Lion Links: 10/20/25

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy up here in Michigan, doing broadcast operations for the National Independent Soccer Association’s NISA Pro Cup tournament, preparing for our championship match on Tuesday.

Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride forward Jacquie Ovalle, who turned 26 Sunday, and a happy birthday to Orlando Pride goalkeeper McKinley Crone, who turns 28 today. Our Lions and the Pride were in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Fall to Toronto FC on Decision Day

Orlando City fell 4-2 to Toronto FC Saturday on the road at BMO Stadium with a disappointing performance to cap the regular season. Jonathan Osorio scored the opener, and Toronto added another to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Toronto added a third goal before David Brekalo scored for Orlando to make it 3-1. However, Deandre Kerr added another goal to push the Lions’ deficit to 4-1. Duncan McGuire added a goal in stoppage time, but Toronto picked up the win on the final day of the regular season. Orlando is winless in its last four matches and will play in the final wild card match against the Chicago Fire Wednesday at Soldier Field.

Joran Gerbet Undergoes Knee Surgery

Orlando City midfielder Joran Gerbet underwent successful knee surgery on his left anterior cruciate ligament, the club reported late Friday afternoon. The French midfielder sustained the injury in Orlando’s match against the Columbus Crew on Oct. 4. Gerbet played in 23 matches during his rookie season, starting 14 across all competitions, recording one assist. His first pro season comes to an end with the surgery. We at The Mane Land wish Joran a speedy recovery.

Pride Defeat the Spirit at Audi Field

The Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit 3-2 Saturday at Audi Field in a critical match for playoff seeding. Kerry Abello scored an own goal on one end to give the Spirit the lead before following up with the equalizer for Orlando in the first half moments later. The Spirit added a goal late in the first half to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the second half, the Spirit also scored an own goal on a deflected Marta cross, helping Orlando tie the match. Marta scored the winner with a penalty kick won by Ally Watt to secure the win for the Pride. The club won consecutive league matches for the first time since June and has won three out of its last four matches. Orlando will conclude the NWSL regular season on Nov. 2 at home against the Seattle Reign.

MLS Decision Day Weekend Recap

With the Major League Soccer regular season all wrapped up, here’s a chance for you to get caught up on all the action from Decision Day while you were watching Orlando City not play well. Atlanta United and D.C. United played to a 1-1 draw. With the goal, D.C. avoided the embarrassment of scoring the same number of goals in 2025 as Lionel Messi scored on his own. Elsewhere, Charlotte FC beat the Philadelphia Union 2-0, and the Columbus Crew defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-1 to climb out of the wild card match. FC Cincinnati shut out CF Montreal 3-0. Inter Miami rode Messi’s hat trick to a 5-2 win over Nashville SC, while the New England Revolution and Chicago Fire fought to a 2-2 draw, lifting the Fire into Wednesday’s home match.

New York City FC fell 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders. Real Salt Lake and St. Louis City split the points in a 2-2 draw, but that was enough for Real Salt Lake to secure the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Colorado Rapids and LAFC finished with the same scoreline. The San Jose Earthquakes edged Austin FC 2-1 but missed the playoffs on goal difference. The LA Galaxy beat Minnesota United 2-1, FC Dallas defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps by the same score, and San Diego FC shut out the Portland Timbers 4-0. The match between Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo ended in a scoreless draw.

Free Kicks

• St. Louis City has re-signed goalkeeper and team captain Roman Burki to a two-year contract extension through the 2027 season with a club option for 2028. He will reportedly be a Designated Player.
• Atlanta United has fired Ronny Deila after one season as head coach with the club. Atlanta finished 14th in the Eastern Conference.
• Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga was carried off the field Saturday after she suffered a non-contact injury in a match against the Houston Dash. The Current have not provided an update on her status.
• Kansas City Current midfielder Lo’eau Labonta will replace Sam Meza on the U.S. Women’s National Team training camp roster. Meza will be out due to a mild hamstring strain.
• Bayer Leverkusen forward Malik Tillman will be sidelined for another two weeks with a thigh injury.
• The Tel Aviv Derby between rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv was called off following violent clashes between the supporters of both clubs.
• Manchester United edged Liverpool 2-1 Sunday as Harry McGuire scored the winning goal late in the second half. Liverpool has lost four matches in a row, while Manchester United has won two consecutive games and moved up to ninth in the Premier League table.
• After announcing the firing of manager Ange Postecoglou Saturday following a defeat to Chelsea, Nottingham Forest is reportedly targeting Sean Dyche and Roberto Mancini to lead the team.
• Morocco defeated Argentina 2-0 Sunday to win its first-ever FIFA U-20 World Cup trophy.  

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