Lion Links: 11/22/15

Greetings, good Mane Landers! Welcome to the Sunday Funday edition of Lion Links! We have lots of amazing soccer to look forward to today with the European leagues back in action after last week's international break but, more excitingly, we have the clash of the East and West titans battling it out for a berth in the MLS finals. To whet your soccer-fueled appetite, let's get started…

Miami ‘Beckham' United Against Deadline to Flush Out Stadium Plans

People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" David Beckham's dream to bring his soccer team to Miami has a deadline of Dec. 5 to submit stadium plans to MLS. Although the plans do not have to be finalized, something has to be submitted or the future of MBU could be "at risk."

The current discussions involve having Beckham purchase the land for the stadium and then transferring it to the Miami Dade County Public Schools to shield it from property taxes. The school board would then have guaranteed rights of access to and usage of the stadium, along with dedicating some of the space for educational purposes. Stay tuned, a final vote to approve by the city of Miami and the school district must happen by Dec. 22.

What Makes Up a Winning Team

Yael Averbuch, midfielder for the NWSL's championship winning FC Kansas City, has written a terrific article on the 10 elements needed to make a winning team. It's certainly not full of surprising revelations beyond the obvious "work hard, work together, and work because you love it," but it's certainly novel to get a championship-winning international player to talk about her soccer experiences so openly.

Pirlo heading to Manchester?

It is widely reported that Andrea Pirlo will be making his way to English shores this off-season and will be spending some time on ‘loan' with NYCFC parent club, Manchester City. Pirlo, who moved to NYCFC in the summer, made 13 appearances for the New York-based club, but didn't necessarily make the impact that previous head coach Jason Kreis would have liked. Apparently, given this move, the City Football Group doesn't feel the same way.

MLS Game Previews

Today is the day for the first leg of the 2015 MLS Conference Finals, and we have you covered for everything you need to know:

• Stumptown Footy takes a look at FC Dallas versus Portland Timbers from the Portland perspective, and Big D Soccer gives us the Texan take on things.
• Metro Soccer Nation gives a good preview of Columbus Crew SC versus New York Red Bulls.

Worst of the Week

Blind goes Blind

That's it for the first ever Sunday Lion Links! Just remember that if you don't know how to write, or even how to Google (like this guy appears not to), you shouldn't be a journalist.