Lion Links: 1/7/18

What’s up, everyone? We’ve almost completed a full week in 2018 and hopefully all of your resolutions are still intact. It’s been a solid week for us Orlando City fans as the Lions front office gave us a lot to look forward to this season. Sacha Kljestan is headed our way, Dom Dwyer got locked up, and the club added some goalkeeper depth in the form of Adam Grinwis. More moves should be coming in the near future, but while we wait for those let’s enjoy some links.

Before we get to that, let’s all wish midfielder Richie Laryea a very happy 23rd birthday. This could be a big year for Richie, after getting some minutes and his first MLS assist in 2017.

Parramore Farmers Market Kicks Off

The long-anticipated Parramore Farmers Market had its grand opening yesterday at Orlando City Stadium. Created in large part to give that neighborhood’s residents healthy and affordable grocery options, the Parramore Farmers Market opened in partnership with both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride to promote a healthier Orlando. If you missed out on going yesterday, don’t worry, the event will be held each and every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Orlando City Stadium.

W-League Round 10 Recap

The W-League regular season is nearing its end and the Orlando Pride players over in Australia are all in the hunt for one of those coveted top four spots. Rounds 10, 11, and 12 all feature matches that pit the Pride players against one another in what will likely determine which women will have a shot at bringing silverware back to the City Beautiful.

Last night’s Pride civil war was Melbourne City FC’s face-off with Perth Glory. The match pitted Melbourne’s Alanna Kennedy and Steph Catley against Perth’s Rachel Hill and Melbourne City cruised to a 3-0 victory to climb into the fourth spot on the table with Perth falling to fifth.

Sharpshooter Toni Pressley wasn’t able to score but did find the crossbar at the start of the kick-off in Canberra United’s lopsided 6-1 victory over Adelaide United. The win keeps Canberra United in a dangerous position with a game in hand over the leading teams.

Elsewhere, Sydney FC goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe had a rough go of it this weekend against the Newcastle Jets, where she surrendered a two-goal lead but held on to earn a 2-2 draw. Next week, she will test her luck against Hill, Sam Kerr and Perth’s potent offense.

USSF Presidential Hopefuls Reveal Donors

The USSF Presidential election is only a little more than a month away (Feb. 10) and the folks over at SI.com took it upon themselves to find out just how the candidates are funding their campaigns. According to the report, four of the eight candidates have funded their campaigns themselves, including Paul Caliguiri, Carlos Cordeiro, Hope Solo, and Michael Winograd.

That leaves Kathy Carter, Steve Gans, Kyle Martino, and Eric Wynalda with other donors although most of those donors are friends or family. The most notable donor belongs to Eric Wynalda, who is receiving money from Riccardo Silva, the outspoken founder of MP & Silva and owner of Miami FC. You may remember Silva from this past summer when he offered MLS $4 billion for its next rights deal so long as it adopted a promotion and relegation system.

USMNT Set to Call Up Ramirez

While the off-the-field issues with the USMNT will focus on the upcoming election, the actual gameplay aspect of U.S. soccer could see some new faces soon as well. Minnesota United FC’s Christian Ramirez will likely get his shot to break into the international team according to a report by fiftyfive.one. Ramirez put up a whopping 14 goals last year and will hopefully add a spark to the USMNT squad should he be announced Monday as part of the January camp’s roster.

Free Kicks

• U.S. international Kenny Saief has been loaned from Ghent to Anderlecht in a move with an option for Anderlecht to buy the 24-year-old permanently.
• With the Jacksonville Armada’s future up in the air, owner Robert Palmer will clear up some of the questions tomorrow afternoon. Will the Armada follow Indy Eleven to the USL?

• Ciro Immobile bagged an incredible four goals for Lazio in a day he won’t soon forget.

• The Florida Tropics hosted division rival Syracuse last night in a tough 9-10 overtime loss.
• In today’s feel good link, Australian superstar Sam Kerr gave three kids a day to remember by accepting their offer to play some soccer in the park.