Lion Links: 11/8/23

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. There is not much new with me, I’m just keeping myself busy with work. I’ll be in Michigan later this weekend catching up with friends and family. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Shuts Out Nashville SC to Advance in Playoffs

Orlando City advanced to the next round of the playoffs after winning 1-0 on the road to close out its playoff series with Nashville SC. An early goal gave the Lions a lead to defend for the majority of the match and they did just that, thanks to relentless defending and big stops from goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. Orlando ultimately held on and will host either Atlanta United or the Columbus Crew later this month. It will be a bit weird for the Lions to have a couple of weeks off before their next match, but some time to rest and recalibrate is hard to complain about.

Atlanta United Beats the Columbus Crew to Even Series

In the other playoff match, Atlanta United bounced back at home in Game 2 with a 4-2 win against the Columbus Crew to even the series at 1-1. Giorgos Giakoumakis scored a goal and added two assists to help keep Atlanta’s postseason alive. Game 3 in this series will be played on Sunday in Columbus. Tonight’s lone matchup will see the New England Revolution host the Philadelphia Union at Gillette Stadium. The Union won the first game, but defender Kai Wagner will be suspended for three matches for violating the league’s on-field anti-discrimination policy for allegedly using a racial slur to Revolution forward Bobby Wood. If the Union win tonight, they would play FC Cincinnati in the conference semifinals.

MLS Reportedly Opens Investigation into Matt Miazga

Major League Soccer is reportedly conducting an investigation on FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga for allegedly gaining unauthorized access to the referee’s locker room after Cincinnati’s playoff match this past Saturday against the New York Red Bulls. The league released the following statement.

“Major League Soccer is aware of the report of a player gaining unauthorized access into the officials’ locker room following the New York Red Bulls vs. FC Cincinnati match at Red Bull Arena on November 4, 2023. The safety of PRO officials must never be compromised and an investigation into this matter is being conducted.”

Miazga will serve a suspension in FC Cincinnati’s next playoff match in the conference semifinals after he was booked three times in the two recent playoff matches against the New York Red Bulls. It’s unclear what further discipline Miazga could face at the moment, but the U.S. Soccer Federation policy states that if a player is found to have engaged in referee abuse, the penalty at minimum will be a three-game suspension.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The UEFA Champions League group stage rolled on and there were notable results across Europe. Manchester City booked its spot in the knockout stage, with Erling Haaland scoring twice to help beat Young Boys 3-0. AC Milan came back from a goal down to beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1, however USMNT star Christian Pulisic was subbed off late in the second half due to an injury as he attempted to run down a loose ball and grabbed his right leg before going down to the ground. FC Barcelona lost 1-0 on the road to Shakhtar Donetsk. Elsewhere in the tournament, Borussia Dortmund beat Newcastle 2-0 to shake things up in Group F, RB Leipzig clinched a spot in the next round after winning over Red Star Belgrade, and Lazio got its campaign back on track with a victory against Feyenoord. Atletico Madrid and Porto also came up with solid wins. Today’s notable matches will see Manchester United take on FC Copenhagen, Arsenal host Sevilla, and PSV Eindhoven face Lens.

Free Kicks

• Former Lions Albert Dikwa and Conor Donovan made the 2023 USL Championship All-League first team, while Cam Lindley made thesecond team.
• Speaking of former Lions, Daryl Dike (along with a few of his teammates) is back in training with EFL Championship side West Brom as he works on returning to the pitch.

• Juan Carlos Amoros was named NWSL Coach of the Year, as he helped turn things around for NJ/NY Gotham FC this season. His side will take on OL Reign this Saturday in the NWSL Championship.
• The U-23 United States National Team will have its training camp in Spain as it prepares for next summer’s Olympics with upcoming friendlies against Iraq and Morocco during the international window later this month.
• The United Soccer League and CBS Sports have announced a multi-year TV deal agreement. The deal will include 100 USL matches annually for the USL Championship and USL League One through the 2027 season.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Wednesday and I’ll see you next time.