Lion Links
Lion Links: 3/18/24
Orlando City falls to Atlanta United, the Pride get a late result at Louisville, OCB wins tops Atlanta United 2, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers. I hope you all had an excellent St. Patrick’s Day weekend. It was a mixed one for our teams, as OCB won, the Pride fought back for a draw, and the Lions suffered another loss. This weekend, I was busy at work between Under Armour and covering high school lacrosse. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links, but first, join us in wishing a happy 32nd birthday to Orlando Pride fullback Kylie Strom.
Orlando City Falls to Rival Atlanta United
Orlando City lost 2-0 to Atlanta United on the road on Sunday and will have to wait for Saturday against Austin FC to get another chance at its first win of the MLS season. Saba Lobjanidze and Georgios Giakoumakis scored for the Five Stripes. Orlando City is now winless in five consecutive matches across all competitions. The Lions have also given up 10 goals in four league matches and are in the 14th place in the Eastern Conference with one point. Michael Citro has your match recap.
Orlando Pride Battle Back for 2-2 Draw at Racing Louisville
The Orlando Pride overcame a two-goal deficit to escape Lynn Family Stadium with a 2-2 draw against Racing Louisville in their season opener Saturday. The Pride also went down to 10 players when Strom was sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card. The Pride were down 2-1 late when Summer Yates scored her first career goal from a set piece to even the match. The Pride are winless in season openers, but earned their third opening day draw in NWSL play. Orlando also secured its first ever point in four road matches in Kentucky. The Pride return to action Friday in their home opener against Angel City FC.
OCB Opens Season with 3-2 Road Win Over Atlanta United 2
Orlando City B won its MLS NEXT Pro season opener on the road, beating Atlanta United 2. The Young Lions trailed 1-0 early in the first half but kicked on from there and won 3-2. Jhon Solis equalized with a penalty kick goal and Orlando City 2024 MLS SuperDraft pick Yutaro Tsukada scored on a great free kick to give the Young Lions a 2-1 advantage going into halftime. OCB struck quickly in the second half thruogh Colin Guske. Atlanta United 2 made things interesting with a late goal, but OCB held on. This is the third consecutive year the Young Lions have started a season with a win. OCB’s next match will again be on the road, as the Young Lions face Huntsville City FC on Friday.
Manchester United and Chelsea Win, Advance to FA Cup Semifinals
It was a seven-goal thriller at Old Trafford as Manchester United edged out Liverpool 4-3 after extra time in the FA Cup quarterfinals. The Red Devils were down 2-1 late in the second half before Antony scored the equalizer to tie the match 2-2. Liverpool took the lead in extra time, but Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo scored to put this match away for United. In another thrilling match at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea and Leicester City were tied 2-2. Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke scored for the Blues deep in stoppage time and secured a 4-2 victory. Manchester City will take on Chelsea, while Manchester United will face Coventry City in the FA Cup semifinals.
Free Kicks
- Christian Pulisic’s scoring streak continues as he added another goal to make it four consecutive matches with a strike for AC Milan. His goal helped Milan win 3-1 against Hellas Verona. Pulisic has scored 12 goals so far across all competitions for AC Milan.
- USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi came off the bench for PSV Eindhoven and scored the winning goal in stoppage time for a 1-0 victory against FC Twente.
- AC Milan forward Olivier Giroud has hinted at a possible moved to Major League Soccer this summer if he decides not to renew his contract at the end of the season.
- Due to injury, Josh Sargent and Luca de La Torre will miss the U.S. Men’s National Team’s upcoming Concacaf Nations League semifinal match against Jamaica. Brenden Aaronson and Haji Wright were added as their replacements to the USMNT roster.
- Bay FC won its first NWSL match as an expansion club, beating fellow California side Angel City 1-0.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.