Lion Links: 3/5/24

Good morning, and happy matchday to you all. Needless to say, this weekend didn’t exactly go the way that Orlando City fans were hoping. The sun continues to shine though, and the Lions have a chance to get back to their winning ways tonight and get a measure of vengeance while they’re at it. There’s plenty to get to this morning, so let’s jump into the links!

Lions Face Off Against Tigres Tonight

Orlando City has a big matchup at 9 p.m. tonight in the Concacaf Champions Cup. The Lions’ beat Cavalry FC in the first round to set up a grudge match against Tigres UANL, the team that knocked OCSC out of the competition last year due to the away goals tiebreaker. Orlando dispatched Cavalry easily enough in the previous round with a 6-1 aggregate victory, while Tigres looked pretty comfortable while dispatching the Vancouver Whitecaps through a 4-1 aggregate score. After a pair of draws against Tigres in last year’s Concacaf Champions League, the Lions will aim for a win tonight at home before playing in Mexico on March 12.

Americans in Midweek Action

As usual there are a number of United States Men’s National Team players in action this week, and the good folks over at Stars and Stripes FC made sure you’ve got all the action marked down on your calendar. There’s a big showdown in CCC play tomorrow as Cade Cowell and Chivas face off against Club America and Alejandro Zendejas in an all-Liga MX match. Thursday sees Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan host Slavia Prague in the Europa League’s Round of 16, while the free-scoring Brandon Vazquez and Rayados travel to play FC Cincinnati in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Changes to Champions League Format

Changes are coming to the UEFA Champions League for the 2024-25 season. Group play will be no more, with the competition expanding from 32 teams to 36, and league play replacing the group stage format. Teams will be drawn against eight different opponents and will play four games both at home and on the road. Finishing in the top eight of the table will qualify a team directly for the round of 16, teams sitting ninth to 24th will play in a knockout competition to determine the other eight participants in the next round, and teams finishing 25th to 36th will be eliminated.

European Title Race Updates

Monday afternoon saw a pair of matches take place that each played a part in the title races of their respective leagues. In England, Arsenal hammered Sheffield United to the tune of 6-0, racing out to a five goal lead inside the first 40 minutes and putting things into cruise control after that. The result means the Gunners have 61 points and stay right on the heels of Liverpool with 63, and Manchester City with 62. In Serie A, two first half goals were enough for Inter Milan to ease past Genoa by a score of 2-1, which means Inter is now 15 points clear of second-place Juventus at the top of the table.

Free Kicks

• Sam Kerr has pleaded not guilty to racially aggravated harassment of a police officer.
• The MLS All-Star Game has been set for July 24 at Columbus Crew’s Lower.com Field.
• Paris Saint-Germain has begun to prepare for life without Kylian Mbappe.
• Sheffield United fans were not shy about beating the traffic home when they found themselves in an early hole against Arsenal.

That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!