Lion Links: 11/25/15

Hello, there Mane Landers and happy Thanksgiving eve. If your family is anything like mine, you're probably spending the day preparing enough food to feed a small stadium. The fact that only the starting 11 are showing up is fairly irrelevant. See, for us it's not just "Thanksgiving dinner." There has to be enough food for dinner, leftovers, and turning the bones and extra meat into a delicious turkey and barley stew.

My personal contribution is a hickory-smoked turkey that I will brine tonight, and a chorizo-cornbread dressing. My wife, meanwhile, will prepare a homemade cranberry sauce and a pumpkin-apple pie. Today, however, is the preseason. A day to get our minds and bodies in shape in anticipation of the big feast. Therefore, in anticipation of tomorrow, I went ahead and made these low calorie links. But don't worry, they have all the flavor.

OCSC Feeding the Needy

In a nod to the true spirit of the holidays, Orlando City players and front office staff spent part of their Tuesday with Orange County District 5 Commissioner Regina Hill and representatives of Publix supermarkets to distribute over 500 dinners to those in need. Players Brek Shea, Lewis Neal, and Darwin Ceren were among the participants on the club side. It’s great to see the team continuing to have a presence in the community even after the season is over. Check out the official team video below.

Site Selected for USMNT vs Guatemala World Cup Qualifier
On March 29, the United States Men's National Team will take the next step towards World Cup qualifying to Columbus, OH. They will face Guatemala in that match and will put an undefeated record at Mapfre Stadium on the line. The USMNT carries a 7-0-3 record at the stadium and, considering the Yanks have not lost to Guatemala since 1988, it's a good bet that the run will continue. The return match will be played in Guatemala City on May 25.

Oh, and speaking of national teams, the Orlando Pride's Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris have unsurprisingly been called up for the final matches of the World Cup Victory Tour.

Brad Rusin Returns to Florida

Former Orlando City defender Brad Rusin has returned to the Sunshine State after agreeing to a deal with Miami FC. Rusin made 23 appearances with OCSC in 2014, scoring two goals. He started last season with the Tampa Bay Rowdies before being traded to the San Antonio Scorpions on April 29, 2015.

Chicago Fire Hire Veljko Paunovic

The Chicago Fire have filled their head coaching vacancy by hiring Veljko Paunovic to fill the role. The former striker/midfielder has spent the last few years leading young Serbian men in the U-20 World Cup and the 2014 U-19 UEFA European Championship. Per the linked story, Paunovic was the Fire’s first choice to replace Frank Yallop, who was fired in September.

Orlando City Front Office Grows Some 'Stash

In a non-soccer related story, the Orlando City front office has a page supporting the Movember movement. For those not in the know, Movember is a movement to bring awareness and raise funds for health issues that often afflict men, including testicular and prostate cancer. There's little left to be said about cancer that hasn't already been said, but it really does take everyone to fight that battle. You at least have to check out the brilliant modification to the Orlando City shield.

Those are your links for today! You are now free to get your turkeys ready.