Lion Links: 2/4/15

With 30 days remaining until the official start of the MLS season, the Mane Land has all the links to all the soccer information that you need to know this Wednesday.

Bedoya stays away

After the recent wave of USNMT players returning home to play in MLS, one player who will not be returning home is Alejandro Bedoya. The 27-year-old attacking midfielder has decided to extend his time at FC Nantes, a club playing in the French Ligue 1, until 2019. This extension comes on the back of interest from other European clubs for Bedoya. Time will tell if the extension is good for him, however I am glad to see that some of the men's team are still willing to ply their trade away from home.

The US has their man…

Whatever you think of Joseph "Sepp" Blatter and his role at FIFA, the world's footballing governing body, he once again faces re-election for the FIFA presidency. However unlike in 2011, when people were upset with his presidency, this time he will not be running unopposed. FIFA confirmed on Monday that there will be four candidates, including Blatter, up for election. HRH Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Luis Figo and Michael van Praag are all running this time to succeed Blatter, with the U.S. Soccer Federation backing HRH Prince All Bin Al Hussein to succeed.

Wixted: One for the future

A player some may recognize from our Mane Land academy articles, Aidan Wixted, is likely to sign for North Carolina State on National Signing Day, but he already has one eye on the future. After spending time with the Chicago Magic Academy residency, and the U.S development academy, he has most recently been spending time with Orlando City and he is hoping that Orlando will give him a chance in the future.

"A dream of mine would be to play for Orlando City. I think it would be an awesome experience. That's really the goal. Nothing is really guaranteed but hopefully one day if I just keep working hard maybe I'll get called up and move forward with them." Wixted said.

So stay tuned to find out more. It's great to see that our youth program is already getting national recognition, despite us not yet having kicked a ball in MLS.

Giovinco a Go-Go

Finally, the Sebastian Giovinco saga seems to be over. He has officially left Juventus, and is expected to join Toronto FC before the start of the season. The early arrival of Giovinco, along with the recent signings of Jozy Altidore, Benoit Cheyrou, Damien Perquis and Eriq Zavaleta will probably put Toronto FC in the early running for the Eastern Conference championship. So mark your calendar for April 26, when Bradley, Altidore and Co. come to town.

Remember, Kaka and Orlando City will be playing FC Dallas this afternoon down at ChampionsGate, so check back with The Mane Land later to find out how they do and our thoughts on Kaka’s first run out in an Orlando City shirt.