Lion Links: 3/5/25

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! We’re almost completely back. Orlando City is playing matches, with the Orlando Pride and OCB slated to start their respective 2025 slates this weekend. It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year. So without further ado, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City on the Rise

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that I find the idea of power rankings to be the junk food of sports journalism. Sometimes it’s fun to indulge, but ultimately it’s just empty calories. That being said, Orlando City rose six spots in MLSsoccer.com’s rankings this week. The site is also enamored with right back Alex Freeman, making him one of the big stories in MLS in Week 2. They might actually be right on that account.

Ally Watt is Staying

The Orlando Pride announced that the club exercised Ally Watt’s mutual option for the 2026 season. Watt played her part in the Pride’s historic 2024 NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship run. Watt produced seven goal contributions last year. Now the attacker will look to increase that production as the club attempts to repeat the success of last season.

The Challenge Cup Approaches

It’s been 102 days since the Orlando Pride last lifted a trophy. Friday, the club will have a chance to do so again in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup. The Challenge Cup has gone through a lot of changes over the years, but this time it features a rematch of the NWSL Championship match between the Pride and the Washington Spirit. The format is supposed to be the Shield winner against the Championship winner, but since the Pride won both, the runner-up gets a shot.

NWSL Roster Moves

The NWSL’s new collective bargaining agreement has changed how the clubs in the league manage their rosters and acquire new talent. Big names like Lynn Biyendolo (née Williams) are able to have agency in where they want to play when being traded. There were several big inner-league signings in the off-season, though not all saw a player move. One of the biggest was when the Orlando Pride gave Marta a contract extension. The landscape has changed for the league, and that’s not a bad thing.

Free Kicks

• Houston Dash forward Yuki Nagasato announced her retirement from professional soccer.

• Ion has named Seb Salazar and Kylen Mills as their new studio team for NWSL broadcasts. Salazar comes from ESPN and Mills from FOX/BTN.
• The always fair and above board FIFA has lifted the suspension imposed on the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) that kept the team from participating in the 2026 World Cup. The PFF revised its constitution prompting FIFA to lift the suspension.
• Landon Donovan wins my just made up “Pundit of the Week” award for his assertion that Lionel Messi should have been shown a second yellow card in the New York City FC match, and thus should have served a suspension against the Houston Dynamo rather than just skipping the match for — [/checks notes] — reasons.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for all the matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!