City jersey on Saturday and keep it on until someone loses? Did you even wash it after last week? Superstitions in sports always fascinate me. Heck, I was the guy on the team who went 14 straight matches without washing his socks in high school because I kept finding goals and assists during one streak. I would like to think that I have changed in my old age, but I probably have not. I’ll be wearing the same shirt as last week. Like they say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City’s first MLS captain and club legend Kaká!

Orlando City Adjusts for D.C. United

Orlando City is back at home against D.C. United to settle the score. On March 11, the two clubs finished in a 1-1 draw at Audi Field. The Lions are coming back from stealing a late win against Minnesota United, while D.C. defeated CF Montréal in its last outing. For Orlando City captain Mauricio Pereyra, he thinks both teams will play each other a little differently this time around and even hinted at moving forward with the 3-4-3 formation change from last week.

“From the beginning of the preseason, we started to train in that way and now we have two kinds of formation,” Pereyra said. “One of them is what we usually used to use in the last three years but now this formation is giving us a little more confidence and more people in front and I think that with Gastón [González] and Iván [Angulo] and the people around them. We have covered the spaces wider in the field. We feel comfortable with that.”

Club Records in Reach for Orlando City Players

Orlando City center back Robin Jansson is probably the first name Head Coach Oscar Pareja writes on the white board each week. And with an appearance against D.C. United, Jansson will reach 127 all-time appearances in the MLS era, passing Chris Mueller for the club record. While Mueller was holding on to the appearance record, Jansson already holds the club’s all-time minutes lead and is only five games away from matching Mueller for the most MLS appearances with the Lions.

Another milestone watch will be for goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. He will match Joe Bendik for the most appearances by an Orlando City goalkeeper at 92 should he be selected. Gallese won his 40th game for the Lions in Minnesota and holds the club records for goalkeeper wins and clean sheets.

Pride Prepare for Kansas City Current

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines and forward Ally Watt are looking towards their match against a team that recently shook up its coaching staff. On Wednesday, Matt Potter was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Kansas City Current, and the team went on to win its first group stage match of the NWSL Challenge Cup. For the Pride though, self-focus remains the main principle towards finding its own success.

“They’re going through [a coaching] change. They’re all also looking to win a game of football like ourselves, so it should be a really good, interesting game. It’s nice to go away from home, different environment. Obviously they’re building something there in terms of their fans and stadium up-and-coming, but we have to focus on ourselves. We want to bounce back from the last couple of results and really, again, reinforce our message of being difficult to beat and being threatening in the attack.”

The Pride is also a team full of new faces. With a tournament like the Challenge Cup, it allows players minutes who might not otherwise see much playing time. It can foster growth and chemistry among the squad. As Watt said:

“Just confidence that every single player in each game are growing. I feel that for myself, and you can see along with the backline. Emily Madril had an amazing game, she has so much confidence going into it, as she should. Carly Nelson getting her first start with us and she has all that confidence as well, Messiah [Bright] is gaining confidence. And I think that’s what we need, is to be believing in ourselves and each other more. But honestly, just realize that we can hang in the league and we just have to execute at the end.”

U.S. Learns Draw for Under-20 FIFA World Cup

A tournament that was originally planned for Indonesia will now be played in Argentina from May 20-June 11. After a final draw, the United States now knows that it will be in Group B at the 2023 FIFA Under-20 World Cup. The goup rounds out with Ecuador, Fiji, and Slovakia. The tournament features 24 countries split into six groups of four teams. Each of the top two finishers per group, as well as the four best third-place teams, will advance to the Round of 16 and knockout format. The Young Yanks are the only team to reach the quarterfinals of the last three FIFA U-20 World Cups and are one of only three to qualify to the last five U-20 World Cups alongside New Zealand and Uruguay. In the latest U-20 tuneup camp, Orlando City was represented by three players — Michael Halliday, Thomas Williams, and Alex Freeman.

Free Kicks

• MLS match analysist and former Orlando City Lion Jamie Watson checks in with 96.9 The Game and promises more is yet to come from the club.
• Orlando Pride rookies Messiah Bright and Emily Madril appear to be bringing back Heelys. Hopefully, they will slide the ball in the next this weekend as easily as they slide around in those shoes.

• The Seattle Sounders will be without star forward Raúl Ruidíaz again after suffering a right hamstring strain which will need at least four weeks for recovery.
• New England Revolution center back Henry Kessler underwent a successful surgery for his right hamstring. The Revolution will be without Kessler for four months.
• Sporting Kansas City striker Willy Agada will undergo surgery for a stress fracture that was discovered in his leg.
• Atlanta United’s first-ever head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino is open to a return to MLS.
• Julian Nagelsmann has backed out of the running to be Chelsea’s next head coach.
• Romelu Lukaku was sent off in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal against Juventus. He will remain suspended for the return leg after the club’s appeal was rejected by Italy’s Sports Court Of Appeal.
• Paris Saint-Germain is ready to offer €150 million ($166 million) to Napoli for Victor Osimhen’s transfer.
• The UEFA Women’s Champions League will see Chelsea vs. Barcelona and Wolfsburg vs. Arsenal this weekend in the first legs of the semifinal matches.

That’s all I have for you today, folks. I hope you enjoy the fixtures this weekend. If you are headed to the stadium, remember to drive safely, be courteous to the stadium staff, and always drink plenty of water. Vamos Orlando!