Lion Links: 3/24/17

Happy Friday, folks! The USMNT plays Honduras tonight at 10:30, which is basically a must-win for the Americans. Orlando City B also plays this weekend, squaring off against Tampa Bay tomorrow. But before those exciting matches we would like to wish the happiest of birthdays to Pride defender McKenzie Berryhill as she turns 24 today. Now, we have some interesting news for you regarding those teams you love, so let’s dive in to some links!

MLS Managers Matched With Roman Emperors

Topdrawersoccer.com published an interesting article regarding MLS managers and their respectful Roman emperor doppelgangers. The story likens the head coaches to the emperors based on similar traits, personality types, and leadership qualities. Will Parchman compared OCSC manager Jason Kreis to Tiberius.

Like Tiberius, Jason Kreis took over for the First of His Kind (Adrian Heath-as-expansion-coach) and like Tiberius Jason Kreis is kind of a paranoid megalomaniac who’s really good at what he does and maybe a little neurotic about it too. Tiberius actually ran from the purple for part of Augustus’ reign, and he felt duty-bound to take it up when it was obvious he was the best man for the job. That feels a lot like Kreis, who’s a stern taskmaster who has little time for frivolities and is mostly concerned with stamping out the echoes of previous administrations, making his roster his own and then maybe getting away from everything for a bit for a nice relaxing shout at a subordinate.

Orlando Ticks All The Boxes for ICC Executives

July 22 welcomes a huge event in Orlando, with Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur squaring off in a match in Orlando’s very own Camping World Stadium. The game is one of many in the International Champions Cup, a tournament that major European and international clubs partake in. The Cup is held in numerous American cities, and Orlando is one of those locations after the ICC partnered with Visit Orlando last year.

Relevant Sports CEO David Tyler, whose company is helping organize the tournament, commented on Orlando and how the City Beautiful was an obvious choice for the match to be held in. 

Tim Howard Discusses Relationship with OCSC Coach

Colorado Rapids and USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard talked at length about the bond he and Orlando City goalkeeper coach Tim Mulqueen share. Mulqueen helped Howard rise to stardom, with the goalkeeper coach training the American since 1990, when he first met Howard at Rutgers. 

Three Pride Players Make USWNT Roster   

USWNT Head Coach Jill Ellis has released the team roster for the upcoming friendlies against Russia on April 6 and 9 in Frisco and Houston, TX, respectively. The 24-player team sheet includes three Pride players, with goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, defender Ali Krieger, and forward Alex Morgan all making the U.S. squad. The friendlies will be played days before the NWSL kicks off on April 15, and Ellis sees these games as a good opportunity to prepare the team and players for both league and international play. 

Honduras Cries Foul

The Honduras national team claims that the U.S. has hampered its ability to properly train before the upcoming World Cup qualifying match against the USMNT. Honduran Federation President Jorge Solomon claimed that the training fields and their locations were inadequate. Solomon believed the location of the training fields provided for the Honduras team was peculiar, considering the fact that the match is in San Jose, CA, and the grounds the team was allowed to practice on is in Fort Meyers, FL, more than 2,900 miles away.  Solomon also claimed that there was a conspiracy against the Honduras side, suggesting that U.S. Soccer deliberately kept the squad from being able to train in San Jose. This conspiracy runs deeper than the JFK and Roswell ones. Better get Mulder and Scully to investigate this one.  

Former Lion Sworn In

The Orlando Police Department swore in 12 new officers Thursday, including former Orlando City goalkeeper Tally Hall. A defensive wall for the Lions in 2015, Hall hung up his cleats and retired in 2016 and has since pursued a career in law enforcement. Joining Hall as a new recruit is former San Fransisco 49ers defensive back Curtis Holcomb. Good luck to all 12 of the new officers in their efforts to keep the streets of Orlando safe.

That’s all for today, comrades. I hope you enjoy the rest of your Friday and your weekend. Don’t forget to cheer on the USMNT as it faces off against Honduras in what will be an enthralling match. Make sure to drink lots of water and trade lots of memes.