Lion Links: 8/13/20

Happy Thursday, Lionesses and Lions, I sincerely hope you overcame this particularly difficult hump day with ease. After the loss in the final to the Portland Timbers, it was trickier than usual to get out of bed for work in the morning. With that being said, it is smile-inducing that the Lions have a chance at redemption in just nine days time against state rivals Inter Miami on Aug. 22. On that horrible attempt at a positive note, let’s get into the links.

Nani is Up for the Goal of the Tournament Award

As expected, the sensational Nani strike that came against Minnesota United is in contention for the Goal of the Tournament award. The blistering curler is one of eight quality goals picked out for MLS spectators to choose from and has a really good shot (no pun intended) at taking the honor. Supporters can ensure Nani wins the deserved prize by going to the link here and placing him first in the ranking out of the eight strikes.

Pride Midfielder Camila Loaned to SE Palmeiras

Orlando Pride midfielder Camila has been loaned to Brazil and will play her trade with SE Palmeiras until Dec. 22, as the reports out of Brazil a few days back have now been confirmed by the club. The 25-year-old has made 49 appearances for the Pride, scoring five goals and adding five assists since 2017. The Brazil international has now been loaned out three times since arriving in Orlando. The loan to SE Palmeiras will take effect immediately.

MLS Players Association Discussing Opt-Out Plans

Multiple sources have told ESPN that there are talks between the MLS and the players’ union to organize an opt-out protocol. The report states the following:

According to one source with knowledge of the discussions, the situations for which the protocol would make allowances include players who have an underlying medical condition or live with a family member who has such a condition. It is not clear what the salary implications would be for players who exercised the opt-out clause.

Similar to the MLS is Back Tournament, there may be a host of players who, understandably, do not feel comfortable playing soccer given their personal situations. Soccer is great and important, but it’s not worth risking the health of you or your loved ones.

Pedro Gallese Edged Out by Andre Blake for Golden Glove Award

Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake has been awarded the MLS is Back Golden Glove award. Blake pipped the Orlando City goalkeeper to the accolade in spite of a sensational effort from the Orlando faithful in the poll. Gallese saw a resounding 76.79% of the fan votes swing his way, while Blake only received 12.62%. Blake did, however, top the media vote with 58.27%, which saw his final percentage set at 46.86% compared to 44.59% for Gallese. Better luck next time, El Pupo, you won the award in our hearts.

Free Kicks

• Kingston had a heart warming meet and greet with the Orlando City cubs. The final match party may have been slightly spoiled by the negative result, but it’s great to see things going back to (kind of) normal and seeing kids having fun again.
• The MLS Twitter page felt the need to remind Orlando City fans that one year ago today was that insanely painful goal conceded to Wayne Rooney. Talk about rubbing salt in fresh wounds. Well, we weren’t about to take that lying down.

• Despite the final loss, Orlando City, and also Matthew McConaughey apparently, are pumped and ready for the official MLS return. So yeah, that’s cool — not the McConaughey part by the way. Let’s hope everything goes “alright, alright, alright” and we rediscover the positive momentum we had before the final loss.

• There was an actual MLS game played last night and Nashville SC managed its first victory.

That’ll do, pig. That is all for this Thursday’s links, so with that, I’ll catch you on the flip side.