Lion Links: 6/20/23

Happy Tuesday and happy birthday to Orlando Pride defender Celia! There’s a lot happening this week, with Orlando City back at home tomorrow and then the Lions and Pride in action on Saturday. With so much going on, there’s a lot to talk about, so let’s get into today’s links.

Americans Dominate Nations League Best XI

The Concacaf Nations League’s Best XI has been named and it’s unsurprisingly dominated by members of the United States Men’s National Team. The squad features six Americans in total, with Matt Turner in goal, Chris Richards anchoring the back line, Yunus Musah, Giovanni Reyna, Christian Pulisic in the midfield, and Folarin Balogun up top. Turner and Richards were part of a defense that conceded zero goals across the 180 minutes, while Musah excelled in his defensive midfield role and Reyna provided two assists in the win over Canada. Pulisic’s brace led the way against Mexico and Balogun scored his first goal for the U.S. in the win over Canada in the final.

Two Matches Abandoned After Alleged Racist Abuse

Two international matches were abandoned yesterday due to alleged racist abuse. New Zealand refused to come out of the locker room for the second half of a match against Qatar after Minnesota United defender Michael Boxall alleged he was racially abused in the first half. The New Zealand federation released a statement saying that, due to a lack of official action, the team elected not to play the second half.

In the second half of a U-21 match between Ireland and Kuwait, Irish manager Jim Crawford pulled his players off the field after an alleged instance of racial abuse. Ireland led the match 3-0 at the time. The Irish FA did not specify which player was targeted. The two incidents continue a trend of numerous instances of racial abuse in soccer by both fans and players in varying leagues and levels of play.

Mexico Fires Diego Cocca

The Mexico Football Federation announced the firing of Diego Cocca on Monday, with Jaime Lozano named interim coach. Cocca was brought on in February and oversaw just seven games, winning three. FMF president Juan Carlos Rodriguez spoke on Monday about “deficiencies” that he found in the last week and specifically pointed to the manner of the 3-0 loss to the USMNT, as well as flaw in decision-making, a lack of transparency, and bad habits. Rodrigo Ares de Praga has also been relieved from his post as executive director of Mexico’s national teams. With the Gold Cup on the immediate horizon and Copa America taking place next summer, it will be very interesting to see who is brought in as the next manager, and how quickly that decision is reached.

European Transfer Rumor Roundup

There are several interesting rumors to take note of in the European transfer market. First up is the report that Kyle Walker is in advanced talks to leave Manchester City and join Bayern Munich. Nothing is finalized, but both sides are said to be optimistic that a deal will be reached.

Staying in the Premier League, Al Ittihad is said to be readying a $65 million opening bid for Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min. The Saudi Arabian team is reportedly offering a four-year deal, but Tottenham is unsurprisingly said to not be interested in listening to offers for one of its most important players.

Finally, Fabrizio Romano reports that Edouard Mendy has agreed to personal terms with Al Ahli, and that negotiations between Chelsea and the Saudi Arabian club are in the final stages.

Free Kicks

• You can bid to win a unique Orlando City Juneteenth jersey, with all proceeds going to My Brother’s Keeper Orlando.
• Nike will release a line of soccer cleats designed specifically for women.
• Thibaut Courtois has abruptly left the Belgium team’s camp ahead of today’s Euro qualifier against Estonia, with coach Domenico Tedesco claiming he felt slighted after not being selected as captain.
• A man has been banned from all regulated soccer games in the United Kingdom for four years and ordered to pay a £1,000 fine after wearing a shirt referencing the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.
• Canada coach John Herdman has said the nation needs to get serious about winning a World Cup.

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