Lion Links: 2/19/26

How’s it going, Mane Landers? Orlando City’s season opener is so close that I can almost taste it. I’m pretty excited to see the Lions back in action, even if the nervousness of how well they’ll perform is starting to set in. We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed and our voices loud on Saturday. But before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a very happy birthday to Orlando Pride star and soccer legend Marta!

Orlando City Officially Signs Griffin Dorsey

With the season opener only a few days away, Orlando City has a new right back. The Lions officially traded $600,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM) and $400,000 in 2027 GAM to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for Griffin Dorsey. The 26-year-old signed a new contract with Orlando through the 2027-2028 season, with an option for the 2028-2029 season.

The move fills an immediate need at right back for Orlando after departures by Alex Freeman, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Kyle Smith this off-season. While Freeman’s impact will be hard to replace, Dorsey is an MLS veteran who can contribute to the attack and solidify a back line already dealing with injury woes. His fellow Lions gave him a warm welcome and I’m curious to see if he suits up on Saturday.

Orlando City Trades For More GAM

Although not as splashy of a move, the Lions also traded away an international roster slot to Atlanta United for $100,000 in 2026 GAM and $300,000 in 2027 GAM. That’s a decent amount of pocket change and takes some of the sting out of the price Orlando had to pay to bring in Dorsey, who doesn’t need an international roster slot. While the bulk of it is in 2027 GAM, that could help get a trade over the finish line this year, similar to what Orlando did last year to add Tyrese Spicer.

Ally Lemos Called Up For U.S. U-23 Camp

Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos was one of 24 players called up for the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team’s training camp in Miami that will run from Feb. 27 to March 7. Lemos was on the U.S. team that placed third at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and was called up for the U-23 team’s pair of friendlies this past November, so it’s nice to see that she’s continuing to get international attention. Hopefully she can stand out during this training camp, which will end with two friendlies against Mexico’s U-23 team.

Dylan Judelson Named to Canada U-20 Roster

Orlando City B midfielder Dylan Judelson was called up for the Canada U-20 Men’s National Team’s qualifiers for the Concacaf U-20 Championship. Judelson is just 17 years old and has impressed during his time in Orlando City’s academy and played in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game last summer. He was signed by OCB in August, and Sean Rollins included him among the most likely OCB players to make their MLS debut this year. Canada will need to win its group to qualify for this summer’s Concacaf U-20 Championship, which will then determine Concacaf’s representatives for the 2027 U-20 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics.

MLS Teams Cruise in Concacaf Champions Cup

More MLS teams have begun their Concacaf Champions Cup campaigns and are off to strong starts. Denis Bouanga scored a hat trick and Son Heung-Min had three assists and a goal of his own in LAFC’s 6-1 win over Real Espana. Nashville scored twice in the second half to beat Atletico Ottawa 2-0, while the Philadelphia Union won 5-0 in Trinidad & Tobago against former Lion Kevin Molino’s new team, Defense Force FC. FC Cincinnati also took care of O&M FC on the road in the first leg. It looks like the MLS clubs will avoid early exits this year unless something crazy happens in the second legs next week.

Free Kicks

• Freeman spoke on what Black History Month means to him and how it brings people together.

• New food offerings will be at Inter&Co Stadium this year, with The Hangry Bison Burgers & Bourbon and Zaza Cuban Comfort Food & Coffee joining the concessions lineup. Are ampersands a required part of branding after Inter&Co took over?
• Sporting Kansas City signed Norwegian midfielder Lasse Berg Johnsen from Malmo FF, inking him to a two-and-a-half year contract.
• From familiar faces to fresh ones, here’s a nice refresher on all of the teams with new coaches this year.
• Nashville completed its trade with the Seattle Sounders to acquire American wingback Reed Baker-Whiting, signing him as an MLS U22 Initiative player.
• New York City FC announced that its first game at its new soccer-specific stadium will be in the summer of 2027 for the 2027-2028 MLS season.
• You’ll need to translate it for the details, but the LA Galaxy were linked with Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho.

• The U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team was drawn in a group with Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Bermuda for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying next month. The three group winners will clinch a spot in the World Cup, along with the best runner-up.
• Bodo/Glimt’s home-field advantage was in full force again as it beat Inter 3-1 in the UEFA Champions League. Elsewhere in the tournament, Anthony Gordon scored four goals in the first half of Newcastle United’s 6-1 win over Qarabag, while Patrik Schick scored twice in quick succession for Bayer Leverkusen to beat Olympiacos 2-0.
• Wolverhampton clawed its way back from a two-goal deficit for a 2-2 draw with Arsenal, with Tom Edozie scoring the equalizer in stoppage time. That’s two league draws in a row for Arsenal. You can practically hear the pressure cooker being dialed up another notch.
• We’ll wrap up today’s links with a cool jersey from Real Betis that is made from low-impact materials. including organic fibers from orange peels. Orlando fans are no strangers to citrus-themed kits, but this one does have a scratch-and-sniff feature.

That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!