Lion Links: 10/12/18

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope the work week and hurricane hasn’t been too rough for you all this week as we head into the weekend. With Orlando City struggling, it’s been nice to focus on some international soccer the past couple of days thanks to the United States men’s and women’s national teams. But now our attention turns back to the Lions as they prepare for a showdown with the New England Revolution tomorrow night. Let’s get to the links!

Lions Still Have Plenty to Fight for

Orlando City may be one of the worst teams in MLS with no goals scored in the past four games and approaching the most conceded goals in league history. It has been bleak this season, but there is still a lot to play for as Head Coach James O’Connor prepares for the off-season. But while the focus is definitely on the future, O’Connor isn’t writing off these last few games off either.

“Your own pride should kick in. That should elevate everything else,” O’Connor said. “My expectation is for the players to have pride in the performance, like we all try to take pride in our work every day. I think that’s something we expect to see.”

Opportunity is Everywhere for Hopeful Lions

With both strikers unavailable, three players out on international duty, and even more injured, the time is now for some Lions to make their presence known. It’s a tryout of sorts for the Lions as O’Connor plugs in many players to see who will be sticking around for 2019. With a steady rotation and practically every position up in the air, it’s up to the players to make their case and prove they’re worth keeping.

USMNT Loses Lead and Game to Colombia

Despite the 4-2 score, it wasn’t all bad for the U.S. in its friendly defeat to Colombia last night. Sure, this is a team without some of its more exciting players and it never really looked like Colombia was threatened, but there were some real flashes of excitement and promise from this young team that managed to take a 2-1 lead in the second half. Colombia wasn’t holding back and these are the kinds of growing pains the team needs from these friendlies.

Leading Candidate for USMNT Head Coaching Job

There’s been no official word from the United States Soccer Federation, but sources gathered from Sports Illustrated are saying that Columbus Crew coach Gregg Berhalter is the leading candidate for the USMNT head coaching gig. U.S. Soccer has stated it would like a head coach by November and the clock is ticking as General Manager Earnie Stewart continues his search. But one of the biggest talking points has been the requirement for the next coach to speak English, which would rule out Tata Martino as a candidate.

Orlando City Stadium a Top Choice among MLS Venues

While I’m never a fan of rankings that have ties at first place (seriously, isn’t the point of rankings to actually rank them), it was nice to see Orlando City Stadium earn a four-way finish for first place in Stadium Journey’s rankings. While the purple palace doesn’t have a fancy high-tech roof like Mercedes-Benz Stadium or a history like Providence Park, it has a certain allure to it with a colorful look and simple name.

Free Kicks

• Chris Mueller was mentioned as an honorable mention for Rookie of the Year by Bobby Warshaw over at MLSsoccer.com. With Corey Baird as the current favorite, Mueller could flip the tables with a good run of games while the team remains depleted at goal scoring options.
• With most attention on the USWNT, and for good reason, let’s not forget that Orlando Pride defender Shelina Zadorsky has been doing well as she and Canada have cruised through the tournament as well.
• Speaking of Orlando players serving their countries, Orlando City defender Amro Tarek and Egypt have an African Cup of Nations qualifying match today against Swaziland at 1 p.m. ET. Here in Florida, Yoshimar Yotún and Peru are taking on Chile in a friendly at 8:30 p.m. ET before they face the U.S. on Tuesday.
• The Lions may be out of the playoff hunt but can still impact the postseason picture by upsetting the New England Revolution. Misery loves company.
• O’Connor has made it clear that he wants to bring balance to his squad and strengthen the forward position but he may face some stiff competition from the striker-starved Colorado Rapids.
• USWNT Head Coach Jill Ellis is welcoming of FIFA’s recent global initiative for women’s soccer, but is well aware of the work that still needs to be done.
• We end our links with some holy banter. A nun, and Barcelona fan, took a jab at Real Madrid as the team struggles to score goals.

Using Google translate, you get the following:

Hello, someone who understands mobile could help me. Ten days ago I activated the notifications on the mobile to notify me of the goals of RMadrid, and nothing, that does not work, there is no way … With humor #FromClaustro

That’s all from me, folks! I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and a great weekend.