Lion Links 12/27/17

Happy day after Boxing Day, or day 360! Hopefully you had a great Boxing Day, or what many people did, fight after Christmas sales in insane malls. And if you’re an FPL lover (Fantasy Premier League), hopefully you captained Harry Kane. But if you were like me and put him as your vice captain, then come on, Raheem Sterling!

MLS has its Questions for Orlando City

The official site of MLS has put together its top 10 winter story lines for this year’s off-season. Among them sits Orlando City with a few very important questions to the short and long-term prospects of the Lions. The most pressing question: Can Orlando City finally make the playoffs?

Harry Kane Owns 2017

We don’t often report on news in the English Premier League as lead Lion Links, but it’s a bit slow in MLS and, quite frankly, Harry Kane deserves our attention. He simply owned 2017. Yesterday he broke two incredible streaks as he 1) Broke Alan Shearer’s 22-year-old Premier League single-year scoring record (37 goals) and 2) scored the most goals of any player — for national team and club — in 2017 (56 goals). This was done in eight fewer matches than No. 2, Lionel Messi (54 goals).

Kane broke an eight-year streak of either Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo being Europe’s top scorer. Can you guess who the last person not named Messi or Ronaldo was?

Hats off to you, sir.

Transfer Rumor Mill Continues

You have to love this time of year, or maybe not. The amount of rumors that fly on a day-in, day-out basis can be head spinning. But it’s our duty to bring them to you and these two rumors just won't die.

Josué Colmán looks like a near certainty, and today his father had some words to say:

TRANSLATION:

Guillermo Colmán, father of Josué Colmán: "now just Joshua leaves his love club, but it may return in the future, was the way to get to where Joshua became very hard. I would have liked to play more time at Cerro Porteño.”

And then from the other side of the globe, Frenchman Grégory Sertic continues to see himself in the rumor mill for the Lions:

Tyler Adams Leads the Way for Top MLS Teens in 2017

MLS has a youth problem, but thankfully there still remain a few teams that have given the opportunity to their youth to shine where other clubs have buried them in USL or behind aging Designated Players.

MLSSoccer.com breaks down the top five, with New York Red Bulls midfielder Tyler Adams leading the charge. I cant disagree, and you shouldn't either if you watched him in the U.S. National Team match against Portugal. The future is bright for this young man and many on this list.

Free Kicks

• Atlanta United continues to be rumored in transfers after a successful initial campaign. Here’s one on Colo Colo preparing a bid for United’s 30-year-old Carlos Carmona.
• FourFourTwo has started its list of the top 50 American players. Here’s hoping they include a certain Lions forward as they continue on.
• FIFA continues to FIFA, but in surprising news, someone was actually acquitted. That person is Former Peru President Manuel Burga.
• If you want to nerd out, here’s an interesting story about Seattle Sounders, the MLS Cup, and D&D.
• Keeping tabs on all the new MLS training sites? Then here’s an update from Black and Red United on what is happening with D.C. United’s new and improved venue.

And I leave you with this moment of clarity provided by Scott Sutter. I wholly agree with this and believe these people to be in the same category as those that clap in a movie theater.

Until 2018, Mane Landers!