Lion Links: 8/7/17

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! Have you had ample time to forget about Montreal? According to my therapist, I should work through it productively, but instead I’m going to push it down into a dark little soccer ball of repressed anger and depression. Too much? OK, instead let’s just check in on what’s going on in the world of soccer.

Jason has had it up to here…

Things are getting tight indeed. If the coach is getting chippy in regards to the players publicly, then that’s something to take into consideration. The Lions are on the road again, and Jason Kreis has been a big defender of the players so far, which means that they need to start producing. Of course, results need to come soon.

Yoshi in the Big Apple?

As I’m sure you are well aware by now, Orlando City acquired multi-position player Yoshi Yotún. Alicia DelGallo of the Orlando Sentinel found out a bit more from Jason Kreis.

“Really interesting player, another quality, quality soccer player, really technical with the ball,” Lions coach Jason Kreis said. “We’ve literally seen him play four positions…and the club has been tracking him since before I was here. So, I’ve been watching him personally for a year. Really impressed with him, wanted him for a long time and I’m really happy we have him finally.”

Unfortunately, Yoshi was not available to help out the Lions against Montreal. It is hoped that he will be available to play Saturday against the New York Red Bulls, according to Kreis. Is the team done shopping?

“Of course we’re always looking to improve the squad,” he said. “So, if there’s an opportunity to improve the team in the next five days, we’ll definitely look at it.”

Video Assistant Referee Debuts

You may remember the constant references to Video Assistant Referee (VAR) during Orlando City’s match. It’s officially here, and this is what you need to know. The only plays affected are goals, penalty kicks, straight red cards and mistaken identity. It didn’t have any effect — good or bad — on Orlando City’s match, but it did rule out a goal in the match between FC Dallas and the Philadelphia Union — a match that the Union won, 3-1. It was the first time, but it won’t be the last.

Targeted Allocation Money Increase?

It seems that MLS might increase the Targeted Allocation Money for each team by $2 million in 2018. Orlando City just used some of its TAM in the Yoshi deal to buy down Giles Barnes’ DP spot so it would be available for Yotún. This is good news for a league looking to grow. As you’ll see below, crazy money is being spent around the world, and MLS will need to, if not keep up, at least do better.

Netherlands Wins Women's European Championship

It was a party in orange after the Dutch defeated Denmark, 4-2, to win the UEFA Women's European Championship. Denmark had made its way past six-time champs Germany to meet the Dutch in the final. The Danes got on the board first on a converted penalty from Nadia Nadim. Shortly after, Vivianne Miedema leveled for the Netherlands with the first of two goals. The match went back and forth, until the Dutch pulled ahead for the win, and the celebration began.

Does the Neymar Deal Make Sense?

Paris Saint-Germain made Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. the highest paid player in any team sport ever, after salary and bonuses. But does the deal make sense for PSG? The striker didn’t lead his team in scoring. PSG is betting that it does. His new jersey was selling for $118 each, and more than 10,000 were sold on just the day he was introduced. Include TV revenue, money from games won, and so much more, and perhaps it does make sense. What we certainly know is that records are meant to be broken, and this won’t be the last of the ridiculous deals signed as soccer marches on.

That’s going to do it for the start of this week, but stay tuned to The Mane Land for more news concerning all things Orlando City and soccer around the world.