Lion Links: 5/1/23

Merry Monday morning in May, Mane Landers! What a weekend that was for those who wear purple. Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and Orlando City B were all victorious. I can’t remember the last time that happened (OK, it was mid-August of last year). Honestly, it was unexpected but so very satisfying. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City DPs Find Confidence

All three of Orlando City’s Designated Players made goal contributions in the big home win over the LA Galaxy, and it’s exactly the type of match that can give a team more confidence. It’s been a while coming for both Facundo Torres and Ercan Kara, plus Martin Ojeda provided an assist. The team had the pleasure of hearing how their efforts were appreciated by the supporters even when in the locker room. Robin Jansson was thankful for both the supporters and for getting to swap shirts with former Lion Uri Rosell.

The Pride’s Good Day

The Orlando Pride got into the win column for the first time this season in a big way, and all it took was Seb Hines’ recipe for success to come together. Hines shared that this is the Pride team he knows, it’s just the one that the rest of us haven’t seen until the victory over the San Diego Wave. The win showed that any team can beat another if that team has a good day. Of course, training, hard work, and persistence are also important.

Orlando City B Victorious

The young Lions went back and forth with Toronto FC II, falling behind twice before equalizing each time. At the death of second half stoppage time Moises Tablante hit a screamer to give Orlando City B the 3-2 victory. The win momentarily put the Young Lions back on top of the Eastern Conference table for a couple of hours. Sean Rollins has your match recap.

Premier League Roundup

It was an interesting weekend for the Premier League with Manchester City climbing back on top of the table with a 2-1 win over Fulham. Erling Haaland scored his 50th Premier League goal on a penalty kick in only the third minute.

Liverpool jumped over Tottenham thanks to a wild 4-3 victory over Spurs. Liverpool scored three in the early going before Harry Kane drew one back. It was his 208th Premier League goal. Richarlison scored the equalizer for Spurs in the 93rd minute but Diogo Jota put the Reds back on top one minute later.

At the other end of the table, Leeds United stayed above the relegation zone despite a 4-1 loss to Bournemouth. Brighton demolished Wolves, 6-0 with braces from Deniz Undav, Pascal Groß, and Danny Welbeck. Manchester United defeated Aston Villa, 1-0, thanks to a Bruno Fernandes goal, and Newcastle came back from a goal down to beat Southampton, 3-1.

Free Kicks

• D.C. United signed Erik Hurtado from USL Championship side San Antonio FC for a $10,000 transfer fee. Hurtado previously played for 10 years in MLS prior to his time with San Antonio FC.
• Celtic will meet Inverness CT in the Scottish Cup final after defeating Rangers on Sunday. It was Celtic’s Portuguese forward Jota who won it in the 42nd minute.  Inverness made the final after defeating Falkirk 3-0 on Saturday.
• Dylan Borrero suffered a knee injury in the New England Revolution’s match against FC Cincinnati. He was stretchered off, and it looks to be very serious.
• It was a prolific weekend of goals in the NWSL.

It was also a good Saturday for my local club, as Tallahassee Soccer Club drew on a late goal against Jacksonville Armada (U-23). Have a wonderful week.