Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/11/15
What a weekend.
Between Orlando City’s comeback draw on Friday, to the NBA playoffs (so many bank shots) to the new Avengers movie (it was awesome), there’s plenty to get excited about as we head into the week.
So let’s recap the weekend with your Monday morning Lion Links.
Looking back at Friday’s draw
It wasn’t the result Orlando City wanted, but it may have been exactly what they needed, as the Lions fought to a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution on Friday night. It was Orlando’s first point at home in over two months.
We’ve got the inside scoop on Friday’s proceedings with…
- A recap of the comeback
Player grades and a big night for Aurelien Collin
- A photo gallery capturing all the action through Austin Warren’s lens.
Five Takeaways from Michael Citro
The week ahead for Orlando City
The Lions are going to be busy this week, with their first midweek game of the season, on the road in DC, followed by a much-anticipated Sunday tilt against the LA Galaxy.
Wednesday’s match should test the depth of the squad, as they’ll face a D.C. United team that beat once them already this season. It should be interesting to see how Head Coach Adrian Heath manages the depth of the squad and controls minutes with another fixture just three days later.
Sunday’s clash with the Galaxy also looks to be the highest attended match in Orlando since the home opener, with a crowd of 30,000+ expected for a match-up against the defending MLS champions.
USWNT wins first “Send-off Series” match
The FIFA Women’s World Cup gets underway next month, and the USWNT began its final preparations with a 3-0 victory over Ireland on Sunday.
The “Mother’s Day” match-up saw most of the U.S. roster joined by their moms during a special pregame ceremony at Avaya Stadium in San Jose. A sellout crowd of 18,000 was on hand to witness the match.
Abby Wambach opened the scoring with her 179th international goal, and scored her 180th just minutes later.
In the second half, newcomer Julie Johnston displayed impressive form with a “Karate Kid” goal to secure the win for the United States. It was only her third international goal, but hopefully not her last of the summer.
The USWNT will face a tough group in Canada during World Cup play this summer, with Australia, Sweden and Nigeria standing between the U.S. women and the knockout round. But as long as this epic commercial still exists, I’m not too worried.
Taylor Twellman joins The Mane Land mafia
Taylor Twellman is a great announcer.
His reaction to John Brooks goal against Ghana this summer remains one of the most well placed middle fingers to objective broadcasting in World Cup history.
Yes! (*voice crack)
But when Twellman felt like picking on Orlando after Friday’s draw, we weren’t going to stand for it. This produced probably one of the most polite Twitter feuds ever.
De Rosario calls it a career
MLS is still one of the youngest domestic leagues in the game, so when a guy like Dwayne De Rosario retires, it’s a pretty notable moment. De Rosario, who wasn’t currently signed with a club, announced his retirement in an Instagram post on Sunday.
Playing a remarkable 14 years in MLS, De Rosario was a force to reckoned with internationally, ending his career as Canada’s all-time leading goal scorer. In addition, his final MLS tally of 104 goals places him sixth all time.
De Rosario ended his career with hometown club Toronto FC, and will join Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, who currently own Toronto FC, as an ambassador.
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That’s it for Lion Links today. Do great things this week.