Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/20/21
Happy Tuesday, everyone. The soccer is going to come thick and fast this week with the Orlando Pride playing tomorrow and Orlando City playing just two days later on Friday. There’s lots to talk about today so let’s jump in.
Injury Updates for Lions and Pride
A few brief updates arrived yesterday concerning injured players for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride. For the Lions, the club confirmed that Alexandre Pato sustained a lower body injury during Saturday’s game (duh). More noteworthy is the news that whatever the undisclosed injury is, it won’t require surgery, which is certainly good news.
Pato update: Club confirmed this morning he suffered a lower body injury in Saturday's match, but won't require surgery. No official timetable on his recovery at the moment, but I'll keep updating as we go.
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) April 19, 2021
As far as the Pride are concerned, there are two pieces of good news paired with one item of not-so-great news. Both Meggie Dougherty Howard and Crystal Thomas trained yesterday and will be available for tomorrow’s match against the Washington Spirit. Unfortunately, Erika Tymrak has a hamstring injury and probably will not be available for the game.
Orlando Pride injury updates: Marc Skinner says Meggie Dougherty Howard and Crystal Thomas should be good for Wednesday after training this morning.
Erika Tymrak picked up a hamstring injury, is unlikely to play against Washington as the team assesses her recovery.
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) April 19, 2021
We wish both Pato and Tymrak a speedy recovery!
Orlando Draft Picks in Postseason
Continuing the theme of duality in today’s links, draft picks for both OCSC and the Pride will be participating in their respective NCAA tournaments. For the Pride, Mikayla Colohan, Kaylie Collins, and Kerry Abello will be competing with BYU, USC, and Penn State, respectively. On the Orlando City side of things, Brandon Hackenberg will be taking part in the men’s NCAA tournament with Penn State. The women’s tournament ends on May 17, so if the Pride need reinforcements, they may soon be getting some.
Reign Make Pair of Big Signings
OL Reign has announced two very big signings on loan from Olympique Lyonnais. French international goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi and German international midfielder Dzsenifer Marozsán will be joining up with the team at the conclusion of Lyon’s season. Both women are heavy hitters, with Bouhaddi being capped 149 times for France, including four World Cups, four European Championships, and two Olympic games, and is also the current Best FIFA Goalkeeper. Marozsán isn’t exactly a slouch either, with over 100 caps for Germany that include winning the 2013 European Championship and the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.
Mourinho Fired by Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur announced the firing of Jose Mourinho yesterday after 17 months in charge of the team. Spurs have had a difficult season, currently sitting seventh in the Premier League and having been eliminated from the Europa League last month. This season marks the first time in his career that Mourinho has lost 10 league games during a season, and this is the first time he has left a club without winning a trophy. A promising start to the 2020-2021 season went off the rails after a brief spell at the top of the table, and no team has dropped more points from winning positions than Tottenham’s 20.
Free Kicks
- Check out Toni Pressley and Ali Riley hanging out on Off the Ball.
- ESPN has Orlando City ranked at no. 12 after Week 1, which is fine I suppose.
- The Chicago Red Stars’ match against Kansas City has been postponed until tomorrow due to inclement weather.
- Both fans and officials aren’t too pleased with the whole Super League idea.
That’s all for me today. Y’all stay safe out there.