Lion Links: 11/23/19

Welcome to the weekend, Mane Landers. Apologies to those out there working the weekend; you’ll get yours when the rest of us are at work next week. Personally, this weekend could not have come soon enough. A busy schedule coupled with the impending holiday season rush has me exhausted, and it really hasn’t even begun. That said, I know we’re all (that drips with sarcasm for some of you) looking forward to catching up with beloved family members and eating savory foods. Speaking of foods, I’m here to serve up your Saturday Links, so let’s get to it.

Ruan Returns

I’m not the religious type, but thank God. My favorite Lion, and arguably the best Lion (I’ll die on this hill), Ruan, is returning for at least another two years with a third-year option. This is massive as Ruan is young, intelligent, and most importantly a blazing fast right back who should be a consistent contributor in 2020. I personally hope to see Ruan take on more of a leadership role on the team as well. The way he carries himself, both on and off the field, is admirable and I’m glad the club brought him back.

Okay, I’ll stop gushing. But here are his highlights in purple for you to enjoy and get excited for his future as a Lion.

Orlando SeaWolves Lose Season Opener

The Orlando SeaWolves kicked off their 2019 campaign at Silver Spurs Arena against their instate rivals, the Florida Tropics, and lost 3-2 in a tough match. Supporters have become accustomed to high scoring matches, naturally, as the league lends itself well to high scorelines — and this match was a bit of an outlier with only five goals. Jonny Mendoza and Richard Schmermund scored for the SeaWolves, but it wasn’t enough for Orlando to start the season with a win. They’ll look to right the ship on Dec. 5 with a rematch at home against the Tropics.

MLS Waivers, Free Agency, and Re-Entry

While I’d love to take the words “waivers” and “free agency” and run with it to tell you how well my fantasy football teams are doing (I have two teams, both are 7-4) I’ll spare you. Oh, I did anyway, apologies. With the MLS season behind us, we can now dive into the confusing world of an MLS off-season. I’m not going to muddy the waters more for you by trying to translate what everything means, but the league sent out its full list of players eligible for waivers, free agency, and re-entry.

Will Johnson and Sacha Kljestan are eligible for free agency. Cristian Higuita, Shane O’Neill, Dillon Powers, and Oriol Rosell are on the re-entry list. Carlos Ascues, Adam Grinwis, Cam Lindley, Greg Ranjitsingh, and Lamine Sane are all on the end-of-year waiver list.

OCSC Could Hire Within for OCB Coaching Vacancy

It appears that Marcelo Neveleff is set to take charge of Orlando City B as the team’s new head coach. Neveleff was hired by the club earlier this year as the academy director and is a logical choice to step in as head coach after Fernando Jose de Argila Irurita was fired earlier this summer. It’s not a done deal by any means, but it seems the likely choice for Orlando City’s front office to go with moving forward.

Jason Kreis No Longer a Candidate at Real Salt Lake

The former Lions gaffer was in Utah earlier this month to hold talks with Real Salt Lake about the team’s vacancies at head coach and general manager, but the talks didn’t prove fruitful for either party. Kreis won’t be in the running to return to the helm of the club he once led to an MLS Cup triumph just a decade ago. No true reasoning was released, but it may have to do with his involvement with incoming club Inter Miami or the U-23 U.S. Men’s National Team.

Free Kicks

• D.C. United was late in announcing its post-2019 roster decisions but the club is in talks to bring back former Lions keeper Earl Edwards Jr. for the 2020 season.
• This is an outstanding piece explaining the first-person perspective of the Spanish women’s first division players who went on strike. I don’t have an answer, and I’ll never claim to, but things need to change when it comes to women, soccer, and fair pay.
• Check out this beauty of a team goal from Florida State University. As an old coach of mine would say, “Class in a glass.” More importantly, the Noles won 2-0 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament.

• Hey there eSports fan (maybe there’s more than one of you, who knows?), Orlando City re-signed Abe Valbuena (FIFA Abe) as the club’s official eMLS competitor. Way to go, Abe!
• And let’s end on a good (boy) note. Just look at this pup!

All right folks, I’m out. You can catch me somewhere in downtown Sanford today having a drink or four with good people. See you there.