Lion Links: 6/30/26

Good morning, everyone. The World Cup knockout stages have provided a ton of entertainment so far, and that shouldn’t stop anytime soon. Alex Freeman and the USMNT return to action Wednesday, and today’s slate includes Norway vs. Ivory Coast and France vs. Sweden. We’ve got plenty to talk through today, so let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City midfielder Joran Gerbet and get into the links!

Scouting Bosnia and Herzegovina

The USMNT will begin its knockout round campaign Wednesday when it faces Bosnia and Herzegovina. Expect the opposition to come out in a 4-4-2 highlighted by 40-year-old Edin Dzeko as one of the strikers, and Wisconsin-born Esmir Bajraktarevic starting at right midfield. Sergej Barbarez’s side wants to stay compact and organized, soaking up pressure before hitting on the break with the speed of the wide players. They also present a threat from set pieces and play a very physical style, but can sometimes get sucked into the physical side of the game a little too much. The USMNT will need to zip the ball around quickly in order to break down the defense, while being alert to balls over the top to the Dragons’ dangerous attackers.

World Cup Results Roundup

The World Cup knockout stages continued Monday with a trio of games in the Round of 32. In the first game of the day, Japan looked set to spring a surprise on Brazil after taking a first-half lead but got sucked into playing too defensively, and the Selecao used a 56th-minute equalizer from Casemiro and a 95th-minute Gabriel Martinelli goal to win 2-1 and book their ticket to the next round. The second game of the day saw Braian Ojeda and Paraguay knock off Germany in a dramatic penalty shootout. Paraguay took a 1-0 lead through Julio Enciso just before halftime, but Kai Havertz leveled things up in the 54th minute. The Germans thought they had the game won through a Jonathan Tah header in the 102nd minute, but it was ruled out for a foul and the center back ultimately missed the crucial spot kick once the shootout was in sudden death. The final game of the day, between Morocco and the Netherlands, concluded late.

Enzo Maresca Joins Manchester City

Manchester City has officially named Enzo Maresca as the team’s new head coach, but the appointment doesn’t come without controversy. The Italian coach was employed by Chelsea until Jan. 1 of this year, and the Blues claim that he will personally pay their club compensation in order to take the job at Man City. Not only that, but Chelsea also says that the club received compensation from City, with the London side releasing a frostily worded statement expressing both disappointment over the situation and excitement around new head coach Xabi Alonso. For his part, Maresca released a statement on Instagram in which he apologized for the “disruption” caused by the manner of his departure from Chelsea while also emphasizing his excitement to be joining City.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Despite the World Cup being in full swing, transfer rumors are continuing to fly thick and fast. We start with Barcelona, which reportedly made a formal inquiry to Harry Kane’s representatives about his availability, but the striker is fully focused on the World Cup and is not currently open to discussing his future. Speaking of Barcelona, Marc-Andre ter Stegen is said to be in advanced talks to go out on loan from the Catalan club and join Ajax. Moving to France, Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly close to signing Yan Diomande from Red Bull Leipzig for a fee in the area of $114 million. In a domino effect from that move,Liverpool is now exploring the signing of PSG winger Bradley Barcola, who may find himself short on playing time if Diomande arrives in the French capital.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City’s newest face settled in during Monday morning’s training session.

• The Chicago Fire have officially signed Robert Lewandowski.
• New York City FC has signed forward Benie Traore from FC Basel as a Designated Player.
• Gotham FC has officially signed forward Sam Kerr.

• In addition to the Crew finalizing a deal to transfer Diego Rossi (as discussed in Monday’s Lion Links), Columbus is reportedly closing in on a loan move for Lautaro Giaccone.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!