Lion Links: 10/9/23

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers. It was a weekend of mixed results for the teams in purple, but with one match to go for both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride, it’s all still to play for. On a personal note, I finally got to enjoy my new deck at my house as the temperature dropped Sunday morning. Breakfast outside on a cool, crisp morning really is quite enjoyable. Let’s get to the links.

Lions Clinch Second Place

Orlando City’s 3-2 victory over the New England Revolution clinched second in the Eastern Conference guaranteeing home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs and also a spot in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup competition. The Lions are 7-1-2 since they were ousted from Leagues Cup in August. Oscar Pareja attributes the success to the team holding each other to a higher standard. I also attribute it to Pareja’s ability to adjust shape and tactics during the match.

McGuire Called Up

Orlando City’s Duncan McGuire earned his first call-up for the United States U-23 Men’s National Team. McGuire will report to the training camp in Phoenix, AZ. It is the rookie’s first international call-up. McGuire’s 11 regular season goals and 13 goals across all competitions is undoubtedly the impetus for this honor.

Hines Remains Positive

The Orlando Pride may have given up three straight goals to Racing Louisville in the 3-2 loss on Friday, but Seb Hines is realistic in his assessment of the result. A two-match week, coupled with the extended travel, impacted his team. Hines isn’t blaming the circumstances, as he still expects the Pride to not give up a two-goal lead, but there is one more match to right the ship at Exploria Stadium. The Pride are still in contention for a playoff spot, but the club will need some help.

U-23 USMNT Training Camp Roster Announced

Duncan McGuire wasn’t the only player called up for the U-23 USMNT squad — it would be silly if he was. Head coach Marko Mitrovic called up 23 players for the training camp in Arizona. Notable players include Gianluca Busio, John Tolkin, and Aidan Morris. The squad will play a pair of friendlies against Mexico and Japan on Oct. 11 and Oct. 17, respectively. These players are fighting for a spot on the team that will compete in the 2024 Olympics.

Free Kicks

• Christian Pulisic continued his success with AC Milan scoring the winning goal in a 1-0 win over Genoa to send his Serie A club to the top of the table. It’s a double dose of America as Yunas Musah provided the assist on the goal.

• DC United parted ways with Wayne Rooney. Assuming he leaves MLS, he won’t be able to hurt us anymore. Now we just need to get MLS to stop playing that one goal every time Orlando City plays D.C. United.
• The NWSL signed a new television rights deal through the 2027 World Cup. The deal includes showing matches on current partner CBS as well as ESPN, Amazon, and Scripps. This is good news for Women’s soccer in the U.S.
• USMNT striker Folarin Balogun showed a ton of class in choosing not to celebrate his goal against his former team in AS Monaco’s 3-1 win over Reims.

• Former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter criticized the organization for its decision to hold the World Cup in six countries across three continents. We should all listen to someone with such a stellar reputation for honesty and integrity — where did I put the sarcasm font?
• Lionel Messi returned for the 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati, but Inter Miami was still bounced from playoff contention. This falls into the “you hate to see it” category.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get ready for the Pride’s final regular season match this Sunday. Skopurp!