Lion Links: 8/4/15

As if Monday wasn’t fun enough, Tuesday is already here, Mane Landers. But fear not, your Orlando City Lions play again tomorrow against Toronto in T-Dot, and we have everything you need to know about your Lions and the league heading into today.

Cyle Larin (Once Again) Makes MLS Team of the Week

After making the MLS Team of the Week in Week 21, Cyle Larin was not going to be outdone by himself, so after another stellar two-goal performance in this weekend's 5-2 drubbing of the Columbus Crew, Larin once again finds himself leading the lineup up front for the MLS Team of the Week.

When you couple this with his two goals helping him tie the MLS single-season rookie scoring record, a mantle he currently shares with another UConn product, Damani Ralph, expect that this won't be the last time that you see Larin getting a TOTW nomination this season.

Another player that also got recognition this week was left back Corey Ashe, who got a nod for the substitutes’ bench. After only playing three games with the club, Ashe has already looked like an excellent acquisition and he has really developed a great partnership with Luke Boden and left the club with numerous options on the left side.

Bonus: Larin joined the MLS ExtraTime Radio podcast on Monday, and you can take a listen here.

Take That, New York

Despite having the better record, attendance and fan base out of the two expansion teams, we are still second in the eyes of Don Garber. However, more evidence appears every day highlighting the awesomeness that is Orlando City and its home base, Orlando itself. Wallethub.com analyzed 172 soccer cities around the US, and ranked Orlando as having the most friendly and engaged MLS fan base (NYC ranked 12 for NYRB & NYCFC) and having the most accessible stadium in MLS.

To help prove how amazing we are to everyone and to celebrate the recognition, the club wants supporters to use the hash tag #citypride to help promote all the great work and excellent support that Orlando City has, here and abroad.

Supporters, Stand Up and be Counted

After announcing a 25,500-seat stadium last Friday, Orlando City is currently attracting a median attendance of 30,990, which is good enough for second overall in the league. Whilst that isn't news to some, what may be is that we have now passed 400,000 total tickets for Orlando City home games in MLS this season. That is quite the number for a first-year franchise.

With only the Seattle Sounders ahead of us, it would appear that the numbers announced by Orlando for their new stadium will be right on the money and even the reduced attendance from Saturday’s game, 26,586, would have been a sellout in our new stadium.

Evans Talks MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement

Seattle captain Brad Evans discussed the MLS CBA on Monday, and he had some very interesting things to say. Read all of Evans' thoughts here, via the Seattle Times. Click bait below:

"We're kind of handcuffed into this situation. We have to be strong. We have to be unified. When it comes our turn to say, ‘Yeah, we're performing just as good or above what a one-million-dollar, two-million-dollar designated player is making, we've got to put our foot down and say, ‘Alright, I deserve this.'"

FIFA Continues its March to Attract MLS Fans

After recently announcing that, for the for time ever, women’s teams will be included in FIFA 16, EA Sports has continued its quest for more American soccer money by adding in CenturyLink Field, the home of the most well-supported team in MLS, the Seattle Sounders, in addition to BC Place, the home of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

With probably no additional expense spared, since CenturyLink Field is included in another EA franchise game, Madden 16, EA has no doubt done it just so they could say they did. However, after being a long devotee of the game, it's nice that more MLS stadiums are getting recognized, however it's a shame that the next stadium that was added was not a soccer specific stadium, despite MLS's calls that teams should get their own.

That’s everything for today’s Lion Links, Mane Landers, but stay tuned for our game previews for tomorrow’s match, and then of course come back after the game for our recap and look ahead to Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Union, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 8 at the most accessible stadium in MLS, the Orlando Citrus Bowl.