Lion Links: 5/10/18

Hey, Mane Landers. Hope you all once again are enjoying your Thursday and having a good day in general. Lots of news today, but first, lets hear what Jason Kreis had to say about Atlanta United before the Lions take them on this Sunday.

Pride Unbeaten in Four After Road Draw

Orlando wasn’t very sharp but escaped Rio Tinto with a point after drawing 0-0 with the Utah Royals last night. The two teams have met twice and haven’t been able to decide either match with one left to play against each other. The Pride were extremely wasteful with the ball in the final third, opting not to take shots, making bad passes, or simply turning it over. Credit Utah’s defense somewhat but Tom Sermanni’s club can’t play that way at Portland to have any shot against the Thorns. The Pride take the field at Providence Park at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Alex Morgan Reflects on First USWNT Cap with Pride

In March of 2010, USWNT forward Alex Morgan recorded her first cap with the national team against Mexico at Rio Tinto Stadium. Morgan remembers the game vividly, as a blizzard had run through and snow was all over as she came on in the second half.

“Honestly I didn’t know how to play in the snow so Abby scored and we all went down to the corner flag and dropped down and did snow angels. I just remember that being so much fun and thinking about the future of the national team and what it would look like with me on it. I was just so excited in that moment.”

Morgan is a California native, so her experiences with snow were mute at the time. Morgan visited Rio Tinto Stadium with the Pride last night and got her knee a bit more rest, starting the match on the bench.

Sir Alex Ferguson Out of Intensive Care

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is in much better health and no longer needs intensive care, as stated by Manchester United’s twitter page.

Ferguson, 76, will continue his rehab at Salford Royal Hospital. He and his family have announced that they still want his rehab to be private and that it is vital that this happens as he enters the next stages of his recovery. For those who may not have known, Ferguson had emergency surgery on May 5 for a brain hemorrhage, which is a condition in which a ruptured blood vessel causes bleeding inside the brain. Ferguson seems to be getting in better health and we are all rooting for him here at The Mane Land.

Cubs Owner Tom Ricketts Buying New Chicago Soccer Team

Tom Ricketts is working alongside Chicago developer Sterling Bay to bring a USL expansion team to the new Lincoln Yards real estate development site near the Chicago River. Ricketts is reportedly going to be the majority owner while Bay will develop and design the stadium and keep a minor stake in the team along with Ricketts. The Chicago Cubs are getting a new television network in the coming years, meaning Ricketts could find a way to fit USL games into that network.

Free Kicks

• Former USL Lion James O’Connor, now with Louisville City, was named USL Coach of the Month for April, leading the team to an undefeated month.
• Bleacher Report announces their Premier League Alternative Awards of the 2017-2018 season.
• Speaking of the Premier League, Manchester City broke the record for most goals in a Premier League season.

• The Houston Dash acquired defender Allysha Chapman and a few draft picks from North Carolina Courage in exchange for their natural first-round pick in the 2019 NWSL College Draft; Chapman had played for the Houston Dash in 2015 and 2016.
• Random stat of the day from Greg Wrubell regarding Utah Royals FC and Orlando Pride.