Lion Links: 8/4/23

How’s it going, Mane Landers? The end of the week is finally in sight, we just have to get through a good chunk of today before we can kick back and relax. I don’t have many weekend plans beyond staying up to watch some soccer and trying something new at the Venezuelan bakery up the road from me. It should be a nice next few days. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On the Washington Spirit Tonight

The Orlando Pride will aim for their first win of the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup when they take on the Washington Spirit at 7 p.m. at Exploria Stadium tonight. Both teams have already been eliminated from reaching the knockout stage of the tournament. The last time they faced off was on July 1 in the regular season, with the Pride winning 3-0 on the road. The Pride also beat the Spirit 2-1 on May 20 at home, but fell 4-2 to them on May 10 earlier in the tournament. Nearly every Pride player has participated in this year’s Challenge Cup, with young players like rookies Messiah Bright and Summer Yates receiving useful minutes. Defender Haley McCutcheon’s next appearance will be her 25th as a member of the Pride and 125th across all NWSL competitions.

Analyzing Sweden Ahead of Clash With USWNT

After finishing second in its group, the United States Women’s National Team will take on a tough Swedish team that won all of its group games. Sweden’s defense has been both physical and resolute this tournament, only conceding once thus far. The USWNT will have to find a way to deal with center back Amanda Ilestedt, who has impressed on both sides of the ball and is a force to be reckoned with in the air. Sweden’s offense is spearheaded by Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius, with Barcelona’s Fridolina Rolfö and Chelsea’s Johanna Kaneryd attacking through the wings. It will be a tough match, but the USWNT may be able to find the same kind of success counter attacking that South Africa did against the European nation.

MLS Transfer Roundup

American winger Matthew Hoppe is headed to MLS, joining the San Jose Earthquakes on a year-long loan from Middlesbrough. The 22-year-old has had trouble finding playing time abroad, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does for the Earthquakes. The LA Galaxy also made some late moves in the summer transfer window, trading away up to $600,000 in General Allocation Money for FC Dallas midfielder Edwin Cerrillo and trading its first pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft and up to $50,000 in conditional GAM to the Colorado Rapids for forward Michael Barrios. They notably added Japanese veteran defender Maya Yoshida to bolster their back line as well.

Elsewhere in the league, Jan Gregus is headed back to Minnesota United after the Loons made a trade with Nashville SC, D.C. United added Panamanian forward Jose Fajardo, and FC Dallas signed midfielder Asier Illarramendi, who has played 350 matches for Real Sociedad and Real Madrid. LAFC also transferred Jose Cifuentes to Rangers in Scotland.

Morocco, Colombia Claim Last Spots in World Cup Round of 16

The Women’s World Cup’s Round of 16 is set, with the group stage done and dusted. Morocco came up with a crucial 1-0 win over Colombia that resulted in both teams qualifying for the knockout stage. Germany is eliminated from the tournament after drawing with South Korea in a match it had to win. It’s a tough break for the Germans considering they beat Morocco 6-0 earlier in the tournament, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. Morocco will face France on Monday morning, while Colombia will take on Jamaica on Tuesday. Of the seven debutants for the expanded tournament, Morocco was the only one to reach the Round of 16.

Free Kicks

• According to The Athletic ($), a vote on promotion and relegation in the United Soccer League will be postponed and not take place next week.
• Enjoy this dive into the young players who’ve made a name for themselves at this year’s Women’s World Cup.
• Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku injured his knee and could miss the start of the upcoming English Premier League season.
• American defender Auston Trusty is leaving Arsenal to join Sheffield United.
• Tom Brady became a minority owner of Birmingham City and will be a chairman of the club’s advisory board.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and rest of your weekend.