Lion Links: 1/5/26

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work and look forward to getting back to covering high school sports this week. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Acquire Braian Ojeda from Real Salt Lake

Orlando City officially announced the acquisition of midfielder Braian Ojeda from Real Salt Lake Friday. In exchange, the Lions sent Real Salt Lake $650,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM), another $650,000 in 2027 GAM, and potentially another $475,000 in GAM if Ojeda reaches unnamed performance-based metrics. The Lions signed Ojeda to a new contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for 2029-2030. Real Salt Lake will retain a percentage of any fee if Orlando City sells Ojeda in the future. Ojeda is a strong defensive player who passes well. He is versatile and can play at the No. 8 or No. 6 positions and adds more depth at central midfield for the Lions.

The Latest on Luis Muriel, Nico Rodriguez

While Orlando City continues to work on roster changes for the upcoming 2026 MLS season, Luis Muriel has been linked to Atletico Nacional. The club has reportedly expressed some interest in acquiring the Orlando City forward, but the owners of the club believed he used their offer to attract interest from another Colombian club.

This post also reports that Orlando City told Muriel he won’t be considered for 2026, adding to speculation that if the club can’t move him, OCSC could consider a buyout which would free up a Designated Player spot.

Meanwhile, the Lions are reportedly making progress in moving winger Nico Rodriguez to Atletico Nacional. Medicals are reportedly nearly completed, which would bring the Colombian a step closer to moving out on what would be (according to reports) a one-year loan deal with an option to buy.

Orlando City Adds Antoni James to U-16 Academy Team

Orlando City has added center back Antoni James, who will join Orlando City’s U-16 academy team in MLS Next.

James previously played for the Beadling SC MLS Next team based in Pittsburgh, PA. He also represented Trinidad & Tobago at the youth level and played in the 2025 Concacaf Boys U-15 Championship.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Here is the latest transfer news from Major League Soccer. Toronto FC has officially announced the signing of center back Walker Zimmerman. He is under contract through the 2027-2028 season. The Philadelphia Union announced the transfer of defender Kai Wagner to EFL Championship side Birmingham City after seven seasons with the club. Inter Miami added defender Facundo Mura, who had previously played for Racing Club in Argentina. Mura’s deal is through June 2029.

Americans Abroad

It was another solid weekend for Americans in action abroad. Weston McKennie scored his second goal of the season for Juventus in a 1-1 draw against Lecce. Brenden Aaronson also scored his second goal of the season, as Leeds United held on for a 1-1 draw against Manchester United. Folarin Balogun recorded an assist, but AS Monaco fell 3-1 to Olympique Lyon. Christian Pulisic came off the bench in the second half and played 11 minutes as AC Milan defeated Cagliari 1-0. Austin Trusty played a full 90 minutes, but Celtic fell 3-1 to rival Rangers and has now lost two consecutive league matches.

2025 Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 Recap

The Africa Cup of Nations began its Round of 16 matches over the weekend. On Saturday, Pape Gueye scored twice, and Sadio Mane notched two assists as Senegal beat Sudan 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. Mali edged Tunisia 3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra time, despite playing with 10 men for over 100 minutes after Woyo Coulibaly received a red card early in the first half. Mali booked its spot in the quarterfinals with the win. On Sunday, host Morocco defeated Tanzania 1-0 with Brahim Diaz scoring the lone goal to advance. Cameroon edged South Africa 2-1 to move on to the next round. Today’s matches will feature Egypt taking on Benin and Nigeria facing Mozambique. Tuesday will conclude the Round of 16 as Algeria faces Congo DR and Ivory Coast takes on Burkina Faso.

Free Kicks

• Former Lion Ramiro Enrique scored for Al Kholood in a 5-0 win over Al Feiha Saturday. It’s the second consecutive match Enrique has scored, and he has seven goals this season in the Saudi Pro League.
• Miami FC has signed Orlando City 2024 MLS SuperDraft pick and former Orlando City B midfielder Riyon Tori to a contract for the upcoming 2026 USL Championship season.
• Orlando City youth forward Lara Almeida has been called up to the U.S. U-16 Girls National Team. The squad will travel to Spain for training and will face Germany twice — on Jan. 10 and 13 — and Belgium on Jan. 15.

• LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig has successfully undergone knee surgery on his left anterior cruciate ligament after missing the entire 2025 season due to the same injury. He is expected to make a full recovery and return to the club for the 2027 season.
• The San Diego Wave announced a trade acquiring $175,000 from NJ/NY Gotham FC in exchange for midfielder Savannah McCaskill.
• Major League Soccer has unveiled its official match ball for the 2026 season.

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