Lion Links: 11/21/23

Good morning, Mane Landers. We’re another day closer to Orlando City’s Eastern Conference semifinal match against the Columbus Crew, and if there wasn’t so much to do for Thanksgiving, I might be going a bit crazy. Whatever your plans for Thursday, I know you’ll be doing the same as me come Saturday night. Let’s get to the links.

The Wall is Sold Out

Orlando City announced that the Wall section of Exploria Stadium has sold out for this Saturday’s match. I hope that everyone doesn’t take it to mean that the entire stadium is sold out, as that isn’t the case as of this writing. Obviously, the Lions need for the supporters to show out for this important match. If you are able to make it, you might not be able to man the Wall, but you can still make your presence known.

Pride Players’ Contract Status Released

The Orlando Pride released the roster statuses of all their players. As the off-season gets underway, the Pride have 22 players under contract, including big names like Marta, Adriana, and Messiah Bright. The Pride already have complete NWSL Expansion Draft protection thanks to previous trades, and are in talks with various players and free agents. Caitlin Cosme and McKinley Crone are out of contract, and the club didn’t exercise the option on Thais Reiss. The Pride thanked the trio for their contributions.

USMNT Falls to Trinidad & Tobago But Still Advances

The USMNT started the second leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Trinidad & Tobago with a 3-0 lead on aggregate. The mood heading into the match was one of confidence despite the dark history of the 2017 match where the U.S. lost 2-1 and failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Antonee Robinson put the U.S. up in the 25th minute thanks to a nice header, but history partially repeated itself as the U.S. lost 2-1. Defender Sergino Dest was sent off after earning two yellows in about 30 seconds in the first half, making things difficult for the Americans.

Fortunately, the aggregate score was 4-2, meaning the USMNT advanced to the Nations League semifinal and qualified for next year’s Copa America.

USWNT December Camp Roster Revealed

USWNT interim head coach Twila Kilgore has named the 26-player roster for the team’s December friendlies. The U.S. is playing China twice in December, first in Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 2 and then again in Frisco on Dec. 5. Former Pride player Alex Morgan was left off the roster to allow the younger generation to get more time on the pitch. The thought process behind the roster is part of the overall strategy that included input from new head coach Emma Hayes.

Free Kicks

• The Utah Royals continued to make trades ahead of the NWSL Expansion Draft adding Emily Gray and Francesca Tagliaferri from the North Carolina Courage.
• Remember the whole Qatar World Cup, and the abuse of migrant workers in the lead up to the event? It seems that both Qatar and FIFA still haven’t addressed what happened.
• It came down to a 1-1 draw with Ukraine, but defending Euro champs Italy qualified for Euro 2024.
• If you know about Sorare cards, you have the opportunity to win the Pedro Gallese player edition card from El Pulpo himself.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the semifinal match this weekend. Vamos Orlando!