Lion Links: 7/21/18

Happy Saturday, Mane Landers. Today is a double match day, with both Orlando teams in action and looking to continue winning ways in league play. Before we get started, happy birthday to Anthony Pulis, formerly head coach of Orlando City B and a player with Orlando City in the team’s USL days. Now let’s get to those links.

Justin Meram Won’t Play Against Columbus

Justin Meram will not suit up to face his former team tonight. The winger did not travel with the team to Columbus, making tonight’s game the third in a row in which the winger will not feature at all in the Orlando City SC 18. There has been no official word on whether Meram’s absence is due to injury, form, or some other undisclosed reason. James O’Connor stated that simply because a player doesn’t play one week does not mean he won’t take part in the next game, and said that things are very much on a day by day basis. However, Yoshimar Yotún has recovered from his illness at least enough to make the trip to Ohio so he could be available tonight.

Rosell and Mueller Go Golfing

Uri Rosell and Chris Mueller were guests on this week’s episode of the MLSsoccer.com series By the Way. Host Susannah Collins talked with the two players about a variety of topics, including Uri’s transition to life in the United States, and Mueller’s Ronaldo goal celebration. Interestingly enough, Rosell also named the rookie as the most competitive person on the team, which perhaps isn’t so surprising when you watch just how damn hard he works every second that he’s on the field. It’s an interesting look into two of OCSC’s slightly more low profile players and what they’re like off the field — and worth checking out if you have some time on your hands.

SIMA Aguilas Victorious in Semis

Orlando City de facto PDL team SIMA Aguilas were victorious in the team’s USLPDL Southern Conference semifinal against Brazos Valley last night by a score of 2-1. The team will now play in the Southern Conference final tonight. SIMA will face The Villages SC — another Florida team. The Villages posted a 1-0 road upset victory over Tormenta FC from Georgia. The Aguilas’ win featured a number of Orlando City Development Academy players, something that is always a nice thing to see. The team has had a very good season, with a record of 11-2-1 that was good enough to finish top of the Southeast Division for the regular season. Best of luck to the team in tonight’s clash.

Will Audi Field Hurt D.C. United’s Atmosphere?

It seems a strange question to ask, but is it possible that D.C. United’s move to new soccer-specific stadium Audi Field will actually hurt the club’s game day atmosphere? SB Nation’s own Kim McCauley wrote a wonderful article about how circumstances surrounding the team’s new stadium and the club’s relationship with certain supporter groups made for a rather subdued atmosphere in the stadium’s first MLS game. The piece also explores some of the difficulties in getting the new stadium built, how the club ownership has changed, and what those changes could mean for D.C. United moving forward. It’s a fantastic article and I highly recommend giving it a read.

Free Kicks

A former Orlando City GM might have a new job a few hours south.

It seems that there may be some slightly…lenient punishments in line for some Atlanta United players after their game with Seattle Sounders.

Speaking of that game, here’s what Tata Martino had to say about PRO admitting a penalty call was missed during the match.

Tata from the top ropes!

That’s all I have for you today. Orlando City looks to make it back-to-back MLS wins when it takes on the Columbus Crew tonight at 7:30 pm ET, while the Orlando Pride take on the Seattle Reign at home today at 3:30 pm ET. Check back for full coverage of both games throughout the day.

I leave you with this video of a man making a group of turkeys gobble at will, because I find it extremely amusing.