Lion Links: 5/9/17

The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose.

-Ernie Banks

It’s Tuesday again, Mane Landers. It was a rough week for Orlando City, but adversity builds character. The season is still young. It’s better to take our lumps early, and learn something for later. We have a lot of big news from the soccer world, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Stadium to Host USMNT Qualifier

It was officially announced Monday that Orlando City Stadium will host the U.S. vs. Panama 2018 World Cup Qualifier on Oct. 6. Ticketing information will be announced at a later date. This is a big coup for the city of Orlando, and the town should be more than ready to provide a home-field advantage for our country similar to the one it provides for our Lions.

Orlando City Boss Jason Kreis Says Road Form Will Come

Lions Head Coach Jason Kreis is keeping Orlando City’s road woes in perspective following a two-loss week. Kreis mentioned the travel and the fact that Jonathan Spector was out, but didn’t cite either as an excuse. Kreis acknowledged that is something that is just part of the season that every club deals with. He also added that with so much good fortune early in the season, it was just a matter of time before things changed. The question now is: How will the team respond to the losses?

Travel Schedule Makes Weekend of Freak Results Seem More Predictable

Based on the start to the season, there were some strange results over the weekend, including Orlando City’s 4-0 loss to Houston. Graham Parker for ESPN FC detailed why those results were predictable based on the travel schedules. But, of course, we already knew that.

Orlando Pride News

Alex Morgan scored a brace in Olympique Lyonnais’ 9-0 victory over Soyaux as Lyon won its 11th straight division title. Lyon currently has a record of 19-1-0 with two matches to go.

Goalkeeper Brooke Bollinger, an Orlando City prospect, got a U-19 USWNT call-up.

Marta has been nominated for NWSL Goal of the Week. To vote for her, tweet #MartaGOW.

Ashlyn Harris has been nominated for Save of the Week. To vote for her tweet #AshlynHarrisSOW.

Dom Dwyer Suspended for Saturday’s Match Against Orlando City

Former Orlando City player and current Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer will miss this Saturday’s game at Orlando City Stadium due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Dwyer picked up his fifth yellow card of the season in Sunday’s match against Minnesota United. Dwyer has five goals and one assist this season, so we won’t be sad when he isn’t on the field.

MLS Should be Targeting These Mexican National Team Stars

FourFourTwo composed a list of dream transfers from the Mexican National Team to MLS. Any one of these transfers would be great for MLS because most ply their trade in La Liga, arguably the best league in the world. The top transfer target, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, plays in Germany, but MLS has already been after him for years.

U.S.-Led 2026 World Cup Bid Looks Strong

Thursday there will be a vote to fast-track the North American bid to host the 2026 World Cup. Typically, the 2026 World Cup wouldn’t be awarded for years, but since the 2018 World Cup is in Russia and the 2022 World Cup is in Qatar, European and Asian countries can’t bid. If Thursday’s bid isn’t approved, then the U.S. would have to go through a formal and much longer bidding process.

Plans for Canadian Premier League Approved

Canadian soccer leaders approved a plan for a Canadian Premier League. Hamilton and Winnipeg were announced as the first two cities, but Canada Soccer says 10 cities expressed interest in joining the league.

It will be interesting to see what kind of players they attract. Currently, the plan is to play on turf fields in Canadian Football League stadiums. Soccer is growing all throughout North America.

That’s all for this edition. Have a great week. Until next time.