Lion Links: 4/28/16

Happy Thursday everyone and sacrebleu, an out-of-season cold snap has caused heavy damage to France's wine coast (link is in french, so, best to use chrome and let it translate for you on that one). My wine and cheese pairing must press on and look for alternatives…like a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. In the past I've talked about pairing braised beef short ribs with this red, but a good alternative to this is actually a decent barbecue bacon cheddar burger. If you sauté some onions and top it with a semi-sweet sauce (I'm partial to Sweet Baby Ray's) on a brioche roll, you create a complex level of flavors that blend perfectly and create one of my favorite dinners.

Now, on to the news!

Ashlyn Harris, Alex Morgan, Lianne Sanderson Up For NWSL Week 2 Honors.

Ashlyn Harris is nominated for NWSL Save of the Week for her effort on denying Janine Beckie in the 18th minute this past Saturday. Alex Morgan’s beautiful team goal, as well as Lianne Sanderson’s Thierry Henry-esque quick free kick, are both up for the NWSL Goal of the Week as well. Keeping with the weekly Honors, SB Nation released its MLS Player of the Week selections. See how we here at The Mane Land voted, as well as our sister sites around the network.

Alex Morgan Believes in the Pride

Speaking of Baby Horse, the captain of the Orlando Pride is happy with her squad, saying:

"You know, I knew it was going to be exciting but at the same time challenging, and it's been exactly that…I haven't been with the team the entire time, so coming in before our first game was pretty difficult…But this team's something special and these players they just, everyone just trusts in each other within this short period of time. For the most part, it's gone so much better than I anticipated."

Morgan went on to say how it was disappointing that the Pride didn't have their first match at home, but that the team will continue to grow as the season progresses.

Copa America Reveals TV Schedule, Orlando to Feature on National Broadcast

Earlier in the year it was revealed that Orlando would host three Copa America matches at *shudders* Camping World Stadium. On June 5, Costa Rica and Paraguay will square off here and, if you can’t make it to watch the Ticos take on Los Guaraníes, fear not. The match will be broadcast nationally on Fox at 5 p.m. The June 6 (7 p.m.) Panama-Bolivia game will be on FS1, UniMás, and Univision Deportes, as will the Neymar-less Brazil-Haiti match on June 8 (7:30 p.m.). A complete listing can be found here.

John Green’s Role in Helping Save AFC Wimbledon

Once upon a time (actually, from 1889-2003) there was Wimbledon FC. Then, despite objections from everyone ranging from fans and supporters to The Football League to The Football Association, the club decided to move to Milton Keynes. Despite having just witnessed the St. Louis Rams move (back) to Los Angeles, it’s almost unheard of for football teams in England to relocate. So, when AFC Wimbledon decided to start anew, they had to start all the way at the bottom rung of English football and claw their way back up to being a professional team again. Thanks to this video from Vice, we get a good look at how this was done.

That's it for today, folks. Enjoy your Thursday!