Lion Links: 3/27/18

Good morning, Mane Landers. We’re only four days away from April and there’s still snow on the ground where I live, so it looks like you’re stuck with another day of me complaining about the weather. Luckily, there’s more to talk about rather than how fickle the weather in the mid-Atlantic is, so let’s get into those pesky Links.

Injury Updates

There are a few injury updates to go over, both for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride. First up is this from the Pride:

Obviously there will be a better idea of the chances of Morgan’s participation as the week goes on, but hopefully she’s all ready to go on Saturday. Next up is some news concerning Oriol Rosell:

With Rosell being an MLS veteran that still has yet to see the field for OCSC this year, his return could make a big difference in the team’s fortunes. It just remains to be seen when his debut will come about. Personally, I’m crossing my fingers for this weekend.

Attempting to Make Sense of MLS Rules

If you’ve ever wondered what Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) actually is but have never bothered/been able to figure it out, never fear because you’re not alone. In fact, apparently in a survey of MLS players, only 50% answered that they understood how TAM and General Allocation Money (GAM) actually work. And that’s without even touching on the league’s rules regarding trades. All told, the trade rules alone tend to put some people off from MLS.

One need only look at Frank Lampard’s signing by New York City FC and the resulting weird nebulous loan to Manchester City. And while GAM and TAM are a bit easier to understand once you do some digging, one can certainly make the case that you shouldn’t even have to do any research to begin with.

Press Returns to Göteborg 

Christen Press will not be playing in the NWSL this season, for the first few months of it anyway. Instead she will be playing in Sweden, as she has been signed by her old team Göteborg FC on a contract that will expire in the summer. Press spent several years in Sweden, with one of them being at Göteborg. Press was a member of the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars FC for the last several seasons, but was involved in a three-team trade saga during the off-season, which you can read more about here.

Sarachan Urges Tempered Expectations

USMNT Interim Head Coach Dave Sarachan wants fans to temper their expectations of the team’s current group of young players. Sarachan has a point, given the arcs of players like Freddy Adu and Julian Green. And while he’s seen improvements in the skill and confidence of many of his young players, he has also urged patience. With five players on the current 22-man roster having never been capped, patience and realistic expectations are probably a good idea — even though it is difficult not to get excited about George Weah Jr. The U.S. takes on Paraguay tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET in Cary, NC.

Free Kicks

• A good result from the OCSC Development Academy team in the Generation Adidas Cup:

• Sacha Kljestan and his wife have bought out an entire showing of the move Love Simon and are giving the people of Orlando the chance to see it for free.

Here’s a quick look into what Justin Meram has been up to while on international duty with Iraq:

• Today’s birthdays include Manuel Neuer, Quentin Tarantino, and Buster Posey.

That’s all I’ve got for y’all today. There’s plenty of soccer to look forward to this week with the USMNT game tonight and games for the Pride and Lions on Saturday. Stay golden, ciao.