For all Orlando City Soccer fans. A bright new beginning!

When I signed with Orlando City Soccer at the end of 2014 to start a new journey in my career, I knew that I would live incredible and challenging moments here. I also knew that I would be part of something new and really special. After feeling the heat of Orlando and from this incredible crowd during my first season, I could just confirm all my expectations. Yesterday I was called by our president to be the person in charge for bringing big news for everyone and give back some of that warmth to all the Orlando City fans.

It is with great joy and satisfaction that I have come here today to invite all of you to the historic first big match against the Stoke City F.C. team in our new home, the Orlando City Stadium. We could not have a better way to start our new history than going to the field and showing to the world our colors and our strength. This will be only the first match of a new incredible story; a journey that we will make together.

Starting next season, I'm counting on all of you to come to our new home and to show to the entire nation the power of our new stadium. I am sure that this will be the stage of epic matches and also where we will make history together. After so many fantastic moments that I have experienced in my career, I never imagined that I could live so many new emotions again. I have to thank all of you guys who always come to the stadium to cheer for me and support the whole team.

God bless all of you. I see you guys in our new home!

Kaká.


OBS: This is a fictitious message created to meet the requirements of my “public relations” class at Full Sail University. This message is not real and does not represent Kaká, player from Orlando City Soccer.

Arda Turan may stay, but will have to fight for his position on Barça.

"I want to follow at Barca," said Arda Turan on his news conference last week. The answer may even seem obvious, but it was necessary. The Turkish is involved in rumors since before the end of the season, especially on a proposal from China that would fill Barcelona’s coffers and would provide a huge salary to the player. With the difficulty faced to adapt since debuting in January, its future was unclear. Still, he reiterated that it is a dream to wear the blue-maroon shirt and there is no intention of leaving.

It is the right decision, looking for his perspective. We know that he always wanted to play for Barcelona, since he played for Galatasaray, and it would not make sense to abandon that dream after only six months playing for the team. Also, leave the club without having found his place in the team would be a sign that he failed in the task of being successful in a European giant. He’s importance to Atletico Madrid will never be questioned, but the trip to Barcelona was one step forward in his career. Going back after just one season in the new team would attest to his failure.

However, in August he will need to show way more than he showed in the six months he played for the club. Also, he will need to prove to the fans and to himself that he is able to find himself in this Barcelona, adapt to the team style and not become a player who does not have the confidence of the coach nor the fans. If this task was already difficult, it will be even more complicated.

Image: spor.mynet.com

This is because the competition for space in the midd-filed that will be huge next season. Iniesta and Rakitic should continue to be the absolute starters, although Don Andrés will be over the rotation implemented in the squad avoiding any physical problem. Sergi Roberto will have to prove that last season was no exception and that he can keep growing and establishing himself on the team, although sometimes this happens when he plays on the right side of the defense, not in the middle of the field. Rafinha will compete in the Olympic games, which should help him regain his physical fitness and return to fight for more prominence in the squad. There is still the arrival of Denis Suárez, which must be formalized in July, another player who can operate in midfield.

All these players, even Denis, for already having worked in the B team, are more suited to Barca's style than Turan. On the first day of pre-season, all those players will be ahead of the Turkish in the race for space. So he will have to work double. It's a race where Arda starts behind their competitors. Before fighting for the top positions, he needs to worry about reaching their companions who compete for the same job.

If Luis Enrique is planning to increase the rotations of the MSN trio Arda can find a space in the attack. It is not a surprise to see him attacking as a winger, either in Turkish national team nor when he used to play for Atletico Madrid. In some games last season, he played in that position for Barça, but most of the opportunities he received was in midfield. As the competition in the this sector will be even bigger, perhaps this opportunity to play on the attack is very welcome to give confidence to Barça’s number 7.

The pre-season will be very important to define where Turan will find his place in the team and to help him finally adapt to Barcelona's style of play. For him, it is essential to impress Luis Enrique on training sessions and friendlies, so that he can prove his worth to receive more minutes on the pitch. Arda make the right decision on not leave Barca now, but he will need to sweat a lot if he doesn’t want new rumors of a transfer to repeat next year.

Rode, a good deal for Bayern and Dortmund.

Although several other German clubs give preference to the domestic market at the time of making their purchases, is Bayern (and only Bayern) who is known as the "predator of the Bundesliga," precisely because the players contractors who possess some attention. This nickname, it is worth noting. This fact received more attention here than in Germany - and those such photos with the players in gray and colored Reus cooperated enough for that.

The "Bayern bogeyman", however, is about to do a deal with Borussia Dortmund ("its biggest victim", according to many) and this business promises to be excellent for all parties involved, but especially for Sebastian Rode, player who is often linked to the team of Dortmund and hardly not play for the rival.

photo by: squawka.com

The player was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt in early 2014 and made official in mid that year. Rode, 25, long ago was regarded as the "new Schweinsteiger" in Germany. The nickname started to lose strength over time since he was little used. The fact is that Rode, although extremely promising when he was hired, was very underused by the giant of Bavaria.

Rode never won many opportunities to consolidate itself as a defender in midfield. The explanation for this is simple: Guardiola went on to play with a single wheel in his time at Bayern. Always ahead of him on the team was Schweinsteiger, Xabi Alonso, Thiago Alcantara, Alaba and even Lahm. So it was hard to prove his potential.

Dortmund has shown that it will do everything to search hiring Rode this summer window and Bayern will hardly make any ceremony to keep him on the team. With a contract until the year 2018 and taking into account its virtues as a good pass, speed and an ability to pivot, Bayern can achieve at least € 10 million on this deal.

It is an excellent deal for Bayern because then the team will begin to wipe a bloated cast. A good deal for Dortmund, winning a strong reinforcement for the midfield and the player himself, who finally get what he wanted: the opportunity to be an important player for a big club.