Lion Links: 4/30/15

Hump day has come and gone, and now the ball is rolling downhill towards the weekend. Thursday's Lion Links are hot and fresh out of the kitchen.

Donovan Ricketts Nominated for MLS Save of the Week

Sunday night’s match against Toronto was not a pleasant experience overall, and the lows have already been covered extensively so I won’t dip back into them again here. There was at least one highlight from the evening for Orlando City, however, that was good enough to earn Donovan Ricketts a Save of the Week nomination from Major League Soccer.

In the early moments of the match, OCSC managed to clear a Toronto corner but it landed at the feet of TFC midfielder Jackson. The Brazilian didn't hesitate, unleashing a right-footed laser off the volley that was headed for the top corner of Ricketts' net. The veteran keeper was quick to react, though, leaping to his left and pushing the shot away from goal with a two-handed stop.

Vote the Iron Lion's save as the week's best here.

Montreal Can't Hold Onto Lead, Falls in CONCACAF Champions League Final

Montreal took a 1-0 lead into the half last night against Club América in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Final but couldn't hold on, eventually falling 4-2 (5-3 on aggregate) to the Liga MX side. Ignacio Piatti set up Andres Romero for the opening goal in the first half, but three goals in a span of just over 15 minutes in the second half by Club América was too much for the Impact to cope with.

Montreal was being touted by MLS for the last couple of weeks, as Montreal would have been the first MLS side to win the tournament. Montreal will now go back to being the last team in the league table, but the story was a good one while it lasted.

Toronto FC’s Perquis Fined Following Simulation vs. OCSC

In the 82nd minute of Sunday night's contest at the Citrus Bowl, just before Jozy Altidore put the nail in the proverbial coffin with his second goal of the evening, Toronto defender Damien Perquis put his Thespian talents to work in an attempt to get City forward Bryan Róchez in trouble with the referee.

After getting in the face of Róchez in an apparent attempt to instigate, Perquis grabbed his face and flopped to the ground after Róchez put a shoulder into his chest. The contact was nowhere near hard enough to warrant the reaction, and the MLS Disciplinary Committee thought the same and hit Perquis with an undisclosed fine. Perquis made the right choice in pursuing a soccer career over an acting career, it seems.

Phil Rawlins to Appear at Startup Grind Orlando

Orlando City Founder & President Phil Rawlins will make an appearance at Startup Grind Orlando on May 12. Tickets are on sale at the Startup Orlando site.

Rawlins has extensive experience in sports management and is heavily involved in the community here in Orlando. The event will take place downtown and provides a good opportunity for any entrepreneurs in Lion Nation to hear Rawlins speak firsthand.

Bayern Munich Loses Robben for Remainder of Season

Bayern Munich suffered a tough defeat to rivals Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday in the German Cup semifinal, falling to BVB in penalties. Not only did Bayern lose the game by going 0-for-4 on penalty kicks, but it lost one of its most important attacking players in Arjen Robben, who went off after suffering an apparent calf injury just 16 minutes into his substitute shift.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that Robben tore a calf muscle and will miss the remainder of the season. This is not problematic for Bayern domestically, where they have secured another Bundesliga title, but rather in UEFA Champions League play, where they await their upcoming tie against Barcelona in the tournament semifinal.

Bayern is stacked to the gills with talent, so the loss of Robben does not doom the German champs, but it is another blow to a side that is already without Franck Ribéry and David Alaba.