Lion Links: 5/7/17

Happy Sunday, Mane Landers! Last night did not go as planned or even as hoped, but a new day brings new possibilities and the Orlando Pride are set to play FC Kansas City this afternoon. With any luck, Tom Sermanni’s squad can help wash away the memories of last night’s loss.

Lions Fall at Houston Dynamo, 4-0

Orlando City played its third game in eight days and the Lions looked exactly like a team that played and traveled a lot in last night’s loss at BBVA Compass Stadium. Sometimes you need to dissect a match to fully come to terms with it and here is our coverage to help you do that.

• Michael Niemeier has your match recap.
• Scott Carnevale has your player grades and Man of the Match.
• Here’s the view from the other side from our friends at Dynamo Theory.

And you can check back later today for Ryan Nagel's five takeaways from the game.

Orlando City Aren’t MLS Cup Favorites Just Yet

This may sound odd because the Lions are among the top teams in MLS right now — and last night illustrates it — but according to this analysis of past seasons it's June that counts, not May. But that, I mean where you are in June is a pretty good representation of how you’ll end up. For whatever reason, May just doesn't seem to provide that same type of representation. What does this mean for Lions fans? Not much. But for those of you who like to weed through piles of stats trying to look for trends, this is one that looks pretty solid. The good news is if Orlando City does follow this trend, it looks like we just need the team to keep up the good form for one more month and we’re good to go. The bad news is MLS isn’t very consistent on following trends.

OCB's Top Prospects Impressing

In a league dominated by foreign stars like Sebastian Giovinco and David Villa, it's always a breath of fresh air to see young, domestic players perform. One thing Major League Soccer wants to do is develop young talent that can make it at the next level. Many players end up settling for the lower divisions of the U.S. soccer pyramid instead. While every young American player's dream is to play in MLS, or maybe even Europe, Orlando City B has eight players that are making the most of their opportunities in the USL. One particular name that stands out is goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr., who currently leads the league in saves. OCB's other league leader, Pierre Da Silva, has the most assists in the USL, with four. We all hope that one day they will get their chance to produce those types of numbers for the senior team.

Brek Shea Scores the Game Winner Against Colorado Rapids

I think a good word to sum up Brek Shea's time with Orlando City would be "disappointment." So far, it seems the Vancouver Whitecaps are more than satisfied with him with his latest involvement being a game-winning goal coming off the bench away at the Colorado Rapids. Personally, I wish him the best, though I'm sure many OCSC fans have mixed emotions. One thing we all wish is that he scored some more goals like this for us.

Shea’s new coach, Carl Robinson, seems to be a big Brek fan:

“He’s been a massive part of that locker room in there,” said Robinson. “People have always got their opinions on Brek, and I firmly believe and have confidence in him. I think he’s a super talent. He’s still young, he’s still got a lot of football ahead of him and my job is to make him feel confident so he goes out and expresses himself on the pitch like he did today.”

Former Pride Player Sarah Hagen Defied All Odds

Sports is a thing that can sometimes bring out the worst in us, so when we get inspiring stories like Sarah Hagen's, I think it is important to cherish them. When Hagen was 15 she was diagnosed with cancer and months later was cleared. Almost everyone knows someone who's had to deal with cancer and I think it's safe to say that it can be a quite traumatizing experience. Hagen though, after being told she didn't have cancer, soldiered on with her life and ended up having a successful career in soccer. Hagen has recently joined the Houston Dash and is looking to take on this new challenge with the same fight she's had her whole life.

That's all for today’s lion links. Check back later for full coverage of the Pride’s match. Have a fantastic Sunday!