Lion Links: 11/11/16

It’s the weekend, baby! The new stadium is entering the final stages and Alex Leitao, CEO of Orlando City, tweeted a picture of it yesterday:

It looks really good and I’m already excited about opening day.

Now, let’s get on with the links.

Tom Sermanni Speaks

In a piece for the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Pride coach Tom Sermanni spoke to reporter Alicia DelGallo and touched on a variety of topics. Most interesting to me was this quote about the eight-game winless run to end the Pride’s first season:

"I haven't had as long a spell as a coach with not winning," Sermanni said, adding his worst winless streak before this year was with a men's side in Australia, which lost six consecutive matches. "So, it's not so much the team. I think if I look at the team and the players, then no, I don't have that feeling.

That’s a lot of games to go winless and it was the most he ever had which makes it worse. I have faith Tom Sermanni can turn the team around and the new addition of Ali Krieger should definitely help.

How far away is the new stadium from Church Street?

Over on the Orlando City website, Mackenzie Thirkill took a trip to see how long the stadium is from the party. If you’re unfamiliar with Church Street, it’s the center of the party downtown, close to the Amway Center, where a bunch of bars and restaurants are located. The trip revealed it took just nine minutes to get there, which is awesome. Incorporating the vibrant downtown area to the stadium is a great move to bring a bigger atmosphere to MLS games.

Morgan’s Brace Helps USWNT Crush Romania

Orlando Pride captain Alex Morgan scored twice off the bench after halftime and Pride keeper Ashlyn Harris got the win, but it was Christen Press’ hat trick in the first half that set the stage for the USWNT’s 8-1 drubbing of Romania in San Jose last night. It was the first-ever meeting between the two nations, who will play again on Sunday at the StubHub Center in Los Angeles Carson, CA. Orlando’s Kristen Edmonds and Ali Krieger did not dress, but could get a chance on Sunday.

Jordan Morris Wins MLS Rookie of the Year

The MLS has made its decision and named Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris Rookie of the Year. I think he deserved it, even though some will argue his national team presence merited it. He scored 12 goals, an MLS record for American-born players, and has the Sounders in the playoffs. A recent injury might change the hopes of the Sounders in the postseason, but his play in the regular season was consistent and strong.

Being highly touted out of college sure ratcheted up the pressure and I think he stepped up and performed. His future looks bright with both the Sounders and the USMNT and he could propel the league’s image when it comes to creating its own stars.

Tactical Preview of USMNT vs. Mexico

The game tonight in Columbus will be great as the Hexagonal round of World Cup qualifying starts. The MLS Website took a look tactically at what could go down and this stood out:

Much of the US success at this summer's Copa America came from the triangle of Brooks, Geoff Cameron (center backs) and Bradley (d-mid). That provided a level of stability that every team the US faced had trouble breaking down, and the one game in which the US moved away from that 4-1-3-2 (Argentina) they got annihilated.

That’s a key for me, especially Bradley’s play, which I can see being the deciding factor in the whole game. A strong Bradley means the U.S. can be a bit more risky going forward, knowing Bradley has their back.

That’s all, folks. Have a safe and happy weekend and check out The Mane Land’s coverage of the USMNT tonight.