Lion Links: 8/25/25

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been keeping myself busy at work and will cover some high school sports later this week. Our beloved Lions and OCB were in action over the weekend with mixed results. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Suffer Heavy Defeat at Nashville SC

Orlando City fell 5-1 to Nashville SC on the road at Geodis Park Saturday. Orlando City manager Oscar Pareja’s starting XI was heavily rotated with backups after a midweek Leagues Cup quarterfinal match against Toluca on Wednesday and a rivalry game in the semifinals looming in two days. Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar each scored twice in the first half to stake Nashville to a 4-0 lead. Luis Muriel scored the lone goal for the Lions in the second half but was sent off a few minutes later with a straight red card. Nashville added one more goal to seal the 5-1 win. The defeat snaps Orlando City’s eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions and the club’s four-match MLS winning streak.

In other news, Orlando City’s home match against the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday has been rescheduled to Saturday, Oct. 11. The Lions will face Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup semifinal match Wednesday, followed by either the third-place match or the Leagues Cup final on Sunday.

Barbra Banda Ruled Out for Rest of the Season

The Orlando Pride announced Saturday that striker Barbra Banda will be placed on the Season Ending Injury list and will be sidelined for the rest of the season after she sustained a hip injury over a week ago in Orlando’s scoreless draw on the road against the Kansas City Current. Banda suffered the injury when bumped by Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga while following through on a shot attempt early in the match. The Zambian international came down awkwardly and had to be taken off the pitch with assistance from club medical staff. With Banda sidelined for the rest of the season, Head Coach Seb Hines will need other players to step up to account for Banda’s goal-scoring production with nine regular-season matches remaining.

Shak Mohammed’s Late Goal Pulls OCB to Victory over Atlanta United 2

Orlando City B defeated Atlanta 2-1 Saturday at Osceola County Stadium. After a scoreless first half, the Young Lions fought back from a 1-0 deficit, with Thalles scored the equalizer. In stoppage time, Shak Mohammed’s late strike pulled OCB to victory over Atlanta United 2, as the Young Lions claimed all three points. The win snaps OCB’s five-match winless streak and moves the club to ninth in the Eastern Conference standings. OCB’s next match will be at home against Crown Legacy FC Sunday.

Americans Abroad

Let’s catch you up on Americans abroad action over in Europe. It was another good weekend for Haji Wright of Coventry City and Josh Sargent of Norwich City in the EFL Championship. Wright scored twice as Coventry City crushed Queens Park Rangers 7-1, while Sargent scored the lone goal for his side as Norwich City fell 2-1 to Middlesbrough. Sargent has scored four goals in his first four appearances for Norwich City across all competitions this season. Tyler Adams played 88 minutes for Bournemouth as his side beat Wolverhampton 1-0 to secure the club’s first win in the Premier League this season. Christian Pulisic played a full 90 minutes, but AC Milan fell 2-1 at home to Cremonese in the team’s Serie A opener. Weston McKennie came off the bench late in the second half as Juventus defeated Parma 2-0. Timothy Weah played 63 minutes as Marseille beat Paris FC 5-2.

Free Kicks

• The U.S. Soccer Federation announced Friday a record-high 146 amateur clubs will participate in open division qualifying rounds for the 2026 U.S. Open Cup, featuring Orlando-area clubs such as Deportivo Lake Mary, Emerald FC Orlando, and FC America CFL Spurs representing the UPSL.
• Son Hueng-Min scored his first goal in Major League Soccer for LAFC in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas Saturday.

• Bay FC set a new attendance record Saturday for an NWSL match as 40,091 fans showed up at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Bay FC fell 3-2 to the Washington Spirit.
• USMNT midfielder Gio Reyna is leaving Borussia Dortmund as he moves to Borussia Monchengladbach on a permanent transfer.
• Seattle Sounders forward Danny Musovski has been suspended for one additional match after he bumped into an official during the Leagues Cup quarterfinal match against Puebla last week. As a result, Musovski will be out for the remainder of the tournament.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.