Lion Links: 5/4/21
Nani not slowing down, the captain is recognized, FA launches ESL probe, and more.
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Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
While the Orlando Pride’s scoreless draw wasn’t enough for the team to advance in the NWSL Challenge Cup, it was a good weekend overall for Orlando soccer. The Pride got a result and Orlando City notched its first win of the season. As usual, there’s lots to talk about today so let’s get after it.
Nani Not Slowing Down
Orlando City’s main man for the last two years has been Luis Nani, and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down in 2021. The 34-year-old has netted twice in the Lions’ opening three games and both goals were of the spectacular variety. However, even with his good start, OCSC coach Oscar Pareja wants to make sure that the team’s captain is still fresh and fit when the back end of the season rolls around. “I can see Nani fresher now and we will pace him out”, Pareja said, and credited strength and conditioning coach Fabian Bazan with doing a good job of managing the workload of of one of the team’s elder statesmen. Bazan has been helping Nani manage his daily fitness and do a better job of choosing when to ramp up during training and when to pump the brakes a bit. Hopefully, we see those benefits later on in the year.