Lion Links: 8/1/24

Welcome to August! July is over and done with, and it was a fairly good month for me. I took a rare vacation and caught up on my reading goals for this year. I still own more books that I haven’t finished than ones that I have, so there’s still some work to be done in August in that regard. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Orlando Pride Take on Racing Louisville Tonight

The Orlando Pride will play their final group game of the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup tonight when they host Racing Louisville. Although the Pride are still hunting for their first win of this tournament, their 18-game unbeaten streak across all competitions this year remains intact after draws against the North Carolina Courage and CF Monterrey. It’s the third meeting between the Pride and Louisville this year, with the two teams drawing 2-2 on March 16 and the Pride winning 1-0 at home on May 5. The Pride are without some of their best players due to the Olympics, but this tournament has been a good chance for other players on the roster to get minutes. Midfielder Evelina Duljan spoke on the team’s mindset and preparation heading into tonight’s match.

The Pride won’t be able to advance to the next round after the Courage beat Monterrey on Wednesday. Keeping the unbeaten run intact and ending the tournament with a win still makes this match more than a formality for the Pride.

Getting to Know Kylie Strom

Pride defender Kylie Strom was the latest player to field questions as part of the club’s video series for fans to learn more about the players. She spoke on her time playing abroad with Sparta Prague and Atletico Madrid before returning to the NWSL to play in Orlando. While she’s a gritty defender on the field, Strom enjoys game shows, reading, and sudoku off it. Strom also discussed what she likes about Orlando, her favorite part of soccer, and how Jurgen Klopp is the celebrity she wants to have dinner with the most.

USWNT Beats Australia to Win Group

The United States Women’s National Team won its third straight game, pickign up a 2-1 victory against Australia to finish group play at the Olympics. Trinity Rodman and Korbin Albert provided the goals for the U.S. and the defense held on despite a goal in stoppage time from former Orlando Pride player Alanna Kennedy. Pride defender Emily Sams was an unused substitute, as she was added to the bench after the injury to Tierna Davidson. This win put a cap on an impressive group stage from the USWNT, as it scored nine goals while only conceding twice to win Group B. The USWNT will take on Japan in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 9 a.m.

Olympic Soccer Group Stage Wraps Up

Elsewhere in the tournament, Brazil fell 2-0 to Spain but managed to advance in spite of the loss. The Orlando Pride’s Marta and Adriana both started in the match, although Marta was sent off for a high kick in the first half in what could be her last Olympic game. While the result wasn’t ideal for Brazil, only conceding twice played a crucial role in advancing as a third-place finisher due to a better goal differential than Australia. However, Marta will miss the team’s quarterfinal against France due to the red card. Pride forward Barbra Banda scored her fourth goal of the tournament in Zambia’s 4-1 loss to Germany. Zambia was eliminated, but it was still another solid trip to the Olympics for Banda.

Canada won 1-0 against Colombia to book its spot in the quarterfinals despite the six-point deduction it was handed for spying. Colombia still moved on as a third-place finisher, while France and Japan claimed second place in their groups. As for other quarterfinal matchups, Spain will take on Colombia and Germany will face Canada.

Free Kicks

• The Columbus Crew traded defender Will Sands and $600,000 in General Allocation Money to the New England Revolution in exchange for defender DeJuan Jones. Both teams retain a sell-on percentage for the player they traded as well.
• Canada’s appeal of the point deduction was denied. A document regarding the sanctions against Canada’s coaches also included emails providing more details on the spying, with Bev Priestman stating there is “a whole operation on the men’s side” regarding it.
• PSV Eindhoven duo Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi could see some action this weekend against Feyenoord in the Dutch Super Cup. Fellow American Cameron Carter-Vickers and Celtic return this weekend as well, with the Scottish Premiership kicking off on Saturday.
• Steve McClaren has left Manchester United’s coaching staff to become the head coach of Jamaica’s men’s soccer team.

That’s all I have for you today. Make sure to stay hydrated out there if you plan on being out and about!