Lion Links: 12/5/15

Well folks, the day is here, it's Saturday. For most of you, it probably means a day of rest and relaxation. For me, it means cramming for next week's finals. Here's to hoping they turn out better than some of the people in today's Lion Links. Speaking of turning out better, it was a nice surprise to see Darwin Cerén named winner of the 2015 FutbolMLS.com Latino del Año yesterday.

Orlando City Stadium Getting a Name Soon?

Despite having some of the biggest corporate sponsors in the world, Walt Disney World, Publix, and Sherwin Williams Co., Orlando City has yet to choose a company to use as a title sponsor for their stadium. According to Orlando City Vice President of Corporate Partnerships Rob Parker, the club is getting closer to choosing a sponsor for the $155 million stadium. The club claims to be in talks with three to four significant sponsors that will mirror the relationship with Orlando Health and Orlando's uniforms. While nothing has been officially announced, they do hope to make a decision soon. In addition to choosing a name for the stadium, Orlando has partnered with Sherwin Williams Co. to become the official paint partner of the club.

Oh, and the club released an exciting update about the stadium construction yesterday — a drainage vault has been installed! OK, so it's not that exciting, but it's progress. Check out the link for an update on what's been done so far.

United States Women's National Team Visits Pearl Harbor

The USWNT is currently training in Honolulu, HI, for the upcoming match against Trinidad and Tobago. This match will be one of the final two games played in the Victory Tour for the current World Cup Champions. While in Hawaii, the team took a break to pay a special visit to the Pearl Harbor Memorial. Just three days before the 74th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the team toured the U.S.S. Arizona and spent time honoring the fallen servicemen. This morning they will hold an open training session at Aloha Stadium starting at 11 a.m. local time with the game following tomorrow. This will be the USWNT’s first time playing in Hawaii. Look for Orlando Pride players Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris to get some playing time.

Miami Beckham United Finally Finds a Home…Maybe

After two years of planning and attempting to bring Major League Soccer to Miami, it seems as if it may finally become a possibility. Beckham announced yesterday that his group had secured the rights to a private piece of land in Overtown, located just west of Interstate 95, near the Miami River. In addition to this purchase, the group has received a letter of intent to purchase land south of the property from the mayor. Miami Beckham United intends to "create an assemblage of private and county-controlled land, totaling approximately nine acres in Miami's urban core." This is the fourth possible location for the team, however, the MLS Board of Governors seems to think this one will be successful.

FIFA Judge Arrested Upon Docking in Florida

Upon docking on the coast of Florida, federal agents boarded an international cruise ship and arrested general secretary of the Guatemalan soccer federation, Hector Trujillo. Trujillo is being charged with bribery from business executives for sports marketing contracts, including bribes from a company in Miami, Media World.

Real Madrid Eliminated from Copa Del Rey

Following several disappointing losses for Real Madrid, the team's hopes of winning the treble were once again slashed when it was reported that the club had fielded an ineligible player during its game against Cadiz, and therefore would be disqualified. Russian player Denis Cheryshev was supposedly unavailable to play, following a ban he received while on loan at Villarreal last season. Despite this ban, Cheryshev started the game, scoring early, before being substituted during the team's 3-1 victory. Real Madrid President Florentina Perez stated at a press conference that the "one-match ban for three yellow cards in our view is not effective because no one has notified the player as specified in item 41.2 of the disciplinary code of the RFEF." While continuing to stand by this rule, Real Madrid will be forced to sit and watch the rest of the tournament unfold.

NCAA Semifinal Roundup

Florida State University was eliminated from the College Cup, following a 2-0 loss to Duke University. Duke will play Penn State (2-0 winners over Rutgers) in Sunday's College Cup final.

That's all for today. May your weekend be less stressful than mine!