Lion Links: 11/28/19

Good morning and happy Thanksgiving, Mane Landers! I hope you all have a chance to find something for which to be thankful today. Let’s jump right into the links.

OCSC Re-Signs Alex De John and Mason Stajduhar

Orlando City announced yesterday that defender Alex De John and goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar have re-signed with the club for the 2020 season. Both players have signed one-year deals with options for additional seasons.

We are very happy to have Alex back with the club in 2020,” said Orlando City SC EVP of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi in a club press release. “His experience abroad and in the U.S. makes him a valuable member of our roster and adds needed depth to our back line. We look forward to having his presence back within the team for this year.”

“We are thrilled to have Mason continue with the club after he had a strong season on loan last year,” Muzzi said in the club release. “Investing in and developing our Homegrown Players is extremely important to us and Mason exemplifies the pathway we have worked to establish from our academy to the first team. We look forward to seeing him grow and contribute to the team even more in the coming year.”

Pride’s Zadorsky Among Nominees for 2019 Canada Soccer Player of the Year

Canada Soccer announced the male and female nominees for the 2019 Canada Soccer Player of the Year Award yesterday. Orlando Pride defender Shelina Zadorsky has earned a nomination. Media and coaches will be voting for their male and females choices now through Dec. 8. All of the nominees for the award played for Canada this year, including participation in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Concacaf Gold Cup, or Concacaf Nations League.

USWNT Brings in Lots of New Faces for December Camp

Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski named a 24-player roster for an Indentification Camp to be held in Bradenton from Dec. 9-14. The roster includes 17 uncapped players, six players with three caps or fewer, and Samantha Mewis’ older sister, Kristie Mewis, who had 15 caps from 2013-2014.

“One of our main goals heading into 2020 is to expand the player pool, but with Olympic Qualifying coming up soon, we don’t have much time to do that, so this camp is a great opportunity for the players and the coaches,” said Andonovski. “For the players, it’s a chance to try to earn invitations to future camps so we can evaluate them against the veteran players, and for the coaches, it’s a very valuable few days to try to add depth to positions where we may need it.”

Concussion Substitutes Could be Coming for Euro 2020

The International Football Association Board is set to take a vote in February on implementing temporary substitutions while players are evaluated for concussions. The plan is widely supported and is intended to allow the medical team more time to evaluate a player. The temporary substitution would not count as one of the team’s three (or four during extra time) official substitutions.

Free Kicks

• Billionaire Meg Whitman purchases 20% stake in FC Cincinnati.
• Former USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was hired as interim coach of Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
• Alan Pulido Could be Headed to the San Jose Earthquakes for a $10 million transfer fee.
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s statue was set on fire in apparent reaction to his part ownership of Hammarby.
• The USMNT by the numbers.

That’s going to do it for me today, Mane Landers. I hope everyone has a relaxing day with friends, family, and loved ones. I’ll just be over here making myself sick on my mom’s Thanksgiving rolls.