Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/30/16
Good Saturday morning Mane Landers. It was a busy Friday that capped off a long week for Orlando City. Today is time to catch our collective breath and wait for next week, when I’m sure more Orlando soccer news will head our way. I’m going to relax and wait for Sunday’s USMNT match against Iceland. Time to get to the links.
Orlando City Making Waves
Yesterday, at the Lake Nona Town Center, Orlando City hosted a "happy hour" for fans — the perfect setting to announce the construction of a new training complex slated to open at the start of 2017. This new addition to the Orlando City toolbox will not only be used by the first team, but for Orlando City B and the club's U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams. The complex will be top-of-the-line and it ensures that the club is "keeping up with the Joneses" within the MLS community. The Orlando Pride will exclusively train at the Sylvan Lake facility, making it one of the best training facilities in the NWSL.
Orlando City B Adds Two Players
The Lions were still actively forming the B team roster on Friday as Head Coach Anthony Pulis hinted in his interview on The Mane Land PawedCast. Orlando City B welcomed defender Andrew Ribeiro and goalkeeper Mark Ridgers to the roster yesterday afternoon. The pool of players on the USL side continues to grow and I'm sure this won't be the last signing we hear from OCB. Something to get excited over is the level of flexibility and depth the USL side gives to Orlando City, which may prove to be one of the keys to a successful season — not just for 2016 but for many future seasons to come.
Orlando Pride's Evans Fills Her Off-Season with Charity
Maddy Evans has had an eventful off-season. The former Penn State standout has traveled to Granada, Nicaragua as part of the charity, Soccer Without Borders. Its mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change, providing under-served youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles to growth, inclusion, and personal success. Yesterday, Evans continued to give to others by participating in an event for Feed My Starving Children. This organization hand-packs meals specially formulated for malnourished children, and sends them to partners around the world where they're used in orphanages, schools, clinics and feeding programs to break the cycle of poverty. The Mane Land commends Maddy Evans for her level of citizenship.
More Nocerino-to-Orlando City Rumblings
It seems every week when there’s talk of an international player coming into MLS that Orlando City is mentioned as one of the landing spots for him. This time around, Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino, who’s also been linked with D.C. United (and who was linked with our Lions earlier this month), seems to be the flavor of the week. This report has Nocerino spurning United as he favors an opportunity to play once again with former teammate Kaká. Count on The Mane Land to bring you the latest player moves as the news breaks and analysis on the impact of the roster.
That's all for today's links, Mane Landers. Now go enjoy the start of your weekend. Keep roaring!