Lion Links: 11/20/15

Smell that? It's the weekend, and one filled with MLS playoffs, El Clásico and more great soccer action around the globe. It's close, it's really close — but until then, let's enjoy some Lion Links.

Latino del Año Award Field Set

The annual Latino del Año Award has set the field for voting, and two Orlando City players have made the list of 32 nominees. Captain Ricardo Kaká and midfielder Darwin Cerén have made the list, and the former stands a huge chance to win the award. Competing against the likes of David Villa and Fabián Castillo, Kaká’s global brand (mixed with the passion of Orlando City fans) will most likely help him seal a victory. So go ahead, go vote for Kaká (and Cerén)!

OCSC Academy Wins

Last weekend, the OCSC U-14, U-16 and U-18 teams all won their games in incredible fashion. With 6-0, 3-0, and 7-1 wins, a total of five victories were achieved, and the academy teams are now looking forward to their upcoming matches and tournaments. Let's wish our young Lions all the luck in the world. The future of OCSC looks bright, very bright.

NWSL College Draft Date Set

It's official, the NWSL College Draft will take place on Jan. 15, 2016. Orlando Pride will be looking to this draft to continue building its team in the hopes of an incredibly successful first NWSL season. With an incredible amount of local talent, one can only wonder if an Orlando soccer product will be making their professional debut in the City Beautiful.

Is Soccer Facing New Terror Threats?

In this fascinating piece on ESPN FC, Simon Kuper takes a look at the threats of terrorism that face global soccer after the horrible attacks in Paris. After seeing threats lead to the cancellation of the Germany–Netherlands friendly, it is completely fair to one to question how the threats of terror will change soccer as we know it worldwide. The one thing I can say is that the England–France friendly was a metaphorical middle finger to terrorism and it shows that the world’s game will not let evil win, and that is what unites us all.

That's all for today, have a good one, y'all!