Lion Links: 8/27/24

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope you had more enjoyable weekends than I did, as I currently find myself in a walking boot with a grapefruit-sized ankle after a series of unfortunate events on the basketball court on Saturday morning. Regardless, life goes on one way or another, and that means we have a lot to talk over this morning. Let’s wish Shak Mohammed a happy birthday, and jump into today’s links!

Major League Soccer Stock Watch

The end of the MLS season is drawing closer and closer, and it’s a good time to check in on which way teams are trending. The LA Galaxy have won three straight league games and are heading in the right direction. The Seattle Sounders are up to fifth in the Western Conference, having lost just once in the team’s last nine league games. FC Dallas is riding a four-game unbeaten streak and its improved play may be enough to get the team over the line and into the postseason. The same can’t be said for Nashville SC, however, as the team has lost seven straight league games and hasn’t looked much like the side that performed so well during its first few years in the league.

The Good and Bad of Leagues Cup

The 2024 edition of Leagues Cup is in the books, and it’s fair to say that this year’s tournament had its ups and downs. There were some good things, like the excellent atmosphere at the final between the Columbus Crew and LAFC at Lower.com Field, and the fact that average attendance was up by 1% from last year. There were some spots that weren’t so bright however, with a high number of midweek matches and short turnarounds exacerbating attendance issues in a number of games, including knockout fixtures. Then there were the widespread fan protests and boycotts over the deprioritizing of the U.S. Open Cup. Combine everything and it was far from a perfect tournament, and there are surely things that can be done to improve it going forward.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans set to play this week, so make sure you have everything marked down on your calendars. Americans will face off later today when Josh Sargent and Norwich City play against Chris Richards and Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis trying to secure a spot in the Europa Conference League when the club hosts Ukrainian club Kryvbas with a 2-0 aggregate lead. The week then finishes up with Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, and Venezia hosting Torino in Serie A play on Friday.

European Transfer Roundup

With the end of the European transfer window upon us, we have a number of things to catch up on and monitor. We’ll start in the realm of rumor, where Liverpool is reportedly weighing a surprise move for Juventus forward Federico Chiesa, who had reportedly been close to a move to Barcelona earlier in the month. Speaking of Juventus, the Italian side may face competition from Chelsea when it comes to signing Jadon Sancho. Staying in the English Premier League, Joao Cancelo is reportedly closing in on a move to Al Hilal from Manchester City. Moving to the realm of fact, Rayo Vallecano has officially announced the signing of James Rodriguez following his outstanding showing at the Copa America. Finally, Victor Osimhen’s agent has publicly stated that the striker has no intention of joining Al-Ahli, despite Napoli negotiating with the Saudi Arabian club.

Free Kicks

• It should be little surprise, but the Orlando Pride have retained the top spot in ESPN‘s NWSL power rankings.
• Orlando City, however, dropped two spots to 16th in ESPN‘s MLS power rankings.
• Ethan Horvath is facing pressure at Cardiff City, as the team is at the bottom of the Championship after three games and has conceded a league-worst eight goals.
• The Philadelphia Union have officially transferred midfielder Jose Martinez to Corinthians.
• The NWSL released its list of players who will be free agents as of Sept. 1, with those players allowed to begin contract negotiations for the 2025 season at that time.
• A long-term injury to Andreas Christensen will allow Barcelona to register Dani Olmo for La Liga, after the new signing had missed the team’s first two games.

That’s all I have for this morning. Vamos Orlando!