Lion Links: 8/30/24

Happy Friday! The end of the week is here and I couldn’t be happier after a week of hustle and bustle. I’m working throughout most of the weekend as well, but it should still be a nice next few days enjoying soccer when I can. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando Pride forward Julie Doyle!

Orlando City Will Host Nashville SC Tomorrow

After a 3-0 loss on the road to Sporting Kansas City, the Lions will aim to bounce back when they host Nashville SC on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The last time these two teams squared off was in Nashville on July 17, with the Lions winning 3-0. Nashville has not won since June and is coming off of a 2-0 loss at home to Austin FC. Orlando Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on how the Lions won’t underestimate Nashville and are focused on playing their best at home.

Orlando Pride Waive Alex Kerr

Rookie forward Alex Kerr has been waived by the Pride, opening up the door for her to get minutes with another team. The Pride drafted Kerr with the 50th overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft and she signed a one-year contract with the club in March. She impressed during the team’s NWSL Summer Cup campaign, scoring her first professional goal against Monterrey on July 27. The Pride still have plenty of firepower, but they lose out on some depth up top for the rest of the season. We wish Kerr the best of luck in the next step of her career!

Publix Becomes Orlando Pride Jersey Sponsor

Publix increased its support of the Orlando Pride and will be the team’s first back-of-jersey sponsor. The grocery chain has been a sponsor of the Pride since their inaugural season back in 2016 and now joins Orlando Health and Heart of Florida United Way as a jersey sponsor. The Pride and Publix have also announced a campaign to rally the community heading into the final stretch of the Pride’s season. Fans will be able to see Publix’s name on the back of the Pride’s jersey’s during this Sunday’s home game against NJ/NY Gotham FC.

U-20 Women’s World Cup Kicks Off This Weekend

The 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup starts tomorrow in Colombia and it’s the first edition of the tournament that features 24 teams. The Pride have two players in the tournament, with Ally Lemos with the U.S. and Amanda Allen with Canada. There are six groups of four, with the U.S. drawn in Group C with Spain, Morocco, and Paraguay. The U.S. will start its campaign against Spain on Sunday at 4 p.m. Lemos is one of eight professional players on the U.S. roster, so it will be interesting to see how well the U.S. stacks up against the rest of the world.

Free Kicks

• Nashville SC midfielder Patrick Yazbek was handed a two-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-discrimination policy. As a result, he’ll miss the match against Orlando and Nashville’s game on Sept. 14 against Atlanta United.
• Alana Cook, who joined the Kansas City Current in a trade last month, has signed a three-year contract with the club.
• American midfielder Pedro Soma, who was born in Florida, has signed with Barcelona. The 18-year-old will initially join the club’s U-19 team, but could get some playing time with Barca Atletic in Spain’s third division as well.
• The draw for the UEFA Champions League is complete and here’s a helpful guide on how this new format works, as it’s a departure from the simpler group format. While I think I prefer having groups, this new format does include some interesting matchups between the top clubs in Europe.
• Andrea Pirlo was fired as Sampdoria’s manager after the club failed to win in its first three games of the Serie B season. He led Sampdoria to a seventh-place finish in his first season at the helm last year, although the club failed to earn promotion to Serie A through the playoff.
• The Paralympics are underway and former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was in attendance to watch Wojtek Czyz compete in badminton. The two became friends during Czyz’s rehabilitation after a collision with a goalkeeper resulted in the amputation of his lower left leg.

That’s all I have for you today. Make sure to stay hydrated if you plan on being out and about this weekend. Have a great rest of your weekend!