Lion Links: 9/29/25

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I stayed busy at work while also attending the United States Adult Soccer Association’s annual general meetings here in Chicago over the weekend. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando City Scores Late to Draw FC Cincinnati

Orlando City fought back for a 1-1 draw against FC Cincinnati Sunday at TQL Stadium. After a scoreless first half, Kevin Denkey broke the deadlock for Cincinnati in the second half. The Lions created a flurry of chances to find a late goal in stoppage time but missed the target until Alex Freeman buried a header as Orlando escaped with a point. That was Freeman’s sixth goal of the season. Orlando City defender Rodrigo Schlegel received a yellow card and will miss the Lions’ next match due to yellow card accumulation. Orlando City is seventh in the Eastern Conference standings with 52 points and will be in the MLS playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. The Lions return home to face the Columbus Crew Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Pride Snap Nine-Match Winless Streak

The Orlando Pride defeated the San Diego Wave 2-1 Friday at Snapdragon Stadium and snapped their nine-match winless streak in NWSL play. Jacquie Ovalle scored the opener to record her first goal in the NWSL for the Pride. The Wave equalized shortly after to keep the match level through halftime. In the second half, Carson Pickett came off the bench and scored to pull the Pride ahead 2-1 and helped her side hang on for the win on the road. Orlando’s win was its first in league play since June 13. That result moved the Pride up the NWSL table from seventh to fourth with 32 points. The Pride will have a quick turnaround this week with two matches, traveling to Mexico for a Concacaf W Champions Cup matchup against Club America Tuesday, followed by a league match Friday on the road against the Houston Dash.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 3-3 Draw at Carolina Core

Orlando City B drew 3-3 against Carolina Core FC on the road Saturday at Truist Point Stadium. The Young Lions trailed 2-0 in the first half before Shak Mohammed pulled one back for OCB to make it 2-1 just before halftime. In the second half, Gustavo Caraballo scored the equalizer for OCB four minutes after the break. However, the Young Lions gave up another goal, falling behind once again. OCB equalized again with an own goal from Carolina, as Justin Hylton’s shot hit the crossbar and bounced off the back of goalkeeper Alex Sutton and in. The Young Lions won the penalty shootout 4-2 to take the extra point and keep their playoff hopes alive. OCB is 10th in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference standings with 37 points and is on the outside looking in for the final playoff spot. Toronto FC II holds that spot with 38 points, while Atlanta United 2 is ninth with 37 points plus a match in hand. The next match for OCB will be Sunday at Osceola County Stadium against FC Cincinnati 2 on Decision Day.

MLS Weekend Recap

We are inching closer to the end of the regular season with less than three weeks to go, and we had another exciting weekend of Major League Soccer action. Indiana Vassilev scored twice as the Philadelphia Union crushed D.C. United 6-0. CF Montreal beat Charlotte FC 4-1, Nashville SC defeated the Houston Dynamo 3-1 to clinch a playoff spot, and Real Salt Lake also beat Austin FC by the same scoreline. Joseph Paintsil scored a hat trick as the LA Galaxy cruised 4-1 over Sporting Kansas City. LAFC shut out St. Louis City 3-0, while the Chicago Fire beat the Columbus Crew 2-0. The San Jose Earthquakes held on for a 1-0 win against San Diego FC, while the New England Revolution snapped their four-match winless streak with a 2-0 win against Atlanta United. New York City FC edged the New York Red Bulls 3-2 in the Hudson River Derby, which clinched Orlando City a spot in the playoffs. The Toronto FC-Inter Miami and Colorado Rapids-Minnesota United matches ended in 1-1 draws, while the Portland Timbers-FC Dallas and Seattle Sounders-Vancouver Whitecaps matches ended in 2-2 draws.

Free Kicks

• Major League Soccer announced its updated GAM totals for all 30 MLS clubs. Orlando has $622,000 that will roll over into the 2026 MLS season.

• Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport unveiled his 2025 MLS 22 Under 22 ballot, with Orlando City defender Alex Freeman ranked second.

• Atletico Madrid beat rival Real Madrid 5-2 in the Madrid Derby on Saturday to hand manager Xabi Alonso his first defeat in the La Liga season.
• Christian Pulisic scored the winning goal and added an assist to help AC Milan defeat Napoli 2-1 on Sunday at the San Siro. Pulisic has six goals and two assists this season in Serie A.

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