Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/18/18
Good morning, Mane Landers! I hope everyone had a good Father’s Day. There was some good sports action yesterday with the conclusion of the U.S. Open and of course some World Cup games. Today’s games include Sweden vs. South Korea, Belgium vs. Panama, and Tunisia vs. England.
Now let’s get to the links!
Flávio Talks About Kreis’ Firing
Orlando City shocked the MLS world by firing its head coach, Jason Kreis. Many fans were calling for it for awhile but the fact that the club did it with the Lions in playoff position seemed pretty unusual. Orlando will be looking for its third head coach now and owner Flávio Augusto da Silva tweeted about the decision.
Business and sports have a lot in common. Both are based on RESULTS. There is no room for excuses or inefficiency. The lack of results will always punish us with forgetfulness. So no matter how many times we fail, trust your instincts, never accept mediocrity, never give up. Go!
— Flávio Augusto (@GeracaodeValor) June 17, 2018
More Knee Slides from the Rookie
Remember this iconic Chris Mueller knee slide? Well a World Cup commercial cracked a joke about knee slide celebrations and the Orlando City rookie got caught down memory lane.
This @GEICO commercial got me thinkin… 🤔💭💵 pic.twitter.com/6Lh1mNGgWV
— Christopher Mueller (@cmueller1662) June 17, 2018
USMNT Forward Gets a Transfer
Julian Green was on loan with German side Greuther Furth last season but the move has been made permanent. The 23-year-old rejoined the United States Men’s National Team after 18 months and knows he must continue to get first team action if he is going to stay on the U.S. roster.
“Here, I made a return to the national team and I get the opportunity to develop myself and continue to improve. I’m looking forward to the new season,” Green said.
World Cup Upsets
The day kicked off with Serbia downing Costa Rica, 1-0 as Aleksandar Kolarov scored the lone goal. Germany was a heavy favorite to beat Mexico, but the Mexicans showed some Concacaf power and shocked the world by beating the defending champions, 1-0.
If that wasn’t enough drama, Switzerland then held on for a hard-fought point against another tournament favorite in Brazil. As Ronaldo nailed a free kick and Messi hit his into the wall in the dying moments of each of their games, Neymar, who is arguably the third best player in the world, had a chance from a set piece in stoppage time. The Brazilian decided to put a cross in instead of shooting and Switzerland defended it, ending the game 1-1.
Free Kicks
- Wondering what MLS players are in the World Cup? Of course there is Yoshi, but here is everyone else.
- If Orlando City beats D.C. United in the U.S. Open Cup, the Lions will play the Philadelphia Union. Joe Tansey from ProSoccerUSA wrote about what we learned from D.C.’s win over the Red Bulls.
- Need a break from the World Cup? Here are some soccer movies to watch instead, and yes Bend It Like Beckham made the list.