Lion Links: 8/10/16

Good morning and welcome back to Lion Links. During this Orlando City midweek drought, catch up on all soccer news both local and elsewhere with these links, which we’ll waste no time getting into.

São Paulo Ordered to Pay Orlando City

Over a year after originally being linked with São Paulo midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso, a São Paulo city justice has ruled that the Brazilian club must pay Orlando City $826,000 for failing to honor its agreement with OCSC regarding Kaká from 2015.

The São Paulo city justice has determined São Paulo must pay R$2.6m (US$ 826k) to Orlando City for not honoring the agreement regarding Kaká

— Paulo Freitas (@Cynegeticus) August 10, 2016

In what was an ongoing saga last summer, Orlando City was pursuing Ganso and offered to pay SPFC and forgive its debt owed to Orlando for the loan of former São Paulo star Kaká ahead of his 2015 MLS debut. When the Brazilian side refused to sell Ganso for the proposed price (plus forgiveness) that City offered, the MLS club announced its intention to take the matter to court, as unpaid fees and interest had racked up in the time between Kaká’s move to Orlando and the mid-summer pursuit of Ganso.

The cash ordered to be paid to Orlando City wouldn’t be enough to pay what São Paulo reportedly wanted for Ganso, but it’s a hefty fee for a cash-strapped club like SPFC.

United States Wins Group G

Behind goals from Crystal Dunn and Mallory Pugh, the United States Women’s National Team drew against Colombia to win its group and advance to the next round of the Olympics. Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan did not start but played the second half in last night’s game. The women will face Sweden in the quarterfinals. The match will be played on Aug. 12 at noon ET. Brazil, Australia and Canada also advanced, meaning all the Pride players involved will continue on. The Aussies and Brazil will square off Friday, so either Monica or Laura Alleway and Steph Catley will end their tournament. Here’s the bracket (h/t Reddit user SomeCruzDude):

Joe Bendik Up for Save of the Week, Again

Joe Bendik has been nominated for Major League Soccer Save of the Week for the ninth time this year. This nomination comes from a kick save on Jordan Morris in last weekend’s 3-1 loss to Seattle. Bendik already had twice as many Save of the Week wins than any other goalkeeper in MLS, and is making a case for Goalkeeper of the Year.

You know the drill. Place your votes for @JTBendik‘s kick save from Sunday’s matchhttps://t.co/uuypQBBeZ8 pic.twitter.com/Blgvtbq0H7

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) August 9, 2016

Coaching Staff Tours New Stadium

The coaches of Orlando City, Orlando Pride, and Orlando City B all got a tour of the downtown stadium to be opened next year. This was head coach Jason Kreis’ first look at the new stadium since arriving in mid July. Upon entering, he appeared to be struck and repeatedly commented on the detail made to create an excellent atmosphere not only for the players, but for fans and media alike. Confidence in the team going forward continued to come from Kreis with comments about the fan base and the years to come in the new stadium.

“Keep on coming, keep on supporting, keep on believing,” Kreis said. “Because this is going to be a special club, and a special place and a special community.”

Orlando City is expected to begin playing in the new stadium mid 2017.

Josée and Canada Defeat Top-Ranked Germany

The big shock of women’s soccer yesterday came when Canada defeated top-ranked Germany. This marks the first ever win for Canada against Germany. Orlando Pride’s own Josée Bélanger started the game and played all 90 minutes and had one shot on goal that was blocked. Canada won behind Melissa Tancredi’s two goals and a strong showing from their defense. Germany only had one shot on goal thanks to Bélanger and the rest of the back line, and Canada will take on France on Friday at 9 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

That’s all I’ve got for you today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Hump Day.