Lion Links: 2/11/18

Hey, Mane Landers! We had a pretty busy Saturday filled with some voting and preseason soccer. With another preseason game in the books, the Lions are another step closer to the season premiere next month. If you missed out on what happened, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with today’s links.

Orlando City Defeats Minnesota United in Friendly

In its first preseason match against an MLS opponent this off-season, Orlando City beat Minnesota United, 4-1 yesterday. It was a closed-door scrimmage so details like the lineup or formation are unknown, but the word on the street is that Will Johnson scored from a free kick from 35 yards out. Rookie forward Chris Mueller scored twice in the contest and Sacha Kljestan added one of his own. It may just be a friendly in the preseason, but Mueller scoring twice is a really good sign for the club.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that Cam Lindley suffered a hamstring injury and Josue Colman could miss “weeks” from what is believed to be a quad contusion. Dom Dwyer didn’t play in the game but should participate in the next preseason game against Philadelphia this Wednesday, Feb. 14.

Carlos Cordeiro Elected USSF President

After three rounds of voting, Carlos Cordeiro became USSF president after earning 68.6% of the vote in yesterday’s election at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld. The former USSF vice president beat out the seven other candidates to become the federation’s first Hispanic president. The Mane Land was there on the scene so check out the link above to see how the voting shook out and reactions from all the candidates on Cordeiro’s win.

“Obviously, it’s a true honor to be here and occupying this seat. I’m very, very excited for what I’m looking out at — a huge numbers of opportunities,” Cordeiro said. “Maybe I’ll start by thanking the seven other candidates. This was a very spirited campaign, lots of good issues were surfaced. The membership was more engaged than in any time in contemporary history”

Jonathan Spector Responds to Critics After Missing Election

Most of the talk about the voting centered around the Athletes Council voting as a bloc and not supporting one of the more revolution-minded candidates, dubbed the “gang of six.” One of the six, Hope Solo, even called out Athlete Council member and Orlando City center back Jonathon Spector on not showing up to the election. Spector was busy playing in Orlando’s preseason game but quickly responded to the backlash, citing the many hours he spent on conference calls with the rest of the Council as one of many reasons he did not attend.

Meram Ready to Teach Orlando How to Win

Traded for the first time in his career, former Columbus Crew midfielder Justin Meram is excited to tackle the expectations that come with his move to Orlando. Meram gave some more details on how bittersweet it was for him to leave Columbus in a time where the city’s soccer future is uncertain, but believed that it was time to move on. Looking forward to 2018, Meram will combine with Kljestan and Dwyer to hopefully get Orlando City to the playoffs for the first time.

Free Kicks

• After the friendly Saturday, Jason Kreis got into a car accident, but thankfully he is fine.

• If you checked out our links yesterday, you heard Sacha Kljestan’s comments about his former team, the New York Red Bulls. Now, Kljestan’s ex-teammate Sean Davis is responding to Kljestan’s criticisms.
• Over in Australia, Orlando Pride defender Alanna Kennedy and her W-League side, the Melbourne Victory, beat the Brisbane Roar 2-0 in the semifinals late last night. Melbourne City is only one game away from winning its third-straight Grand Finals but will need to get past former Pride goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe and Sydney FC.
• Landon Donovan made his Liga MX debut last night, coming onto the pitch for Leon in the 83rd minute in a 2-1 win against Puebla.
• Black History Month rolls on and our friends over at Stars and Stripes FC continue to celebrate black soccer players by recognizing former striker and current Liberian President George Weah.
• Over in the English Premier League, Sergio Aguero scored four times in Manchester City’s win over Leicester City, his eighth hat trick in the Premier League. That total ties him with the likes of Michael Owen, Thierry Henry, and Harry Kane, only four more away from making history.

That’s all from me, folks. Have a great Sunday everyone!