Lion Links: 6/3/24

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at Under Armour all weekend and will work two Chicago Cubs games at Wrigley Field later this week. It was a tough weekend for our teams as Orlando City and OCB lost their matches while the Pride were off. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Beaten By New York Red Bulls

Unfortunately, Orlando City lost 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Red Bull Arena. John Tolkin scored the lone goal in the match for the Red Bulls. New York has won two consecutive matches and is in fourth in the Eastern Conference with 29 points. The Lions are on a three-match winless streak and dropped to 11th in the Eastern Conference with 17 points. Orlando will be off due to the international break but will return to action on Saturday, June 15, at Inter&Co Stadium to take on LAFC.

OCB Falls 3-1 at Inter Miami CF II Despite Manpower Advantage

Orlando City B lost 3-1 to Inter Miami CF II at Chase Stadium on Sunday and the big story was that the Young Lions were up a man throughout the second half. In fact, a second Heron was sent off late, so the hosts finished with just nine men. Despite that, the Young Lions couldn’t capitalize. OCB dropped to ninth in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference table with 16 points, while Inter Miami CF II moved to fifth with 17 points. The Young Lions will look to bounce back in their next match at home on Friday against Carolina Core FC at Osceola County Stadium.

USWNT Gets First Win Under New Head Coach Emma Hayes

The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated South Korea 4-0 Saturday in the head coaching debut for Emma Hayes at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mallory Swanson and Tierna Davidson each scored twice in the international friendly. Hayes praised the performances of Sophia Smith and Catarina Macario after the match. The result gives the USWNT a 12-0-4 record against South Korea, and the two sides will meet again on Tuesday in a friendly at Allianz Field in St. Paul, MN. It will be the final match before Hayes announces the 18-player Olympic roster. The USWNT will have two more friendlies — against Mexico on July 13 and vs. Costa Rica on July 16 — before leaving for Paris for the Summer Olympics.

Real Madrid Wins the UEFA Champions League

Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Saturday to win a record 15th UEFA Champions League title at Wembley Stadium. Dortmund dominated the first half but was unable to capitalize on its chances. Real Madrid played better in the second half, and Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior scored to provide the margin of victory. It was Real Madrid’s sixth UEFA Champions League title in 11 seasons and the team’s 10th straight win in a European final. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti added a fifth Champions League trophy to his stellar coaching accomplishments.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City forward Facundo Torres has been called up to the Uruguay Men’s National Team for its upcoming friendly match against Mexico on June 5 in preparation for the Copa America later this month.

• The Orlando Pride versus the Kansas City Current match scheduled for Sept. 13 at Inter&Co Stadium will be flexed to Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service. The match will also have a new kickoff time set for 8 p.m.
• Pachuca shut out the Columbus Crew 3-0 on Saturday to win the Concacaf Champions Cup.

• The LA Galaxy are reportedly in advance negotiations to sign former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus and have reached an agreement with Charlotte FC for his discovery rights.
• Former AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho has been named the new manager of Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce.

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