Lion Links: 5/9/20

Hello, Mane Landers. How is everyone holding up with businesses slowly coming back? I’ve been pretty busy this week learning Open Broadcaster Software for school, catching up with friends, and watching some K-League soccer. It’s been great to see live sports start to return. Now, on to the links.

Nani Improving His Game

Orlando City midfielder Nani is preparing for battle at the FIFA 20 eMLS Tournament Special tomorrow. Nani will play against Franco Escobar, who represents Atlanta United. It’s really cool that this rivalry is now going virtual, especially when it is for a good cause. However, Nani hasn’t played FIFA much in the time since sharing the cover of FIFA 12’s Portuguese edition with future Lion Kaká, who was at Real Madrid at the time. He may be a little rusty, but Nani is looking forward to the match tomorrow and will do his best to represent Orlando City.

Orlando City Classic Preview

Tonight’s Orlando City Classic will be the Lions’ 5-1 win at home against FC Cincinnati last season. Tesho Akindele, Nani, and Dom Dwyer all found the back of the net in the first meeting between the two clubs. Miguel Gallardo, Jenny Chiu, and Evan Weston preview the match to get you all set for tonight.

Also can you guess which Lions started in that game? Leave your guesses below and if you get it right I’ll make sure to give you a shout out on social media.

Orlando Pride Players Return to Training

Many Orlando Pride players reported to their training grounds for individual workouts. With players following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NWSL guidelines, Ashlyn Harris shared her thoughts on how the club organized the process during yesterday’s training.

Liga MX and MLS Merger Rumors

Super League rumors have always been constant in Europe, but could it happen in North America? The rumors of a possible merger between MLS and Liga MX won’t go away. Two years ago, both MLS and Liga MX launched the Campeones Cup, a clash between the leagues’ champions. Then came the Leagues Cup, a single-elimination tournament between the two leagues. One factor that could strengthen the growing rumors is both leagues’ relationships with Concacaf.

If Liga MX and MLS merged one day, they would be able to profit on their own revenues instead of Concacaf. Earlier this week, Concacaf President Victor Montagliani announced an expansion of the Concacaf Champions League, so we will see how this plays out. I personally don’t see the leagues coming together soon, but what do you all think of a potential merger?

Free Kicks

• Check out Miguel Gallardo’s review on Robin Jansson’s game here.

• The International Football Association Board will allow teams to make five substitutions per match to help players return.
• Kylian Mbappe was named the top scorer in Ligue 1 despite finishing with the same total as Wissam Ben Yader. Mbappe would rather share the Golden Boot.
• Have you wondered how NWSL teams would fit in a Bon Appetit Cinematic Universe? No? Well, you can check out the results here.
• Louisville’s women’s team will not be known as Proof Louisville FC in the NWSL, with a new horse entering the race for the team’s name.

• One league that could benefit from the Concacaf Champions League’s expansion is the USL Championship as the league pushes for paths to qualify.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. I hope everyone has a safe weekend and I’ll talk to you next time.