Lion Links: 11/16/16

Good morning, all. Happy Hump Day! This is my first piece for The Mane Land and I am excited to be a part of this community. Hope you enjoy!

More Looks at Orlando City's New Stadium

In case you hadn’t heard, the Lions will have a new stadium for their third season in MLS. Orlando City President and Founder Phil Rawlins, has professed his excitement for the new stadium, saying that having their own stadium is the last piece of the puzzle for the young franchise. Rawlins went on WMFE’s Intersection program yesterday to talk about the stadium and the club. You’ve seen some photos of the new home of the Lions but, as it continues to near completion, more are always coming out. You can see some at the Intersection link above, as well as some earlier shots Bungalower posted yesterday. The stadium, which is costing $156 million to build, is on schedule to be open for the new season in March. It is expected to hold 25,500 people. The Orlando Pride, record holders for the largest attendance in NWSL history for a single game, will also play in the stadium next year.

USMNT Falls Apart in Costa Rica

You thought the 2-1 home loss to Mexico on Friday was disappointing, but that was just the appetizer of despair. The main course came last night in San Jose, Costa Rica, as Los Ticos destroyed the U.S., 4-0. The U.S. were deadlocked in a scoreless draw for much of the first half, but a series of bad plays led to a free header for Johan Venegas just before halftime and then the Ticos poured it on in the second period, getting two goals from Joel Campbell and one from Christian Bolanos on a night the Yanks would just as soon forget. The USMNT is dead last in the Hex after two rounds and has very little margin of error the rest of the way.

Steven Gerrard Confirms He’s on His Way Out of MLS

Just a day after Frank Lampard announced he will be leaving New York City FC, fellow Englishman Steven Gerrard confirmed he will be leaving his own MLS club, LA Galaxy. Unlike Lampard, who still has not made a decision on whether to continue playing or move to an off-the-field role, Gerrard has stated he wants to continue to play. The former England and Liverpool captain made 34 league appearances in two seasons in MLS, scoring five times. According to reports, Gerrard has been linked with Celtic and Newcastle. Newcastle are currently first in EFL Championship and are one of the favorites to be promoted, meaning Gerrard could be in store for a return to the Premier League.

North Korea Plans on Producing the Next Messi

What is more likely? That Kim Jong-Il once shot a 34-under, 38 in his first round of golf ever, or that North Korea will produce a soccer player BETTER than Lionel Messi? Well that is exactly what the country is planning on doing. In 2013, they opened up the Pyongyang International Football School hoping to turn into a force to be reckoned with in international soccer. Ranked 125th in FIFA’s international rankings, North Korea wants to first start off dominating Asia, and then move on to dominating the rest of the world. The Asian side failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But if they produce a North Korean Messi, qualification for the 2022 World Cup should well be in reach.

Patrick Vieira Heads to Manchester to Work with Pep Guardiola

New York City FC boss Patrick Vieira has gone to Manchester City to work with and learn from City’s manager, Pep Guardiola. Manchester City is New York City FC’s majority shareholder and the American club acts as a sister club to the English side. Vieira finished his playing career with Manchester City and was previously manager of their reserve team before moving to New York. Vieira is in England to get some tips and better learn how to manage a team from arguably one of the best managers in the world, Guardiola. In his first season in charge, Vieira led New York to the conference semifinals, where they lost to Toronto. Considered a successful first season, the Frenchman has gone to Manchester to prepare for next season and better his managerial skills in order to improve upon this last season.

Hope you enjoyed this and that you have a great rest of your week. I am looking forward to my time here!