Lion Links: 1/30/26

Happy Friday! There’s apparently a chance for snow over here in my neck of the woods in Tampa this weekend, so I’m thankful that I’ll be on vacation. It should be a nice next few days and I’m looking forward to some rest and relaxation to close out the month. Let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Alex Freeman Transferred to Villarreal

Orlando City officially transferred right back Alex Freeman to Villarreal for a fee reported to be between $4 million and $7 million. The move comes after a breakout season from the American, who recorded six goals and three assists for Orlando and impressed at the international level. The Lions will likely have some difficulty replacing that kind of impact from a right back, and both Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Kyle Smith are no longer in Orlando. While Freeman will definitely be missed by those of us here in Orlando, it’s pretty great to see one of the club’s Homegrown Players heading to Spain’s top flight. Best of luck and enjoy the paella, Freeman!

Keeping Up With Orlando City Transfer News

While it’s sad to see Freeman and other Lions go this off-season, we can at least get excited about the new faces we’ll see in the City Beautiful this year. Hopefully that group will include some more center backs, with The Athletic‘s Tom Bogert reporting that the club is close to signing Slovenian center back Dusan Stojinovic.

Hopefully the club can get that deal over the finish line and the 25-year-old can help fill the void left by Rodrigo Schlegel’s exit. No new progress regarding Orlando’s efforts to sign Brazilian center back Iago from Flamengo was reported by Bogert, but nothing is over until the fat Lion sings. The 20-year-old would bring some needed depth and upside to the position.

Crystal Dunn Announces Her Retirement

American defender Crystal Dunn has retired from professional soccer after a decorated career that included winning the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the 2024 Olympics, the 2012 U-20 Women’s World Cup, and three NWSL Championships. She scored 25 goals in 160 caps with the United States Women’s National Team. Dunn was selected by the Washington Spirit with the first overall pick in the 2014 NWSL College Draft and went on to win the NWSL Championship twice with the North Carolina Courage and once with the Portland Thorns. We wish her the best in her retirement!

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Alex Freeman’s transfer wasn’t the only notable MLS move to become official on Thursday. The San Jose Earthquakes added Timo Werner from Red Bull Leipzig as their new Designated Player. The 29-year-old helped Chelsea win the UEFA Champions League in 2021 and it will be interesting to see how he does in MLS at this stage of his career. The Houston Dynamo also have a new Designated Player, signing Polish forward Mateusz Bogusz from Cruz Azul. The New York Red Bulls officially signed American goalkeeper Ethan Horvath from Cardiff City, and they’re also reportedly close to signing winger Jorge Ruvalcaba from Pumas.

Elsewhere across the league, Charlotte FC signed center back Henry Kessler, D.C. United signed versatile defender Silvan Hefti from Hamburger SV, and LAFC re-signed midfielder Ryan Raposo.

Free Kicks

• Working on your birthday sounds tough, but I’m sure doing it in Cancun takes the sting out of it.

• Takahiro Fujita, who was drafted by Orlando City in the third round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, was added to UCF’s 2026 roster.

• MLS will reportedly cut back on its Spanish-language broadcasting talent, along with other changes, such as a removal of on-air talent for the MLS Wrap-Up show.
• Celtic won to secure a spot in the knockout stage and Roma came back while a man down to clinch a place in the round of 16 as the Europa League’s league phase wrapped up.
• Peru hired Mano Menezes as its new head coach after missing out on qualifying for the upcoming World Cup. Let’s hope Wilder Cartagena can impress the new boss.
• Senegal’s manager, Pape Thiaw, was suspended for five games and fined for unsporting conduct in his team’s 1-0 win over Morocco in the AFCON final.
• There are nine teams starting the Chinese Super League with negative points in the standings, with another four relegated, after an investigation into match fixing.

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