Lion Links: 12/19/14

Today is going to be a crazy busy day. Well, at least for me it is. It’s my daughter’s sixth birthday. So there are birthday things to do and Christmas shopping to complete and, oh yeah, Orlando City SC Founder and President Phil Rawlins said yesterday that we were working toward a “Fantastic Friday” (complete with hashtag and everything).

The last time the club named a day something it was #MajorMonday and the Lions made deals for Amobi Okugo, Aurelien Collin and announced the well-known Tally Hall transfer. That’s a full day. If we’re going from #MajorMonday to #FantasticFriday, we’d better buckle up. There’s going to be news.

So, how about some links to take our mind off things while we wait for the announcements to roll in?

Orlando City's First Game

We don’t have the 2015 MLS schedule yet, but there are very loud rumblings that the first game in the club’s MLS era will come at home in the Citrus Bowl against fellow expansion team New York City FC. It was all over Twitter yesterday. We hope it’s true and that it is announced in an official capacity very soon.

Lions Lock Up an Official Pizza Partner

The club has signed a multi-year partnership with Papa John's to make the chain the exclusive pizza partner for the team and its downtown soccer stadium, set to open in 2016. Through this partnership, Orlando City fans will receive 50% off their order the day after a Lions victory. In addition, a lucky Orlando City Youth Soccer (OCYS) team will have the opportunity to win a Papa John's pizza party and a private practice session with two Orlando City players each year of the agreement.

I hope you all like pizza. We're going to be celebrating a lot of wins with half off our Papa John's.

New York City FC Lands Velasquez

NYCFC Coach Jason Kreis continues to move Real Salt Lake to the Hudson River. On Thursday, Kreis acquired Colombian midfielder Sebastian Velasquez in exchange for allocation money.

Wesley Sneijder to MLS?

Speaking of NYCFC, both mini-Manchester City and the LA Galaxy fans are wondering if Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder might be a future Designated Player on their club. Or will Louis van Gaal bring him to Manchester United? This one will be fun to watch.

Sporting KC Signing Spree

Chilean goalkeeper Luis Marin Barahona and Hungarian forward Krisztian Nemeth are brand new members of Sporting KC-both were confirmed by the club yesterday. Speaking of players signing with SKC, old friend Dom Dwyer also inked a contract extension with the club.

Timbers 2 Have a Coach

The Portland Timbers announced the first head coach for their creatively named USL Pro affiliate, Timbers 2. Jay Vidovich, a 20-year head coach of Wake Forest University, will be the first coach in Timbers 2 history. Vidovich has developed such players as Michael Parkhurst, Brian Carroll and Sam Cronin.

That's enough for today. If you've seen something interesting you'd like us to read about, add your links to the comments section below. Now I'm off to put six candles on a birthday cake.