Lion Links: 8/7/23

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers. We’re in a bit of a soccer deficit with Orlando City being out of the Leagues Cup and the USWNT being out of the Women’s World Cup. I’m not saying one can’t watch both of those competitions, but I don’t know that I’m likely to wake up too early in the morning to do so. Before we get to the links, let’s wish a happy 32nd birthday to Orlando Pride midfielder Erika Tymrak.

Orlando Pride Reflect on a Cruel Game

The Pride bounced back from a couple of poor performances to dominate the Washington Spirit at home. The problem was a lack of scoring from the Pride, coupled with a late goal from Washington as the Pride once again lost in the Challenge Cup. It was 90% of the positive reaction Seb Hines was looking to see from his team. Hines admitted that the Pride need to improve at scoring goals, including from Messiah Bright and Ally Watt. Despite the result, Kerry Abuelo said that there were plenty of positives to take from the match. The center back pairing of Emily Madril and Caitlin Cosme proved effective, as the Pride cut down on goals allowed. The Pride now look to get back to scoring some goals of their own.

Continued Reactions to Leagues Cup Loss

Miguel Gallardo shared his thoughts on Orlando City’s Leagues Cup loss to Inter Miami and the controversies surrounding it on Orlando Soccer Insider. If you didn’t get a chance to see Oscar Pareja’s remarks following the match, it’s a good opportunity to do so. Gallardo, like myself, agreed with Pareja’s assessment of how the match went. Elsewhere, Felipe spoke out about the words he and Lionel Messi exchanged during the match.

USWNT Crashes Out of the Women’s World Cup

If you are like me, you foolishly woke up early to watch the USWNT take on Sweden in the round of 16. It was honestly the best soccer the team has played at this World Cup, other than putting the ball into the back of the net. The U.S. had the better of the chances, the possession, corners, shots, and shots on target. Ultimately, it came down to spot kicks and despite three chances to advance, missed shots and a not-quite-save sent Sweden through 0-0 (5-4) on penalties. Despite the result, Julie Ertz said she felt good about the future of the USWNT and she announced her retirement from the USWNT.

What that future looks like may include a new coach, a continuation of the youth movement, and dealing with the knowledge that the world is catching up to the once-dominant USWNT.

Arsenal Wins Community Shield

Arsenal defeated Manchester City on penalty kicks 1-1 (4-1) to win the Community Shield. Typically, the winners of the Premier League and the FA Cup play against each other, but in this case, Arsenal was the second club due to Manchester City having won both. It was a close thing for Arsenal, as Leandro Toussard didn’t score the equalizer until the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time. Pep Guardiola bemoaned the new time rules in place to cut down on time wasting that resulted in the extensive stoppage time that allowed Arsenal to score. This is the third straight year that Manchester City has lost the Community Shield.

Free Kicks

• León coach Nicolas Larcamón is the latest Liga MX coach to complain that the Leagues Cup is set up for the benefit of the MLS clubs.
• There are many ways that AC Milan might use Yunus Musah. How quickly the American can adapt to Serie A might determine how well he starts his new journey.
• Here is a good breakdown of the MLS and Apple TV+ deal and how it is affecting the sports streaming environment.
• Megan Rapinoe explained that the smile on her face after her missed spot kick was due to disbelief. She described the miss as a “sick joke.” It was the last World Cup match that Rapinoe will play for the U.S.
• Speculation has already begun on who might replace Vlatko Andonovski as USWNT coach if he isn’t given a new contract.

That will do it for today. Don’t forget to check back for our coverage of the Pride’s Challenge Cup match against Gotham FC this Wednesday.