Lion Links: 3/28/20

Hello Mane Landers, I hope you are doing well and entertaining yourself as most of the Orlando area is on the stay-at-home mandate for a few more weeks. My job extended its closure until the middle of April so I will be spending even more time at home. I’ve been keeping myself busy with school work, challenging my roommates in FIFA 20, and binge watching Netflix shows like Tiger King to help keep myself entertained this week. I hope you all had a good week, now let’s get on to the links.

Reconnecting with Orlando City

Like many of you, I’m missing soccer and Orlando City gave us its top five ways to keep us connected to the beautiful game. I already mentioned one of them earlier by playing FIFA 20 with my roommates. Another on the list includes watching a footie flick such as Shaolin Soccer, Bend it Like Beckham, or HBO’s Maradona documentary. Number three on their list is to read a soccer book; my personal favorite is Soccernomics by Simon Kuper.

Second on their list is streaming classic Orlando games. Orlando City streams a match on its website every Saturday and tonight’s match is the wild game in the rain against the Colorado Rapids last season. Top of the list is to kick a ball around and work on dribbling or shooting skills. I’ve worked on that a bit this week too.

A Letter from Orlando City’s CEO

Orlando City CEO Alex Leitao released a letter to address the fans and let them know how the club is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak and its plans going forward. Leitao discussed that the club is connected with MLS, the NWSL, government agencies, and the Centers for Disease Control to monitor the situation. He also mentioned that the staff is working hard from home to keep fans connected to the club.

USMNT Projected World Cup squad

ESPN released its projected roster for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. I certainly hope the U.S. qualifies this time around, but if you think about it we are only 968 days from the tournament. I expect the likes of Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Weston Mckennie, and Sergino Dest to make the squad, but I’m sure we will have a dark horse candidates such as Josh Sargent, Jackson Yueill. Maybe another unknown player out there can break into the squad in the next two years. What do you guys think?

COVID-19 Soccer Update

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp got emotional after Liverpool fans sung to nurses at a medical hospital helping patients affected by COVID-19. Juventus’ Paulo Dybala also shared his struggles recovering from COVID-19. Meanwhile in Switzerland, nine FC Scion players were sacked for refusing to take pay cuts due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This has gotten the attention of FIFPro, who are against player layoffs and wage cuts to reduce the impact on clubs due to the pandemic.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando City Fund recently thanked Orlando Health for being a partner and promoting health and wellness during these challenging times.

• The Orlando Pride’s Erin Mcleod answered fans questions on social media last night.

• The National Independent Soccer Association is taking donations for Feeding America to help communities provide meals for kids.

• Former Real Madrid star Royston Drenthe was featured in a dutch gangster TV show, Mocro Maffia.
• Despite the NPSL announcing that the season is canceled, the Denton Diablos and Ft. Worth Vaqueros still plan to play in 2020 according to their team owner.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Take care of yourselves, stay safe, and enjoy your Saturday.