Lion Links: 1/26/18

Happy Friday, friends! I hope you have had an awesome week, and are ready for another thrilling installment of Lion Links. We are deep into the silly season that is the winter transfer window with teams opening camp around the league and players and rumors flying around like winged monkeys.

This week is especially bittersweet for me as I transition from one day job to another. Not to fret folks, I am not leaving The Mane Land, just moving from being a mad scientist at one company to being an even madder scientist at another (I build lasers... mwahahaha). Now that all of that is out of the way, let’s dig into the nuggets of wisdom and knowledge we have for you today.

But first, let’s start the day off on the right foot, and wish the Orlando Pride’s own Steph Catley a happy birthday, or as I like to say, congrats on another successful revolution around the rather average ball of fusion on this strange and random rock. In case you didn’t know, Steph holds the honor of scoring the first ever goal for the Pride in NWSL play. Hope you have a fantastic day Steph! Now, let’s get to the links!

Photo by Joe Petro/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Larin Saga Continues

In the daily saga that is Orlando City striker Cyle Larin‘s future, the rumor now is that Beşiktaş JK are looking to get a temporary license for Larin from FIFA so he can compete until the contract issue is settled. This situation just keeps getting uglier. Hopefully it gets settled sooner rather than later for all parties involved, including the fans, who surely are feeling a plethora of emotions right now in the face of how Cyle and Beşiktaş are choosing to handle this.

Colmán has Game

If you haven’t already done your research on the newest Lions, let us help you out a little. Please bear witness below to the smooth and mesmerizing moves of one of the newest members of the club, Josué Colmán.

Admittedly, these aren’t the moves you will see during a match, but they definitely give you a feel for the quickness, agility, and creativity the new Lion is bringing to the pitch.

USL Discusses Pro/Rel Between Its Divisions

The one debate that may be harder than most for American sports fans to understand is the benefit of having a promotion and relegation system. Considering the sport is already embedded in the minds of most Americans, the system of promotion/relegation may seem foreign. It has surfaced a few times within the ranks of U.S. Soccer presidential candidates and now it is being discussed as a possibility between the second and third divisions of the USL. It needs to start somewhere, and if the USL can pull it together, it could be a great avenue to test the viability of such a system in American soccer.

NWSL’s Boston Breakers Folding

In some extremely sad news, it would appear that the Boston Breakers of the NWSL are folding. Negotiations were taking place for a new ownership group for one of the longest continuously operated women’s soccer teams in the United States. However, the deal fell through at the 11th hour and, with no time to find a new ownership group, the team has been forced to fold. Some held out hope that the league would step in and operate the team for just the 2018 season while the search for ownership moved forward, but no one knows if the league even looked at that option seriously. It is truly a shame nothing could be done to save the team, the franchise, and everyone's jobs.

Free Kicks:

• Lee Nguyen is looking for a fresh start, and feels that may only happen if he’s away from the New England Revolution.
• Another former USL Lion, Brad Rusin, has found a new home, this time with the Indy Eleven.
• Sam Kerr was named Young Australian of the Year. Congrats on such a big honor.
• Manchester United has a rising star in Jesse Lingard, and now the club may be opening its wallet to bring in two more, including Christian Pulisic.

• The American Outlaws are at it again, doing some good in the world. Do you need a new soccer ball, well, the AO can help, and in doing so, you can help someone else as well.
• Chicharito to MLS rumors have resurfaced.

• Ending our links is a mysterious tweet put out yesterday afternoon by Orlando City. It seems to be kid-focused. Any guesses?

That’s about it for today, everyone. Hopefully you have an easy Friday to end the week. The 2018 MLS season is getting so close, I can almost taste it. Enjoy your weekend and I hope you enjoyed these delicious links from around the world wide web. See you soon, friends.