Lion Links: 11/5/16

It’s that time of the year again: potential roster moves for Orlando City are swirling around the internet with potential news to drop any day now. The off-season is full of speculation but it’s always more bitter than sweet seeing current Lions cast off. Hopefully we’re not in for too many surprises this time around after losing both Tally Hall and Lewis Neal (kind of) last November. When the shoe finally drops, the Kreis train will be going full steam ahead.

But until then, we’ve got some links for you.

Pierre Da Silva Called Up

U.S. U-19’s head coach Brad Friedel has called City academy prospect Pierre Da Silva up for the last training camp of the year. This is all part of the run-up to next year’s U-20 World Cup in South Korea, and it’s great to see one of Orlando’s rising stars involved. OCSC has had no shortage of youth involved in the U.S. setup but there’s a special kind of excitement around Da Silva who had a great professional debut year with Orlando City B.

Alan Kelly Wins MLS Ref of the Year

You read that right. Alan Kelly, who infamously refereed Orlando City’s first ever card-filled MLS match, has won the award for the second year in a row. While MLS may not have a wealth of great officials to choose from, Kelly overwhelmingly won the vote in every category. That includes players, media, and clubs. Kelly officiated more matches than any other PRO official in the league in 2016 and he earned it, if only for his lack of controversial calls.

Harvard Suspends Men’s Soccer Season

A recent investigation at the Ivy League school around the accusation that the men’s program has consistently been engaging in a vulgar “scouting report” of the incoming women’s recruits has finally come to a close. Harvard threw the book at their men’s team. cancelling the remainder of their season after it found out that this was a ritual of sorts and not an isolated incident in 2012 as originally assumed. It’s great to see institutions crack down on sexual harassment and end these types of public incidents.

Those are all the links we have for you on this fine Saturday morning. But while you wait, I’ll leave you with a compilation of every MLS team’s best nutmeg from this season.