Lion Links: 10/14/25

Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as the Orlando Pride benefitted from yet another own goal to pick up a win, while Orlando City lost its game in hand due to a pair of late goals. There’s no time to breathe though, as the United States Men’s National Team takes on Australia tonight and the Pride play Pachuca in continental competition Wednesday, before both OCSC and the Pride return to action on Saturday. We’ve got lots to discuss today, so let’s get right into the action.

Decision Day Stakes

The final matchday of the MLS regular season is almost upon us, so let’s have a look at what’s on the line going into Decision Day. Atlanta United vs. D.C. United is a match with massive Wooden Spoon ramifications, as a win for D.C. would see it leapfrog Atlanta and avoid finishing last in the league. Orlando City can rise as high as sixth in the Eastern Conference if it beats Toronto and Nashville SC loses or draws against Inter Miami. In the West, if San Diego FC beats the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps lose to FC Dallas, San Diego would become the second expansion team to win its conference in its debut season.

Canada Calls Up Pride’s Zara Chavoshi

The Orlando Pride’s Zara Chavoshi has been called up to represent Canada in the team’s upcoming friendlies against Switzerland and the Netherlands. Chavoshi has been capped twice by Canada, and scored a goal in the team’s 4-1 win over Costa Rica in a friendly back in June. The defender has found herself in the starting lineup more often for the Pride lately, and went the full 90 minutes in wins against Alajuelense, Chorillo FC, and the San Diego Wave. Congrats to the Pride’s rookie center back, and here’s hoping the calls from Canada keep coming!

USMNT vs. Australia Preview

The United States Men’s National Team will close out the October international window this evening when it takes on Australia at Dicks Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. This will be just the fourth time that the USMNT has played Australia, and it should be a good test, as the Socceroos have already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Australia is ranked 25th in the world and is currently riding an 11-game unbeaten streak that’s been highlighted by wins over Japan, Saudi Arabia, and — most recently — Canada. Manager Tony Popovic tends to favor a 3-4-2-1 formation, so it’ll be interesting to see how that contrasts with Mauricio Pochettino’s own three-man defense setups that have been deployed to good effect in recent matches. Matty Ryan and Milos Degenek provide the experience and veteran leadership at goalkeeper and center back, respectively, while the Columbus Crew’s Patrick Yazbek has won a starting place in the midfield.

Choosing National Team Opponents

Speaking of the USMNT, if you’ve ever wondered how it and the United States Women’s National Team chooses where, when, and who to play in friendlies, this article is for you. Emma Hayes and Pochettino will communicate with U.S. Soccer Federation officials about opponents they’d like to schedule, and from there it becomes all about finding the right size venue for the popularity of the opponent and trying to place the game in a part of the country that makes sense for all parties involved. European teams might request an East Coast venue to lessen travel demands, but stadiums need to be available and preferably have a natural grass surface already in place, as putting one down is an extra expense of roughly $500,000.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando Pride rose a spot to fourth in ESPN.com’s NWSL power rankings.
• Pochettino said on Monday that he hopes Christian Pulisic will be able to play in today’s game against Australia, while he has ruled out Antonee Robinson due to his ongoing knee issue.
• In case you need a refresher on the MLS way of doing things, here’s a list of all the tiebreakers for placement in the standings ahead of Decision Day.
• Cape Verde, a nation of around 525,000 people, has secured one of Africa’s automatic qualifying spots for the 2026 World Cup.
• Barcelona and Real Madrid are said to both be tracking Mexican teenager Gilberto Mora, who was a standout performer at the U-20 World Cup before Mexico’s elimination.
• We leave you with a sight familiar to Orlando City fans: Facundo Torres scoring a goal.

That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!