Lion Links: 7/5/16

Welcome to "Oh my God, I can't believe I have to go to work" day, Mane Landers. Now I am sure you are all nursing some hangovers from celebrating America's birthday and are probably ultimately regretting that last round of beer pong, but don't worry, we have the perfect hangover cure for you: A "hair of the dog" edition of Lion Links.

Orlando Comes Undone at FC Dallas in 4-0 Loss

The Lions were in action on the holiday last night, but it was far from a celebration for Orlando City fans as FC Dallas handed OCSC a 4-0 drubbing. It was easily the Lions' worst outing of the season, and the goalless 90 minutes represents Orlando's first time being shut out in 2016. Just about everything went wrong for Adrian Heath's lads, and our player grades from the match reflect that pretty well. Not the result City was looking for on the Fourth, to say the least.

Window Shopping

The MLS transfer window swung open yesterday, and that means teams are now free to sign or trade for some new blood to try and fill out their rosters, add depth, or add talent (I am looking at you Chicago Fire) to get them through the second half of the season. To help you get started, MLS’s own armchair analyst Matt Doyle provides a list of needs for teams around the league. His advice to Orlando City: Let the young talent grow, rather than continue to tinker. Let us know your wishes for this transfer window in the comment section below.

U.S. U-20s Take Home Title

The U.S. Men’s U-20s took home the NTC invitational yesterday after beating Japan 2-1 in the final. The U-20s were without young Christian Pulisic after his graduation to the senior team, and even though he didn’t go and participate, Orlando City’s (and Oviedo’s own) Tommy Redding was selected to the squad that led the U.S. to victory.

Mkhitaryan Manchester Bound

After Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s eventual signing for Manchester United from Borussia Dortmund followed protracted negotiations, the German side had a little something to say about it in a snarky Facebook post. Needless to say, it appears that Dortmund is sick of losing its best players (Mats Hummels and İlkay Gündoğan have already gone to Bayern Munich and Manchester City, respectively) while also being held over a barrel knowing the player could leave for free in the off-season.

Extra Time

• Bayern Munich lit up the Allianz Arena in red, white, and blue to celebrate Independence Day in the United States.
• “The Old Lady” signs up with EA Sports for cross-market branding.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin signs law meaning that visitors for the 2018 FIFA World Cup will not need a visa, and also mandates that Russian sports fans will now have to provide state identification before purchasing tickets for local games.

That's it for today, Mane Landers. However, make sure to keep checking in with us as we preview Orlando City's game against Houston at home on Friday, as well as the weekend action from Orlando Pride and OCB.