Lion Links: 4/2/16

Hello Mane Landers! Welcome to Saturday’s edition of the Lion Links. We are now one day away from the highly-anticipated match against the defending MLS champion Portland Timbers. Be sure to check out Austin Siegel’s match preview. In the meantime, take a look at today’s links!

Baptista Nearly Went to Porto

"I was speaking to Porto. The talks were advanced, but they changed coach and the negotiations went cold.'' That's Julio Baptista for you. He was on the verge of signing with Portuguese giants, Porto, but instead he opted for Orlando as his next destination. The former Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Roma player confessed all this in an exclusive interview with Goal.com. You are already a fan favorite, Julio!

Kaká Ready to Roar

It seemed like an eternity, but finally Kaká is ready to roar on the field. The Brazilian insisted that he feels ready to play for the entire match. His teammates underlined Kaká's excitement when he returned to the training field and that makes us optimistic ahead of our upcoming fixture on Sunday. Head Coach Adrian Heath has expressed his satisfaction in having almost his entire squad healthy and available. It's about time.

Final Preseason Friendly for the Pride

Tom Sermanni's Orlando Pride will be involved in their final preseason friendly later on today when they will host Florida State University. Stay tuned to The Mane Land as we will be at the match to bring you all the updates from the closed friendly

Orlando City Future Bright

Lions' academy player Alejandro Pereira has been named one of the best players at the 2016 Generation Adidas Cup. The Orlando City prospect left a notable impression for his physical appearance but also for his goal-scoring record. His teammate, Juan Esteba Carmona was also pinpointed as another star who is climbing up the ranks in Orlando.

Tally Hall off to DC

Former Orlando City Fan Player of the Year Tally Hall will be defending the posts of D.C. United. The club announced Hall’s addition on Friday. Dave Kasper, DCU general manager, praised Hall’s career and also his attitude during his trial with United and he is looking forward to see former Orlando’s goalkeeper embracing this new journey.

That's all folks! Stay tuned to The Mane Land for further coverage of tomorrow's match against the Timbers.