Lion Links: 4/27/17

Hello all and welcome to Thursday’s edition of Lion Links. As we look forward to the weekend ahead and another home game for the men in purple, news continues to develop in the soccer world. Today we have a lot of information coming from everybody’s favorite source of news — Twitter. Kick back, relax and enjoy all of the great information we have to share with you.

Pre-match Stops in Orlando

When it comes to being a fan, usually a great complement to fandom is often beer. In Orlando, one prime stop is a must for Orlando City goers as the Broken Cauldron becomes one of the stops of choice by City fans.

“The fans take pride in coming in and ordering a Ruckus Red, because not only are they supporting the team, they are supporting fellow supporters as well as a local brewery,” Frizzell says. “It’s also been a real homecoming this season. People were worried about where ‘home’ would be after Camping World Stadium, which had a huge field for parking and tailgating.

The Broken Cauldron is great place to pregame, watch, park, and hang out after the game. As Orlando City SC has become a staple of Orlando, the Broken Cauldron is becoming a staple for the fans of the team they support and love.

OCB Roster Update and Kaká Update

Orlando City B will see Rafael Ramos and Seb Hines making an appearance for the club later today. As they work themselves back from injury, Orlando City B will become part of the recovery process.

Kaká may not quite be fully ready for Saturday according to Jason Kreis despite going through a full training session on Wednesday.

Rapids Lose Defender Before Orlando Match-Up

Rapids defender Kortne Ford has been suspended for one game following a review of a foul he committed against Minnesota United. The foul occurred in the ninth minute of the game and despite no card being given at the time, Ford has received a one-game from the MLS Disciplinary Committee. You can watch the replay here.

The Colorado Rapids already have a few missing from there normal starting XI and Ford just adds to that list as the visitors will be looking for replacements to try and contain the in-form Cyle Larin — and the in-form Orlando City for that matter.

Orlando Pride’s New Road Kit

Fans got a look at the Orlando Pride away kit and of course complaints happened. The kit doesn't seem to look too much different than that of the Houston Dash, or a few other NWSL kits.

Portland Timbers Announce Proposal for Stadium Expansion

A $50-million plus stadium add-on is in the mix for the Portland Timbers as they announce plans to add 4,000 new seats to their stadium.

The home of the Timbers and the NWSL Portland Thorns, Providence Park has a capacity of 21,144 for soccer, putting the venue in the bottom half of MLS in terms of size. The Timbers have sold out every single MLS regular season and playoff match at home since they joined the league in 2011, and currently have a season ticket waiting list of more than 13,000.

The expansion is necessary as you can see that the demand for seats is very high. Portland presents one of the best atmospheres in soccer (can’t be better than Orlando City, though) and adding more seats and fans to that equation will only expand on that.

Video Assistant Referees to be Part of 2018 World Cup

With an idea to make the game better, FIFA has officially incorporated a video assistant referee into the game of soccer. The video technology is not only going to be a part of regular games but it was also announced that it will be part of the World Cup.

Broadly speaking, those in favor point — with some justification — to the fact that being or assisting a referee is a monumentally difficult business. It requires an individual to make split second interpretations of complex rules while running around quite a lot. At higher levels, this is soundtracked by thousands of people loudly questioning their competence, their neutrality, and their parentage; at lower, it's just the few hundred. And the players, either way.

With that said, it makes sense that this technology was being worked on and now incorporated into the game. While the end result is undetermined, the idea is for the best possible outcomes in soccer.

Dom Dwyer in WWE?

Dom Dwyer may be ready to make a jump into professional wrestling. After being asked the question “if you were able to take on anyone in WWE, who would you challenge?” Dwyer stated he would go straight for the biggest dog in the yard — Brock Lesnar (WWE Universal Champion).

The interview took a fun turn when he challenged WWE champ Brock Lesnar to a fight.

“I think I can take him, honestly,” Dwyer said. “I heard he’s not here so I can say that. But I hope I never meet him because I’m quite scared.”

Check the video here.

That is all from me today. We’ll have coverage of OCB vs. Saint Louis FC later today. Orlando City takes on the Colorado Rapids this Saturday as the team makes a return home after winning its first away points of the season. Be sure to tune into the game and if you want more from me — follow me here @awesomeniemeier