Lion Links: 5/28/18

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers and a merry Memorial Day as well. I know you might not be feeling too merry after the Orlando City match, but let’s not forget the Pride won big on Saturday, so we did get that. I unfortunately went one for three on the day, with my other team losing the Champions League final. But I’m not going to get into that. Let’s get to the Links!

All MLS Managers Ranked

If NBC Sports’ rankings had come out a month ago, Jason Kreis might have been ranked higher. I certainly think that Orlando City fans might feel his ranking would have been more accurate. As it stands, Kreis sits at 13th out of the 23 MLS managers. His ranking does include his time with Real Salt Lake and New York City FC as well. Kreis has certainly dealt with a ton of obstacles this season (just look at Saturday’s lineup), but hopefully he’ll be able to overcome them and move himself up the list by the end of the season.

Pride’s Dani Weatherholt Does it Right

We spend a lot of time focusing on what Orlando City and Orlando Pride players are doing on the field. Occasionally, we focus on bad stuff that happens off the field. I don’t think we spend enough time showing the great stuff they do off the field and in the community. Zayne Burton had to go through cancer treatments. That is a horrific ordeal for anyone, let alone a young person. However, several Pride players were there to make it a little less bad for Zayne, particularly Dani Weatherholt. I urge you to take the few minutes it takes to watch that video from Lifetime. It will brighten your day.

On a separate but related note, every year I participate in the Great Cycle Challenge. I’m pledged to ride 200 miles during the month of June, and I’m trying to raise (at least) $500 for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. Like many people, I’ve had friends and family that have had to deal with cancer, and I like to do this to fight for a good cause. Every dime I raise goes to helping kids like Zayne fight against this horrible disease. If you are willing to donate, you can do so here. Support my ride, as I try to support those who need the most help. Regardless, thank you.

USMNT Ready For Friendly With Bolivia

The USMNT will be in action tonight against Bolivia in Philadelphia for its first friendly match in over two months. The team that was called up was very young, with an average age under 23 years old. It will also feature the return of fan favorite Christian Pulisic, and will be the awaited team-up of Pulisic and Weston McKennie. Having the two of them on the field together for the first time could possibly be a glimpse at the future of U.S. Soccer.

Nigeria Jersey Breaks Records

So we’ve known about the new U.S. jerseys for a while now thanks to the USWNT, but tonight the USMNT will make its debut in the new kits. However, that’s not the big deal in jerseys this week. It turns out that Nigeria has brought out the kit of the entire World Cup. The jersey has received over three million pre-orders, and the World Cup hasn’t even started. I’ll admit that it is a pretty cool jersey. Will you root a little more for Nigeria, given the cool colors? Let us know in the comments.

Free Kicks

• You might have remembered that Cam Lindley and Pierre da Silva were sent on a single-match loan with Saint Louis FC. It turns out they weren’t enough to make a difference in the 3-0 loss to the Colorado Springs Switchbasks FC.
• Orlando City youth teams do it again.

• Wait, what? When did Carlos Rivas become clutch? And when did he learn how to kick a ball that softly? Seriously.

That’s going to do it for today’s links. I hope your week goes well, and good luck to all the youngsters on the USMNT. Go USA!