Lion Links: 6/12/18

Good morning, Mane Landers. As much as last weekend’s match made me want to curl up in a ball and cry, life must go on. In that spirit, let’s move on to those links as Orlando City will move on to Montreal on Wednesday.

Mueller Says Lions Will Press Onward

Orlando City forward Chris Mueller spoke yesterday about wanting to step up given the team’s recent dreadful run of form.

“I’m going to keep listening to the older guys, try to listen to what the coaching staff is telling me, and we’re just going to keep trying to move forward,” Mueller said.

While there are still plenty of games left to play, the early summer months bear an eerie resemblance to last year when the Lions struggled after a red hot start to the season. Hopefully the rookie can rediscover his early season form and help spark the team back to life.

New USWNT Friendlies On the Schedule

The United States Women’s National Team has added two new friendlies to its schedule at the end of the summer. It was announced Monday that the team will face Chile on Aug. 31 and Sept. 4, with the first game in Carson, CA and the second game up the coast in San Jose. Those will be the final pair of contests for the USWNT before it enters qualifying for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN2.

NYCFC Announces Torrent as Head Coach

New York City FC has a new head honcho, and his name is Domènec Torrent. Having spent a year coaching Girona FC in Spain and an additional 11 years as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistant coaches (most recently at English champions Manchester City), Torrent comes highly qualified. He has signed on as coach until 2020 and will look to continue the good work that was done by Patrick Vieira, who has departed for OGC Nice in France. Torrent will be hoping to replicate the kind of success he enjoyed when working with Guardiola, as the pair won 24 trophies in total at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and the aforementioned Manchester City.

Tim Ream Named Fulham’s POTS

Fulham sure does like its American players, as former New York Red Bulls defender Tim Ream has become the third Yank to be named the club’s player of the season. Ream won a hefty 61% of the vote, and has apparently become a bit of a cult hero among the Fulham faithful. He played a large role in the team’s successful promotion to the English Premier League and seemingly had a penchant for leading attacks from his position in defense.

Cheers Tim, best of luck in the big show.

Free Kicks

Here’s what Patrick Vieira had to say on his departure from NYCFC:

• Here’s a very interesting excerpt from an article about what part economics and money play in international competition.
• Borussia Dortmund has announced a massive stadium renovation as the club is set to add a staggering six —yes, six — additional seats to Signal Iduna Park.

Whether they’re on the field or off it, the Nigerian national team is always dressed fresh as hell. If you disagree, then we shall have words.

It’s going to be a quick turnaround for Orlando City, with the Lions staying north of the border to take on Montreal tomorrow. That game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. and hopefully OCSC will be able to snap its current losing streak against the 11th-placed Canadian team. If nothing else, the World Cup starts on Thursday, so cheer up, it isn’t all bad. Ciao.