Lion Links: 4/18/19

It’s that time of the week again, so happy Thursday, Mane Landers! A triple Orlando game weekend is incoming, so let’s get you prepared with today’s Lion Links.

Orlando Pride Hit the Road; It Hits Back

Things went pretty OK for the Orlando Pride last night on the road against the reigning champion North Carolina Courage for about 44 minutes. Then it went badly. Alex Morgan coughed up the ball to Crystal Dunn late in the first half and then decided not to chase her down as the Courage walked in and scored just before halftime. The Courage punished the Pride for four goals in the second half in a laugher — well, a laugher if you’re not a Pride fan. Orlando’s 5-0 loss drops the Pride to 0-2-0 on the season and Orlando has been outscored 7-0 in the first two matches of the 2019 season. Next up is a trip to Washington to play Reign FC on Sunday.

Lions Look for First Win Against Vancouver

Orlando City will host the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday and the Lions will look for their first victory against the Canadian side. The club put together this handy guide on getting to know City’s next opponent. With Orlando (2-3-2, 8 points) having a far better start to the season than the Caps (0-4-2, 2 points entering last night against LAFC), that first win might not be too far away. Orlando will be seeing some familiar faces when Vancouver visits, after former Lions Victor ‘PC’ Giro and Scott Sutter joined the Canadian side in the off-season. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET on Saturday at Orlando City Stadium.

Morgan Among TIME’s Top 100 Influencers

Orlando Pride and USWNT forward Alex Morgan was named in TIME’s Top 100 Most Influential People of 2019 along with fellow athletes like Mohamed Salah and LeBron James. Each person on the list had a write-up from a well-known person and Morgan’s was written up by former USWNT star Mia Hamm, who had some nice things to say about the Pride striker.

As the mother of 12-year-old twin daughters, I fully understand the impact that Alex makes on this next generation of young girls. Her commitment to set such a positive example for them is unmatched, and I am incredibly grateful that the future of our game is in such good hands.

OCB’s Nathan Simeon and His Professional Dream

Nathan Simeon, a 19-year-old defender from Canada, signed his contract to play with Orlando City B nearly three weeks ago, after spending six months with the Monteverde and Orlando City Academies. He recently sat down to talk about it and his dream. The defender said he was caught off guard by the opportunity to play with OCB this season.

“When I was offered the contract it was a surprise to me,” said Simeon. “People around me would sometimes mention the possibility of me signing with Orlando City B and of course I had the hope of one day being offered this opportunity, but I wasn’t expecting it.”

Free Kicks

• Orlando City dropped to No. 17 in ProSoccerUSA.com’s MLS Power Rankings this week.
• As part of the MLS Works Greener Goals Week of Service, OCSC will work with the City of Orlando on a food waste reclamation project in conjunction with Earth Day.
• Rumors have Thierry Henry in talks to take over as coach of the New York Red Bulls.
• For those who follow European football, the Champions League semifinals are set after a few upsets.
• FIFA says a record number of member associations have stepped up and registered in the bidding process for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

That is all for me this week, Mane Landers. I hope you all have a great weekend and let’s give all our support to all three of our teams competing this weekend, whether it be at the stadium or from home. Vamos Orlando!