Lion Links: 5/30/23

Happy Tuesday, everyone. My sense of time is a little screwed up after spending a lot of the last week traveling, and I’m still trying to get myself recalibrated. As usual, there are plenty of things happening in the soccer world. But first, let’s all wish a happy 17th birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Alejandro Granados. He is currently with Spain in the European U-17 Championship and his team takes on France this afternoon in the semifinals.

Kyle Smith Earns Recognition

Kyle Smith was a key player in Orlando City’s match against Atlanta United over the weekend, and his performance has earned him a place on the latest MLS Team of the Matchday. Smith’s well-taken goal sees him slot in at right back, with the strike his first goal of the year and fourth in MLS. He also contributed four clearances, an interception, and a big tackle, all while passing with 93% accuracy. That performance earned him a grade of 7 from Marcus Mitchell, and it was nice to see his efforts recognized. Keep it up!

Orlando City B Victorious

Orlando City B showed grit and determination and picked up a tough win over New York Red Bulls II on Monday night. The Young Lions took an early lead after just five minutes when Jack Lynn’s header led to an own goal. The Red Bulls hit back with two goals of their own in the first half though, and took a 2-1 lead into halftime. OCB didn’t quit though, and Lynn got his goal in the 64th minute to level things. Just three minutes later, Shak Mohammed latched onto a shot that came off the post and dispatched it for his first goal of the year. That proved to be the difference as Orlando hung on for a 3-2 win.

U.S. U-20 Team Will Face New Zealand

The U-20 USMNT will face New Zealand in the round of 16 of the U-20 World Cup today at 1:30 p.m. The Americans won all three of their group matches and advanced at the top of their group. They take on a New Zealand side that placed third in Group A. New Zealand beat Guatemala in its opening game, and drew Uzbekistan in its second match before being hammered 5-0 by Argentina in the group stage finale. The U.S. previously faced New Zealand in the round of 16 back in 2017, with the Americans winning 6-0. If the U.S. can repeat that feat it will be the team’s fourth straight time advancing to the quarterfinals.

Mauricio Pochettino Joins Chelsea

Mauricio Pochettino has officially joined Chelsea as the team’s new head coach. This confirms what has been more or less known for a couple weeks at this point, and it seems the team was simply waiting until the season concluded to make the announcement official. Pochettino starts on July 1, and he will have a big job on his hands. The bloated squad needs to be trimmed down, several positions need to be addressed, and the club needs to right the horrific form that saw it finish 12th while only recording 11 wins during a terrible season.

Sheffield Wednesday Wins Dramatic Promotion

Sheffield Wednesday won promotion to the EFL Championship in dramatic fashion during Monday’s League One playoff final. The game looked destined for a penalty shootout as the game moved into the final minute of stoppage time during extra time with the score still level at 0-0. It wasn’t to be though, as Josh Windass put a diving header past Barnsley goalkeeper Harry Isted with just seconds left to play. The goal gave Sheffield the win and sent them up to the Championship, finishing a run through the playoffs that included coming back from a 4-0 deficit after the first leg of the semifinals.

Free Kicks

• In case you missed it, Orlando Pride forward Amanda Allen scored for Canada in the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship. Canada will take on the U.S. tonight at 6 p.m., although both nations have already qualified for the semifinals.

• Brenden Aaronson reportedly has a relegation clause in his contract, which makes it more likely that he will leave Leeds United in the summer after the team was relegated.

• Xavi believes that Lionel Messi still has the talent to help FC Barcelona be successful and has told the club’s president, Joan Laporta, that he wants him back on the team.
• Luciano Spalleti will not be in charge of Napoli next season after leading the team to its first Serie A title in 33 years.
• Here’s an early look at what the USMNT roster might look like for its upcoming Concacaf Nations League games.

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