Lion Links: 11/21/25

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a long week, but we’ve made it to the good part. I don’t have many weekend plans but do hope to find some cool things at a local market for artists on Saturday. I’m also hoping to get this pumpkin cheesecake recipe locked down to cut out most of the stress of Thanksgiving next week. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando City’s 2026 Schedule Released

MLS released the schedule for the 2026 season and Orlando City will open its season at home for the 12th year in a row. That season opener will take place on Feb. 21 against the New York Red Bulls. The Lions will also end their regular season at home, as they’re set to take on the New England Revolution on Decision Day on Nov. 7. Orlando will play each Eastern Conference team twice and will also play six Western Conference teams, including San Diego FC for the first time on Sept. 5 in Orlando. Make sure to check out the full schedule and let us know in the comments below which matches you’re circling on your calendar.

Alex Freeman Standing Out With USMNT

Orlando City right back Alex Freeman put a bow on a breakout year for club and country by scoring twice in the United States Men’s National Team’s 5-1 win over Uruguay on Tuesday. They were his first goals for the USMNT and a strong statement for the 21-year-old’s inclusion on next summer’s World Cup roster. Injuries and the USMNT coaching staff’s willingness to give minutes to young players opened the door for Freeman to impress and he did just that as one of the country’s rising stars.

USWNT Will Play Paraguay in January

The United States Women’s National Team’s first match of 2026 will take place on Jan. 24 in a friendly against Paraguay at Dignity Health Sports Park in California. That friendly will take place during the team’s annual January camp, which should give the team some valuable time together to start a year that includes 2027 World Cup qualifying. There will also be a second friendly on Jan. 27, but the opponent and venue for that match has not yet been announced.

2025 NWSL Championship Preview

The Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC will clash on Saturday in this year’s NWSL Championship final and it should be a pretty good match. While I wouldn’t exactly call Gotham’s playoff run a Cinderella story due to the star power on the team’s roster, it has done well to reach the final by beating the Orlando Pride and Kansas City Current. Meanwhile, the Spirit will aim to get the job done this time after falling to the Pride in last year’s final. There’s plenty of firepower on both sides, and this match may end up being decided by which goalkeeper between Washington’s Aubrey Kingsbury and Gotham’s Ann-Katrin Berger has the better game.

Free Kicks

• According to ESPN‘s statistics, viewership for this year’s NWSL playoffs has been pretty strong, especially compared to last year.

• NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman spoke on how the MLS calendar change impacts the NWSL. From stadium availability to the transfer window and weather, it’s an interesting point of discussion the league will have to tackle.
• DC Power FC in the USL Super League has reportedly made an offer for Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, who is a free agent after this season. The offer is high enough that the NWSL’s salary cap prevents NWSL clubs from matching it.

• Christian Fuchs was hired as the next manager of EFL League Two side Newport County’s. He’s been an assistant coach with Charlotte FC after retiring from playing and now heads to Europe for the tall task of getting Newport County out of the relegation zone.
• The draw for Europe’s World Cup playoff qualifiers was completed and Italy will need to beat Northern Ireland and then the winner between Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina if it wants to avoid missing the World Cup for the third consecutive time.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!