Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/8/23
Lions hunting for goals, Messiah Bright lifts Pride to win, Orlando City in Special Olympics All-Star match, and more.
Happy Saturday, Mane Landers! I am coming at you live from the state of Wisconsin, where it isn’t humid and actually feels “cold” here in the evenings. It is pretty refreshing to avoid the heat for a weekend to be honest, plus it’s always nice to see my extended family. In Orlando news, the Pride were victorious last night and the Lions are in action tonight! So let’s get down to it and break it down in the links.
Orlando City Scoring In Bunches
Tuesday’s match against Toronto FC saw Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja become the sixth coach in MLS history to win at least 150 regular season matches. Along the way to the 4-0 rout, César Araújo, Duncan McGuire, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, and Ercan Kara each bagged goals in the match. With McGuire’s goal, the rookie added his seventh goal of the season, tying fellow forward Facundo Torres for the most scored by a Lion across all competitions this season. The Lions travel to America First Field tonight to battle Real Salt Lake at 9:30 p.m.
Orlando Pride Blank OL Reign, 1-0
After the Pride’s big 3-0 win over the Washington Spirit last weekend, Head Coach Seb Hines brought out the exact same starters and bench to take on OL Reign. Forward Messiah Bright scored the only goal of the night in the 16th minute off a powerful header, courtesy of Julie Doyle’s assist to win 1-0. In total, the Pride fired off 16 shots and Bright had six of them on her own. Despite multiple attempts for the visiting Reign, Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse did everything it took to hold on and help Orlando secure another clean sheet in the end.
Orlando City’s 2023 Special Olympics All-Stars
Orlando City boasts two athletes, Kip Williams and Sebastien Atis, in the lineup for MLS WORKS 2023 Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Game. The match will be played July 19 at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility in Annapolis, MD. In total, 52 Unified team members will compete and represent 26 MLS clubs for a full-sided 11-on-11 competitive match with MLS greats serving as celebrity coaches for the game.
USMNT and Canada Ready for Quarterfinal Match
It took goal differential to do it, but the United States Men’s National Team claimed first place in Group A at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. With Canada falling to second in its group, the quarterfinal match is set to take place at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. This is the 40th all-time meeting between the two nations, with the USMNT holding a 17-10-12 advantage. The Maple Leaf back line has been noted as the biggest problem area, and surely USMNT forward Jesus Jesus Ferreira will be ready to feast and improve his bid for the tournament’s golden boot. The match is scheduled for Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City currently holds down seventh place in the latest league power rankings.
- Inter Miami has now added Eden Hazard to the star-studded transfer target list of Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, and Jordi Alba.
- If you can’t get enough MLS action with the Lions alone, be sure to check out these other Matchday 24 must-watch matches!
- Dutch giants PSV acquired the services of USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi on a permanent transfer from Bundesliga club FC Augsburg.
- The USWNT is back in action for a send-off match against Wales, kicking off at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
That’s a wrap, Mane Landers. Good luck staying up late tonight for the Lions’ match against RSL. Grab your favorite energy drink and tune in. Vamos Orlando!