Lion Links: 8/20/17

Good morning, Mane Landers! I’d say last night’s triple game day was a success simply because from all three Orlando teams picked up a combined five points — which is pretty good — while none of them lost. After an eventful and long day of matches, it’s nice to have Sunday to just cool off before the week starts. With that, let’s get to those links.

Orlando City Ties Columbus Crew 1-1 in a Must-Win Game

If there was ever such a thing as a must-win, yesterday’s match certainly was one. Orlando City went into the game in eighth place, five points behind the Crew with a game in hand, and sadly the Lions came out of the game with that same exact description — not an inch closer to the playoff spots. Orlando City actually played quite well but wasn’t able to get the three points. The game ended 1-1 with Giles Barnes’ 67th-minute strike cancelling out a 35th-minute Lalas Abubakar header.

• Gavin Ewbank has your match recap.
• Michael Citro has player grades and man of the match.
• Check out how the other side viewed it from our friends at Massive Report.
• Suspended Orlando City captain Kaká stood with The Wall and drummed in the drum line during the game! What Ballon d’Or winner does that?

Check back later today for our five takeaways from Guilherme Torres.

Morgan’s Brace Lifts Orlando Pride over the Boston Breakers, 2-1

The Orlando Pride have been on fire recently, with this latest 2-1 win against the Boston Breakers stretching their unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1). This time, an Alex Morgan brace was all the Pride needed to surmount their opponent. It was a relatively comfortable match, though the Breakers did get a consolation goal in the 98th minute to make the score line look less lopsided.

OCB Tie Conference’s Best Team, Charlotte Independence, 1-1

Much like the senior team, Orlando City B is on the edge of playoff positioning and have tied 1-1. The only difference is that OCB is above the playoff line and tied on the road against the best team in the Eastern Conference. This draw definitely feels like a win. It only makes matters better that it was an away game. The match had lots of action, although both goals came in the first seven minutes. Hadji Barry won — and scored on — a penalty in the fifth minute, before David Estrada tied it up two minutes later.

Cyle Larin and Will Johnson Called Up to Canadian National Team

Cyle Larin and Will Johnson have been called up to the Canadian national team for a friendly on Sept. 2 against Jamaica. Unfortunately, this means they will miss a crucial road match against the New England Revolution on the same day. You may recall the game was originally scheduled for March but was postponed due to extreme winter weather.

Carlos Rivas is Finally Finding his Feet in Orlando

Carlos Rivas is a player who has shown a vast amount of potential for years now, yet failed to deliver on many occasions. Now it appears Rivas is coming into his own and showing exactly what everyone thought that he was always capable of. Rivas believes he did have a slow start to his MLS career in part because of the transition from Colombia to the U.S. He also believes the competition with Dom Dwyer can only be good for his game.

That’ll do it for today’s Lion Links. Have a wonderful day!