Lion Links: 6/13/16

Our thoughts and prayers are with victims and families of the Pulse shooting tragedy. The outpouring of support for Orlando yesterday from the soccer world (and beyond) was touching and comforting but of course we are still a community in need of healing. Sports can act as a distraction or an escape from reality and we look to give you that escape with our Lion Links.

We also want to wish a happy 26th birthday to Orlando City’s Pedro Ribeiro. With that task complete, let’s get to today’s links.

Orlando Pride's Dani Weatherholt Graduates

Congratulations to Orlando Pride midfielder Dani Weatherholt, who graduated from Santa Clara this weekend. Dani was a two-time West Coast Conference All-Academic Honorable Mention. Her degree was in Education/Pre-Teaching. With that degree, she is set up for a successful life after soccer.

United States Quarterfinal Opponent Revealed

The United States traveled to Seattle yesterday ahead of their Copa America Centenario quarterfinal match-up.

Group B play also ended yesterday with Peru topping the group after their upset win against Brazil, 1-0, in controversial fashion. The winning goal was scored by a handball but if you think back to Ecuador's improperly disallowed goal against Brazil, the correct two teams went through the group (only the U.S. should be playing Peru with Ecuador winning the group). Ecuador finished in second place with a 4-0 win over Haiti and will face the United States, Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET at CenturyLink Field.

Luis Suarez Explains Copa America Outburst

Luis Suarez spoke to the FourFourTwo about his outburst during Uruguay's 1-0 loss to Venezuela. Uruguay, currently ranked ninth in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Rankings, was prematurely eliminated from the tournament after two shocking losses. The weird quote out of this is that the Barcelona man is rooting for his rival Argentina to win the Copa America Centenario.

Violence Plagues Euro 2016

Euro 2016 has just started and it's the action off the field that has stolen the headlines early on. The England-Russia match ended in a 1-1 draw but there was violence leading up to and at the conclusion of the match. The European tournament is no stranger to these acts of soccer hooliganism. In this article from CBS News, Russia seems to be the instigator of the violence on English supporters.

German Manager Caught Doing Gross Things on Video

German manager Jogi Löw was caught on the UEFA feed smelling his crotch and butt. Yes, you read that correctly. The manager that replaced Jurgen Klinsmann as the manager of Germany was caught red- (or maybe brown-) handed, smelling himself.

FIFA 17 Announces New Mode

The most popular soccer video game has gotten a new mode. The new mode, titled "The Journey," puts you in the shoes of a young striker about to sign with the Premier League. The mode is based on a very successful model from the NBA 2K series, where they write a story of what it is like to be a young professional sports player. The mode will have both on-field and off-field situations that the player can base decisions on that affect the outcome. A full recap of some of the new features are found here. No word yet on the leagues and whether or not the NWSL will be featured.

That's it for today. Enjoy your Monday.