Lion Links: 2/13/18

Hello and good morning, dear readers. I hope your weeks have gotten off to a good start and you aren’t all already worn out like I am. But — tired or not — time waits for no man, so let’s get into those Links.

Orlando Pride Preseason Dates

The Orlando Pride have released their preseason schedule. In preparation for the upcoming NWSL season the team will play games against Florida State, UCF, and USF on Feb. 28, March 3, and March 8, respectively. The Florida State match will be open to the public free of charge while fans can purchase tickets for the USF match from the school, with the remaining game against UCF being closed to the public. With the numerous moves the Pride have made in the off-season, it’ll be great to get an idea of what to expect for the upcoming season. Feb. 28 can’t come soon enough.

Orlando City Injury Update

There’s some good news and some bad news on the Orlando City injury front. First, the good:

Now, the not so good:

Obviously the fact that Lindley is expected to train today and Dom already returned to full training are both very good pieces of news. The Josué Colmán news is far from ideal though, as quadriceps injuries can be tricky to rehab. Fully functional quadriceps also happen to be of the utmost importance in athletes, as the quad helps protect the ACL during activity — that dreaded ligament that has a very high incidence of injury among soccer players. With that in mind, here’s wishing Colmán a speedy and successful recovery.

Pride Waive Fields

The Orlando Pride have waived 24-year-old forward Jamia Fields. Fields was one of the Pride’s founding players, as she drafted with the fifth pick in the 2015 NWSL Expansion Draft. Fields served up two assists in 28 appearances during her time with the Pride. But, with the arrival of Sydney Leroux and Rachel Hill smoking the W-League like a ham, Fields was always likely to find herself on the outside looking in. Best of luck to her wherever her career takes her next.

Rowdies Not For Sale

Tampa Bay Rowdies Owner Bill Edwards has stated that his team is not for sale. Instead, he has revealed that he is looking to put together an ownership group. Edwards has dreams of the big time, with his goal being an MLS expansion franchise. Edwards knows that in order to stand a chance of getting that expansion franchise his team needs that ownership group, at least if the examples of past expansion teams are anything to go by. Only time will tell if he’ll get his wish.

Free Kicks

Here’s some USA scheduling news and a personnel rumor:

MLS veteran Bobby Boswell has retired:

• Today’s birthdays include Memphis Depay, Rafa Marquez, Peter Gabriel, and Mike Krzyzewski.

That’s all for today. Not only is tomorrow Valentine’s Day, but there’s also another Orlando City preseason scrimmage to look forward to. Hopefully you didn’t just read the last sentence and freak out because you forgot about Valentine’s Day. If you did, you best be getting your rear in gear ASAP, the clock’s ticking! Ciao.