Lion Links: 8/14/16

Hey, hey, hey, Mane Landers, welcome back to the Church of the Lion. We’ve got plenty to be excited about as today Orlando City will be taking on the Chicago Fire. But before that happens, we’ve got Links to look at and sermons to survive.

Speaking of sermons, this past week I got some nifty blue tooth headphones that hide pretty well in my ears. So while Mr. Jenkins (curse you Jenkins!) is stuck listening to some life lesson, I’ll be having The Who teaching me all about rock ‘n roll.

Let’s hit up some Baba O’Riley (aka the ‘teenage wasteland’ song) and get to those Links!

Preview: Orlando City vs Chicago

Today’s game really is about two teams that probably have some long term plans in play, but will there be time for their respective coaches/management to put them in motion?

Over on ESPNFC, Graham Parker has an excellent article detailing both clubs and the current directions they are going. Being a writer for an Orlando City website, what’s going on with the Fire doesn’t concern me much, but his take on the new Kreis regime is intriguing.

This was the year the club was supposed to take a step and make the playoffs. Instead, the Heath train was derailed and Kreis is here trying to work with the pieces he inherited. Will ownership let him work the kinks out? I sure hope so.

Molino’s Importance to Orlando City

Our friend Simon Veness over at mlssoccer.com talked about Lions midfielder Kevin Molino and how Jason Kreis sees the Trinidadian’s importance to his club. Surprisingly, the coach says that The Original is still developing as a player, which is bad news for the rest of Major League Soccer. Where can he get better?

“From the defensive side of things, as we’ve already said, that’s where he needs the biggest part of his development, and so it is something he needs to focus on improving. That’s how we see it; he is not the finished all-round product, but he’s definitely moving in that direction.”

Reviewing Replay’s Performance During OCB-NYRBII

As you’ve probably heard by now, Friday’s game between Orlando City B and New York Red Bulls II was a part of history as instant replay was employed during the game between the two reserve sides. It was the first instance of video replay during a pro soccer game. But how did it go?

Kristian Dyer at mlssoccer.com has this piece detailing each way the video assistant referee (VAR) was utilized and how that worked in the course of the game with referee Ismail Elmath. The short version is that it worked well. Since it’s important for referees to get calls right, it’s good to know that technology can be used to help make that happen without ruining the flow of the game.

Fonte to Manchester United?

Ahh to be the king! Looking for a defensive midfielder to add to the mix, Southampton’s Jose Fonte has popped up in informal talks between the teams. Fonte, the 32-year-old Portugal international, seems to be the best and most accessible option for the Red Devils.

With a fee of £8 million being tossed around, it would appear that Southampton wouldn’t get in the way of such a move. Fonte has played very well for them and was a solid, reliable player for Portugal in their Euro 2016 run.

Free Kicks

It was so hot in Washington D.C. yesterday that D.C. United postponed its kickoff time against the Portland Timbers by an hour due to “excessive heat.” We here in Orlando can relate…Maybe people are getting ready for football season, because MLS posted its worst TV ratings of the season last weekend…Members of El Salvador club Dragon must have enjoyed their trip to Portland for the CONCACAF Champions League match because two players and a coach left the team to stay in the U.S….The EPL kicked off play yesterday with plenty of action. Reigning champs Leicester City lost to Hull City 2-1 and Manchester City started strong in victory with a 2-1 victory over Sunderland…And in the Olympics, Team USA is still burning it up in the pool, though the U.S. Men’s basketball team has been cutting it close lately. Get it together, boys!

That’s it for today’s Links. Come back later this afternoon as The Mane Land will lead you into today’s game with Chicago and have complete coverage afterward as well.