Lion Links: 2/11/16

Happy Thursday, everyone. It’s still chilly out and I still have wine to drink, so today I’m thinking of throwing some logs in the fire pit and enjoying some Comté and Vin jaune. The jaune has a sort of nutty flavor that is mellowed out by the sweetness of the Comté. Sort of nutty with a sweet finish, the story of Orlando City’s off-season.

Hey You, Orlando City Supporter. Don't be a Bad House Guest

Stop me if you've heard this one, but Orlando City fans have a bad reputation when it comes to visiting in-state opponents. I. Can't. Possibly. Imagine. Why. So, enter Phil Rawlins and a gentle reminder of the fan conduct policy in an open letter to Orlando City fans, which touched on several facets of general hooliganism that typically shouldn't have to be brought up but, alas, here we are. If we all just abided by Wheaton's Law, we'd all be fine. Phil emphasized:

• No throwing of objects of any kind
• No obscene and/or abusive language and/or gestures
• Being respectful of Jacksonville venue security, staff and their fans
• No acts of violence
• No destruction of property of any kind
• No prohibited items, including smoke devices and/or pyrotechnics
• No provoking or overly inciting behavior
• No drunk and disorderly behavior

The altruist in me knows we as a whole can abide by this.

Orlando City Soccer Club to Partner with Seminole State College

While not busy taking the rest of the MLS to school, Orlando City has teamed up with Seminole State College as the official and exclusive college and university education partner of Orlando City SC and Orlando City Youth Soccer. The move also furthers the club's commitment to Seminole County, coinciding with Orlando Pride's recently announced training facility at Sylvan Lake. The school and club will collaborate on a scholarship for a SSC student, and one player per year will attend the school as well. Non-English speaking players may also attend the school's English language institute.

Orlando Named as Participating City in Mark Cuban's Futsal League

Mark Cuban is bringing futsal to the U.S. and his league is planning on starting play in 2017. The initial list of teams named New York (which is going to have two teams), Los Angeles, Dallas, Seattle/Vancouver, Boston. Chicago, Miami, and Orlando. Futsal is played indoors and features five players on each side, and the league aims to be the only one sanctioned by FIFA. Initial plans for the league feature teams that are either partnered by NBA teams and major international soccer clubs or fully owned by already existing ownership groups looking to expand their brands.

No One Really Knows What's Gonna Happen with U.S. Players and the NWSL

As we saw last night, USWNT players are still gonna play in the Olympic qualifiers and presumably onward, I’m cautiously optimistic, so is The Equalizer as are some of the answers to questions they posed to make the situation clearer. Long story short, the tournament shouldn’t be effected by the filings on both sides (USSF’s Filing, the player’s rebuttal, and U.S. Soccer’s rebuttal). Nineteen of the 20 players called up by the U.S. are on NWSL rosters, including Pride members Alex Morgan and Ashlyn Harris. Hopefully the pair returns after winning gold and sees the Pride through into the playoffs and ultimately a championship in the club’s first year.

David Beckham is Already Looking for a Partner For His Still Imaginary Miami MLS Team

Hoo boy. Where to begin? Alright, so, David Beckham wants to bring MLS to Miami and would be seeking help from either Qatar Sports International, which owns Paris Saint-Germain, where Beckham finished his career in 2013, or Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who *shudders* no. The Miami team needs to decide how its ownership group is going to fall into place before the land deal in the Overtown section of Miami can close. Presumably, Beckham’s best option is to go with Nasser Al-Khelaifi of PSG who is also the chairman of beIN Media Group, which is comprised of 22 international sports TV channels including the Miami-based beIN Sports USA.

Free Kicks

Today’s birthdays include Leslie Nielson who passed away in 2010, Burt Reynolds who is 80, Ken Shamrock is 52, Jennifer Aniston is 47, Natalie Dormer is 34, and Rafael van der Vaart is 32…Columbus Crew revealed their jerseys and, well, they’re certainly something…Barcelona hasn’t been defeated in 29 games, and that’s amazing.

That's it for today, play us out, Rafael!