Lion Links: 2/16/18

Hey Mane Landers. No, your eyes don’t deceive you. I’m not your friendly neighborhood BeardedGuy. I’m just Marcus from Sunday morning links. We had a little shuffling with the schedule so I’ll be your Friday guy for the time being and your favorite bearded writer can be seen Sunday. Enough semantics, we’ve got a lot to cover today so let’s hop right to it.

Florida Youth Soccer Player Remembered

I hope I never have to write a link like this again. One of the victims in Wednesday’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was Alyssa Alhadeff, a player for Parkland Soccer Club’s travel team.

No words can express the sadness that comes from a life being cut far too short. All I ask is that when you read this, you take 10 or 30 seconds to pause before scrolling down and give a moment of silence for Alyssa, the other victims, and all the countless individuals that this senseless tragedy affects.

Injury Timetables Given for Hurt Lions

Dom Dwyer and Richie Laryea have both been limited this preseason and both were given a timetable of two to four weeks. Laryea is ailing from a right adductor strain and Dwyer’s listed injury is a quad strain, different from the hamstring injury that sidelined him in the USMNT’s January camp. While Laryea’s injury is not too big of an issue due to the depth in midfield, the Lions are thin at forward and could be in a bind if Dwyer misses the season-opener on March 3.

Morgan, Harris, and Zadorsky Land on Allocated Player List

The NWSL released its list of allocated players for the upcoming 2018 season and Alex Morgan, Ashlyn Harris, and Shelina Zadorsky are Orlando’s Federation Players. This is the third-straight allocation for Morgan and Harris with the Pride and the first for Canadian defender Zadorsky. Also, the Pride have retained the rights to Sydney Leroux and Ali Kreiger and are in negotiations with both players to craft contracts.

And speaking of Zadorsky, she has been chosen to join the Canadian Women’s National Team roster for the 2018 Algarve Cup in Portugal. Zadorsky joins the likes of Christine Sinclair and Kadeisha Buchanan in what will be Head Coach Kenneth Heiner-Møller’s first competitive game since landing the job. The Canadians will kick off their Algarve Cup with a match on Feb. 28 against Sweden.

Analytical 2018 Preview for Orlando City

Need a refresher on what Orlando City has been up to this off-season? Look no further than this statistical preview complete with nifty graphs and a whole lot of info. According to the research done, Yoshimar Yotun is likely to have a strong 2018 campaign and Amro Tarek should come out ahead in the tight race to be Spector’s center back partner.

Top Priorities for Cordeiro’s Presidency

Like most presidents, newly-elected USSF President Carlos Cordeiro will have all eyes on his first 100 days in office. There’s certainly a lot to get done for Cordeiro during one of the most transitional periods in USSF history. The folks over at FourFourTwo have given their take on the top five most pressing items for Cordeiro to do in the early days of his tenure. A focus on reinvigorating the soccer landscape from the bottom-up is a must-do and the 2022 World Cup bid shouldn’t even be on Cordeiro’s mind at this point in time, according to the list.

Free Kicks

• At a movie screening for children’s claymation flick “Early Man,” Alex Morgan made a guest appearance as she surprised 100 youth soccer girls and even gave away a signed jersey.

• Over in Argentina, the U-17 USWNT is cruising in the driver’s seat after defeating Uruguay 4-1 in the Copa Provincia de Buenos Aires. The team will take on Chile in the finale tomorrow night, so good luck ladies! (To those wondering how I deciphered this tweet, my second language course in college was emoji.)

• I hope you aren’t suffering fatigue from the USSF presidential election, because the U.S general manager race is on and current Atlanta United Vice President Carlos Bocanegra is in the running.
• AC Milan forward Patrick Cutrone gave it a go at recreating some of Milan legend Kaká’s best goals. Sure, there’s no sliding defenders to get in his way and underhanded lobs are easier to rein in than wicked crosses from Cafu, but props to Cutrone for completing the challenge in emulating the former Orlando City captain.

• To end our links, David Beckham is on the hunt for a chef for his new night club, I mean MLS club. I was hoping for Guy Fieri but his top choice is a good one considering how “salty” fans will be once Orlando City beats their team in the 2020.

That’s all from me, everybody. If you’re missing TheBeardedGuy, don’t forget to check in on him Sunday morning. If you’re missing Orlando City soccer, get ready for the preseason game tomorrow against Real Salt Lake. If you’re missing, please contact your local precinct. Have a lovely Friday!