Lion Links: 8/28/25

Well, last night sucked. One of the downsides of making it far in a tournament is that the losses feel a bit heavier as well. It’s a rough start to a Thursday, but it’s also a new day and the weekend is on the horizon. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Falls in Leagues Cup Semifinals

The Lions lost 3-1 to Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup semifinals in a frustrating result that featured some truly poor officiating. Orlando led for most of the match, but things flipped upside-down in the 75th minute when David Brekalo was shown a second yellow card and Miami was awarded a penalty kick. Miami equalized and then scored twice more while the Lions were shorthanded. Reaching the final would’ve guaranteed Orlando a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup, but the Lions can still qualify if they win the third-place match on Sunday.

Orlando Pride Prepare for NJ/NY Gotham FC

The Pride are winless in their past five matches and will aim to right the ship when they host NJ/NY Gotham FC on Friday. Gotham is on a four-game winless streak of its own, but both teams possess plenty of talent and it should be an exciting match. That being said, the Pride are without forward Barbra Banda for the rest of the season and will need to find a way to score if they want a chance at silverware this year. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on the upcoming matchup and the importance of playing at home to turn things around.

Folarin Balogun Joins USMNT Roster

AS Monaco forward Folarin Balogun was added to the United States Men’s National Team’s roster for its upcoming friendlies next month. It’s the 24-year-old’s first time with the USMNT since Mauricio Pochettino took over as coach, so he’ll have a chance to impress. The forward position is far from certain ahead of next year’s World Cup, and Balogun will compete for minutes alongside Josh Sargent and Damion Downs. The U.S. will take on Korea Republic on Sept. 6 before playing against Japan on Sept. 9. Orlando’s Alex Freeman is part of the U.S. squad.

Diving Into the NWSL Heat Policy

The Orlando Pride’s match against the Kansas City Current was set to be one of the most enticing matchups of the season, but instead it ended up as a scoreless affair following over three hours of delay due to extreme heat. There has been plenty of criticism regarding the league’s handling of the match, and The Guardian reported that the league’s publicly available 2025 Competition Rules and Regulations were modified after the match. A clause regarding who will ultimately make the decision regarding if and when play will resume was removed, and there was another change involving the interval as to when the wet bulb globe temperature should be taken.

Free Kicks

• There weren’t many changes in CBS Sports‘ NWSL power rankings, with the Pride remaining in third.
• The Washington Spirit traded forward Makenna Morris to Racing Louisville in exchange for $115,000 in Allocation Money.
• LAFC defender Maxime Chanot announced his retirement from professional soccer, hanging up his cleats after a career that included 10 years in MLS.
• Former Orlando Pride player Alanna Kennedy and midfielder Katie Zelem were transferred by Angel City FC to the London City Lionesses for an undisclosed fee.
• After turning around a 2-0 deficit, Manchester United lost a lengthy penalty shootout against Grimsby Town of England’s fourth-division and was eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the second round.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!