Lion Links: 4/20/20

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! Are you stir crazy? Have you watched every show on Netflix? Perhaps you finally finished that book you were reading? While we still can’t enjoy most things, I’m interested in what has been keeping you entertained or busy. Now, let’s get to the links.

What to Watch For

Although live sports are still on hold, there is plenty of past soccer to relive and watch. It’s too late to catch Sunday’s slate of re-aired matches, which featured the 2013 MLS Cup between Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake, but there is some soccer to watch today as well. Minnesota United’s Allianz Field debut against New York City FC last year and the 1996 MLS Cup between the LA Galaxy and D.C. United can both be watched today. Fox Sports will also have some United States Men’s National Team matches against Mexico to watch today too.

Rooney Speaks Out

On former teammate Quincy Amarikwa’s podcast, former D.C. United player Wayne Rooney stated that MLS players are being taken advantage of by the league. Unlike in other sports leagues in the U.S., players in MLS don’t necessarily make enough to move from city to city with ease. Rooney feels that MLS should move to the same system that European leagues employ. It would also open up the salary cap that keeps the best players in their prime from joining the league.

Potential Super League

Santos Laguna and Atlas owner Alejandro Irarragorri feels that a greater partnership between Liga MX and MLS would be mutally beneficial. Recently, Liga MX suspended its promotion and regulation system for five years. The second tier league will become a development league like the USL League One. The idea of merging the two leagues into one is not new, as Don Garber has mentioned it before. Irarragorri recognizes that Liga MX has trouble attracting new ownership, but MLS has a more sustainable growth model.

English Premier League Club Owner Weighs In

There are a lot of questions in the English Premier League about what will happen when the season starts back up, if it does at all. Should Liverpool be given the title and should any teams be relegated? Brighton and Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom says yes to the former and no to the latter. Bloom believes that Liverpool deserves the title, but that the teams at the bottom of the table shouldn’t be relegated for an unfinished season.

In the standings, the race to avoid relegation was tight before play stopped and only time will tell what will happen for those teams. It’s an interesting question that has been overshadowed a bit by news on Liverpool’s title and the league is determining options on how to handle it.

Free Kicks

• You will have to break out the translation tool for this one, but Nani stated a return to Sporting Clube de Portugal to finish his career is not out of the question.
• If you thought you would get to watch Nani and Orlando City eMLS representative Abe Valbuena play in the eMLS Tournament last night, I’m afraid they don’t play their first round match until May 10. The Galaxy’s Chicharito and LAFC’s Adama Diomande squared off, with Diomande moving on and then beating the Chicago Fire’s Francisco Calvo to reach the semifinals.

• AS Roma players are taking a $32 million pay cut across the board in order to help the club during the shutdown. Club management is also giving up a percentage of its salary to help out.
• If you haven’t chosen a Belarusian club to support yet, what are you waiting for? It’s literally the only game in the world right now. The clubs are enjoying the increased attention as well, adding English translations to social media posts to help keep momentum going.

That will do it for today. If you’re a Mane Land PawedCast listener, send us a question or topic on Twitter @themaneland with the hashtag #asktmlpc, or email us at themaneland@gmail.com. Let’s face it, we need something to talk about and love hearing from you all.