Lion Links: 2/21/16

Happy Sunday! We are just two short weeks away from the beginning of the 2016 MLS season and the anticipation is almost unbearable. Thankfully, the Lions have another preseason friendly this afternoon against Toronto, so there will at least be some Orlando City soccer to look forward to. The Mane Land’s intrepid reporter Brad Newton will have a recap for us later. Until then, let’s check out the links!

Kevin Molino is Ready to Make His Return

The 2015 season had to be the biggest occasion for Molino to showcase his talent, but a knee injury left him on the sidelines for the entire season. Now, with less than a month before the new MLS season, Kevin Molino has revived his soccer dream and is striving to perform at his best with Orlando City.

I am not a guy to dwell on things too much. I know injuries come along and they are part and parcel of the game. I came to terms with it very quickly and never really stressed out about it.

We’re Off to Rio!

In a Tweet from the official USWNT Twitter account, Orlando Pride’s striker Alex Morgan, expressed her appreciation towards the fans who attended their matches during the CONCACAF Olympic tournament. By winning its semi-final game last night against Trinidad and Tobago, the USWNT punched its ticket to Rio.

However, the Olympic qualifying tournament has also raised some questions about the USWNT and also about the tournament’s format. Becky Sauerbrunn is struggling to seal a place in the starting XI, while there are many arguments about proposing a new format for the CONCACAF Olympic tournament to raise its quality and give other teams a fair shot at earning a berth.

Another USMNT hopeful heading to the Premier League?

An article from NBC Sports reports that 19-year-old American midfielder Emerson Hyndman could be on his way to the Premier League and that Manchester United is “leading the way” to sign the promising young U.S. international. Before we get too excited about seeing Hyndman playing for Jose Mou–I mean–Louis van Gaal, the report also suggests that Hyndman would be loaned away from Old Trafford. Hyndman would join fellow Americans DeAndre Yedlin, Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Geoff Cameron, and Matt Miazga (and technically Gideon Zelalem, though he is in Scotland on loan from Arsenal) in England’s top league.

LA Galaxy Test New Tactics

With the huge signings of Ashley Cole, Jelle Van Damme and Nigel De Jong, the former MLS champions seem to have added lots of depth to their squad while also significantly raising their overall quality. However, Bruce Arena has also experimented new tactical positions in the preseason, with the most notable change being the Gyasi Zardes’s shift from wing to forward and Giovani dos Santos taking up the right wing. Could this LA Galaxy team be the first to capture the CONCACAF champions league trophy?

Arsene Wenger’s Words Come Back to Haunt Him

A couple of days ago, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger argued in favor of the FA Cup replay because he felt it represents tradition and culture and identifies English soccer. However, following the stalemate against Hull City and with a double header against Barcelona and Manchester United up next, what are the chances that Wenger still believes in replays?

Well that’s it for today, Mane Landers. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and make sure that at least once today you have a moment like this one…