Lion Links: 6/13/23

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I’m in an excellent mood this morning, and I hope you are too. Not only did I get to celebrate one of my best friends getting married on Saturday, but Orlando’s teams got to enjoy a nine-point weekend, and you can’t ask for much more than that! As usual, there’s plenty of news to get through today, so let’s dig into the links.

Facundo Torres Makes MLS Team of the Matchday

Facundo Torres put in another important shift during Orlando City’s 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, and his effort has been recognized with a place on the MLS Team of the Matchday. Torres opened the scoring with a deflected shot in the 56th minute before providing the assist on Ramiro Enrique’s first goal as an Orlando City player. His performance earned him a 7.5 grade and the title of Man of the Match from Marcus Mitchell in his player grades, and it’s nice to see Torres get wider recognition as well. Keep up the good work!

Adriana Earns Recognition After Pride Win

Adriana was absolutely phenomenal in the Orlando Pride’s 3-1 comeback win over the Portland Thorns on Sunday. After the Pride went down a goal in the 20th minute, she found the equalizer just six minutes later, and scored the game-winner two minutes into the second half. Beyond the numbers, she was brimming with danger and looked strong and confident when running with the ball and made the right decisions in dangerous areas. The cutback onto her right foot for her second goal was simple enough, but executed to perfection. Her performance earned her a nomination for the NWSL’s Player of the Week, an honor that she narrowly lost out on to Kerolin. Here’s hoping Adriana continues her current run of form!

USMNT Gold Cup Roster Announced

B.J. Callaghan, the interim head coach of the United States Men’s National Team, has named the 23-man roster that will take part in the Gold Cup later this summer. It’s an interesting mix of more established USMNT players and several who are often on the fringes. Some of the more experienced faces include DeAndre Yedlin, Jordan Morris, and Cristian Roldan. Newer members of the squad are Gabriel Slonina, Aidan Morris, and Julian Gressel. With the Nations League roster featuring more of the guys playing in Europe, this one is far more MLS-based. The squad will start camp on June 20 and begin its tournament against Jamaica on June 23.

Kylian Mbappe Reportedly Won’t Extend PSG Contract

Kylian Mbappe has reportedly told Paris Saint-Germain that he will not extend his contract. If true, it raises a storm of interesting questions about his future. Mbappe’s current deal ends after next season, and, as PSG would be insane to let him leave for free, it brings up the possibility of him departing during this summer’s transfer window. They will already be losing Lionel Messi as a free agent, but Mbappe will likely fetch a truly gargantuan transfer fee that would allow PSG to bring in a number of reinforcements. This is going to be an extremely interesting story to watch, and it’s one that could shape a lot of business in the summer window.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City B was named MLS NEXT Pro Team of Matchday 12 after the Young Lions’ emphatic 4-0 win over FC Cincinnati 2 on Sunday.
• Ivan Angulo is one of a number of MLS players in the league on loan. Whether or not Angulo and the other loanees stay or go will be an interesting thing to watch as we move towards the summer transfer window.
• This was a thoughtful and touching gesture from Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines.

• Pep Guardiola reportedly plans to leave Manchester City during the summer of 2025.
• Bordeaux will stay in the French second division after being handed a loss for a suspended match in which one of the team’s fans attacked an opposing player.

That’s all I have for you today. Stay safe out there, y’all.