Lion Links: 5/31/18

Hey, Mane Land readers. Hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Thursday and have had an awesome week so far. Seeing the USMNT beat up on Bolivia was pretty nice and the NBA Finals start tonight. Anyway, lots of Links for today, so lets get right into it.

Ali Krieger Out 4-6 weeks

The Orlando Pride will be without the services of defender Ali Krieger for about four to six weeks after sustaining an MCL injury in the 66th minute of the 5-2 win over Chicago Red Stars. The injury will be the first time Krieger will not play for the Pride as she had played every minute since joining the club in 2017 before subbing off early Saturday. She has been a solid and consistent option for Pride Head Coach Tom Sermanni since she joined the club, but Krieger will have to be sidelined and hopefully the Pride can cope with her absence.

Dwyer Closing In On Return, Other Injury Updates

Dom Dwyer, who has missed the last two matches for Orlando City with a lower body injury, is nearing his return back to the pitch for the Lions. He is listed as day-to-day and Jason Kreis said he could be available against New York City FC. Dwyer’s presence is obviously felt as Orlando City is winless throughout the five matches he has not played (0-4-1). But, as Kreis said, other players should be able to fill in for the striker in his absence.

“There were players on the field tonight that played very well, that gave enough on most nights to win games. It’s about making the plays when it counts the most. Again, I don’t want to really say that if we have Dom in there we win the game. No, we had players out there that played well enough, performed well enough and should have been able to finish off that game.” – Jason Kreis

Center back Chris Schuler will be sidelined after successful surgery on his left arm. He is scheduled to return June 9 against the Vancouver Whitecaps if all goes well in his recovery process. Lamine Sané suffered a training injury to his knee last week and Kreis has stated the club is being careful with the injury due to his issues with knee injuries throughout his career.

Amro Tarek and Yoshi Yotún Continue World Cup Work

As the World Cup in Russia approaches, Tarek and Yotún have both been working hard with their respective nations ahead of the major tournament. Egypt got underway last Friday, drawing with Kuwait, 1-1 without star Mohamed Salah. Tarek did not play in the match. Egypt has two matches remaining before the World Cup kicks off — against Colombia on June 1 and Belgium on June 6. Meanwhile, Peru and Yotún squared off with Scotland Tuesday night, winning 2-0, as Yotún played in his midfield spot for 69 minutes. Peru will face Saudi Arabia on June 3 and Sweden on June 9 before they go to Russia and compete. Again, good luck to Tarek and Yotún in their pursuit of the World Cup trophy.

After Rough Start, Josue Colmán Gradually Finding His Place in MLS

Many of us cannot relate to the challenges that come with entering a new club in a new country, but Josue Colmán has seemed to figure it out. He had a rough start though with inconsistent performances. We now have clarification for why he was left off of the game day roster on May 7. He violated team rules by arriving 30 minutes late prior to the match against Real Salt Lake.

After the Real Salt Lake incident, he appeared in Orlando City’s matches to follow, including a start in the 2-1 loss to Chicago Fire. After being disciplined, it seems that the 19-year-old has grown up a little, which can only mean good things for Orlando and his future.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City slip to 14th while Orlando Pride move up to third in the MLS and NWSL Power Rankings.
• Stars and Stripes FC ranked all 32 World Cup 2018 jerseys ahead of the event in Russia.
• Has the USMNT lost its fight after Trinidad and Tobago loss?
• Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski wants to leave the club for new challenges according to agent Pini Zahavi.
• Essam El-Hadary will break the World Cup record as oldest player to compete at 45 years old.
• ESPN delved into why the Football League Championship playoff final is the richest game in soccer.

As I leave you today, I wanted to personally shout out my sister, Adeline Smith on graduating high school today. I graduated last year and personally the experience of walking across the stage after four years of hard work is a pretty awesome one. My sister has fought through lots of injuries to her knees playing softball, fought celiac disease, and had to deal with my constant sports talk for years, but I want to say I am proud of how well she did in high school and I know it will carry over into college. Congrats Addie and I am wishing the best for you in your future endeavors. Love ya!