Lion Links: 3/24/15

It's Tuesday, and that means we're one day closer to taking revenge on our dastardly neighbors to the North. The Lions roll into Montreal on Saturday and Adrian Heath's men will have vengeance on their minds once they cross the border.

Even though we're also loaning one of our best young players to their national squad. And we're not even playing the same team.

I just have so many unresolved feelings about Canada right now. So let's get to your Lion Links!

National soccer talent search comes to Orlando

Orlando has been named a host of Sueño MLS 2015, a nationally televised search for the best undiscovered soccer talent in the country.

The contest is being held for the ninth time in 2015, and has produced such notable players as Jorge Villafaña of the Portland Timbers and Gabriel Funes Mori of Turkish club Eskişehirspor, currently on loan from Benfica. Orlando will be joined by Los Angeles and Chicago as hosts of the event.

Open to players ages 14-18, the contest will take place in Orlando between May 2-3. In each city, contestants will battle for a shot to advance to the finals in Carson, CA, which will include a week-long trial and chance to work with soccer legends and celebrity scouts. The ultimate goal is for players to catch the attention of professional clubs.

Collin named to MLS Team of the Week

Orlando City center back Aurélien Collin was named to the MSL Team of the Week as a bench player, after his performance in the 1-0 loss to Vancouver.

While Collin wasn't able to keep the Whitecaps' offense contained for the whole night, he rebounded nicely from his red card suspension and played a clean game in the loss. This is the third week in a row that an Orlando City player has secured a place on the MLS Team of the Week. Kaká made the bench in Week 1, while Rafael Ramos and Darwin Cerén earned the nod in Week 2, with Ramos achieving a spot in the starting XI.

U.S. Open Cup Preview

America's answer to the FA Cup doesn't kick off until next month, but this fan-generated map offers a fascinating look at the growth of soccer across the country.

While New York City and Los Angeles remain the game's biggest hotbeds in the United States, Florida has perhaps the most impressive distribution of any one state, boasting seven clubs in seven different cities. The Lions' rivalry with their fellow Sunshine State teams is well documented (just check out the tifo from the NYCFC game) but if this map is any indication, those rivalries should only intensify in the future. Just imagine if Beckham gets involved.

NASL secures ESPN3 TV Deal

The second tier of soccer in America secured a big victory on Monday, as all NASL games will now be available to be streamed online through ESPN3.

While the New York Cosmos and Fort Lauderdale Strikers already had local broadcasting deals for their games, the new deal will allow all NASL games to be available across the country. Coupled with the USL's expansion as part of its partnership with MLS, this marks a tremendous year of growth for the American soccer pyramid.

Rivero up for Goal of the Week

Do not vote for him.

That's it for Lion Links today. Octavio Rivero can't hurt us anymore.