Lion Links: 12/30/25

Good morning, everyone. I have no idea how January is right around the corner, but it has managed to sneak up and give me a very good scare. I hope you all enjoyed any time off you might have gotten for the holidays last week and are feeling refreshed and ready to tackle another week. We’ve got plenty of things to talk about this morning, so let’s take a look at the links.

MLS Transfer Happenings

Life in MLS got off to a hot start this week, as a number of deals were announced on Monday. We start with midfielder Justin Haak, who has signed with the LA Galaxy as a free agent and is under contract through the 2026 season. Not to be outdone, inter-city rival LAFC announced the acquisition of forward Jacob Shaffelburg from Nashville SC in exchange for $1 million in General Allocation Money. Minnesota United has acquired Drake Callender from Charlotte FC in exchange for $450,000 in GAM with up to an additional $300,000 in conditional GAM. Finally, the Seattle Sounders have re-signed midfielder Paul Rothrock through the 2028-2029 season, and have an option for the 2029-2030 season.

NWSL Transfer News

We also have some NWSL transfer news to catch up on, and we’ll begin with the San Diego Wave. The Californian outfit announced on Monday that it has signed defender Mimi Van Zanten through the 2027 season with options for the 2028 and 2029 campaigns. The 20-year-old defender joins the Wave after an excellent collegiate career that saw her win two national titles at Florida State. The Wave also announced on Monday that the club has mutually terminated the contract of goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, who became just the second goalkeeper in league history to make 600 regular-season saves during the 2025 season. Finally, Denver Summit FC has reportedly agreed to sign defender Ayo Oke from Pachuca in a deal for a sum that will be the highest incoming transfer fee for an American player in league history.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are plenty of Americans set to take part in matches during the working week, so let’s run down the list. Tuesday sees Auston Trusty and Celtic travel to face Motherwell, as the Glasgow club will try to make it three league wins in a row. Wednesday has Antonee Robinson and Fulham traveling to face Crystal Palace, which will want Chris Richards to have recovered enough from a foot injury to get the start. Things wrap up on Friday with Christian Pulisic and AC Milan facing Cagliari in Serie A, while Mark McKenzie and Toulouse play Lens in Ligue 1.

AFCON Rolls On

The African Cup of Nations continued play Monday, and one of the big talking points was Achraf Hakimi returning from injury to help Morocco beat Zambia 3-0 and comfortably win Group A. Mali finished second after battling Comoros to a 0-0 draw, while Egypt’s scoreless draw with Angola saw Mohamed Salah’s team finish on top of Group B. South Africa picked up a 3-2 win over Zimbabwe and will finish second in Group B, with an earlier loss to Egypt the only Blemish on Bafana Bafana’s record. The tournament continues today with the final round of matches in Groups C and D, with the clash between Senegal and Benin in the latter group highlighting the day’s action.

Free Kicks

• Behold every goal that the Orlando Pride scored during the 2025 season.

• Pedro Gallese has officially joined Deportivo Cali.

• Check out the best goal from every MLS team during the 2025 season.
• Fulham is said to be interested in signing Ricardo Pepi from PSV Eindhoven.
• Wrexham is within four points of the Championship playoff places after a 2-1 win over Preston on Monday.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!