Lion Links: 7/3/15

Good Friday morning, Lions. Hopefully you've all got today off before tomorrow's Independence Day holiday, but if you don't: God Speed.

We're one day away from our first ever MLS meeting with Real Salt Lake, so prepare for the July 4th festivities and the RSL demolition at the same time with today's Lion Links.

Eastern Florida State College an Option for new Orlando USL Affiliate

Orlando City announced this week that it would be ending its USL affiliation with Louisville City FC (as was reported first right here at The Mane Land), and now the club is in search of a location for its new USL team here in Central Florida. One option has emerged in the form of Eastern Florida State College in Brevard County.

"We are going through the process of exploring different venues throughout Central Florida. Anything within a 60 to 90 minute drive could be an option for us," Orlando City vice president of development Tim Holt said during halftime of Tuesday night's game. "I think the most important thing is finding an appropriate venue for this team to play. We want something that's intimate for fans. It needs to be big enough to meet the league standards, so you're looking at a 5,000 to 10,000-seat stadium."

The EFSC complex currently seats 1,500 people, so it would take some renovating to reach to 5,000-seat minimum requirement, but Brevard County — which hosted a USL team from 1993 until 2007 — would be excited about the prospect of hosting an OCSC affiliate.

Chicharito In Recovery Following Shoulder Surgery

Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernández — a reported target of Orlando City — underwent successful surgery on Thursday to repair a broken collar bone suffered on Wednesday night in a 0-0 draw against Honduras in Houston, Texas.

It has been confirmed, predictably, that Hernández will miss this month's CONCACAF Gold Cup due to the injury, and the forward's future at Manchester United remains uncertain following a one-year loan spell at Real Madrid.

Kaká Concerned for Future of Brazil's Joga Bonito

Orlando City midfielder Kaká won the 2002 World Cup as part of Brazil's national team, and the now 33-year-old play-maker is concerned for the long-term well being of Brazil's beautiful game ("Joga Bonito") following the South American power's early exit from the Copa América in recent weeks that came after the emphatic loss to Germany that ended the dream for the Seleção at the 2014 World Cup.

In this CNN feature, Kaká discusses his concern for the future of Brazil's national team, emphasizing the need to look beyond the immediate future and touching on the troubles of the domestic league.

"There's no organization, nobody dealing with the future," added [Kaká], who is now playing in Major League Soccer with Orlando City. "They're only thinking about the immediate future or the next month."

Be sure to give the full article a read.

Minnesota United Misses MLS Stadium Deadline

Minnesota and Miami are worlds apart geographically, but Minnesota United FC seems similar to Miami in that it has run into a speed bump regarding a stadium for its MLS expansion franchise. The MLS stadium deadline for Minnesota came and went on Wednesday, and United FC was late.

This doesn't mean that the MLS to Minnesota is dead by any means, but it represents another obstacle for the league after Miami and NYCFC have been the latest teams to struggle in the quest for soccer specific stadiums. United FC remains dedicated to bringing MLS to Minnesota and MLS deputy commissioner Mark Abbott went on the radio to reassure. Details can be found on the page linked above.

More FIFA Drama…

The U.S. has submitted a request to Switzerland to extradite more officials arrested on May 27 in the now infamous FIFA raids. The FBI revealed after the arrests that it was investigating corruption and racketeering involving more than $150 million and FIFA officials from a period ranging longer than 24 years.

Hopefully justice will be served to all those involved, except Sepp Blatter, who, of course, maintains his innocence.

Have a great day, Orlando!