Lion Links: 2/27/26

Happy Friday! Can you believe we’re already about to say farewell to February? I have no complaints and am definitely looking forward to spring and all of the soccer it brings. We have both Orlando City and the United States Women’s National Team in action on Sunday, so be sure to plan accordingly. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Storylines Ahead of Orlando City’s Rivalry Match

The Lions will aim to get back on track on Sunday when they host Inter Miami in their second game of the 2026 season. Hopefully another week of training will have the team playing a bit more cohesively than it did in its 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls to open the season. There were six players who made their Orlando debuts last week, and it will be interesting to see what changes, if any, Head Coach Oscar Pareja makes to the starting lineup. The Lions beat Miami in both league games last year, with Marco Pasalic scoring three times across those two wins. A strong performance from him would be great to see after an underwhelming start to the year.

Orlando Pride Unveil the Unity Kit

The Orlando Pride announced their new secondary jersey for the upcoming season. Named the Unity Kit, it honors Orlando coming together following the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub 10 years ago, and $20,000 in jersey sales will be donated towards supporting the LGBT+ community. I’m a pretty big fan of the design’s pastel bands, which overlap and weave themselves across the front and back of the jersey. The shorts and socks are also a great shade of purple that complements the pastels very well in my opinion. It’s a winner and I can’t wait to see it in person.

MLS NEXT Pro Preview

The 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season kicks off tonight and here’s a nice guide to each of the Eastern Conference teams, including Orlando City B. The Young Lions will have to generate offense without Shak Mohammed, who led them in scoring last year and is now in Nashville. The club went out and added forward Pedro Leao on loan from Flamengo’s U-20 team in Brazil. Hopefully he can make an impact this year to help the Young Lions reach the postseason after they missed out last year. OCB will start its season at home when it hosts Huntsville City FC on Monday.

OneFootball Will Stream MLS NEXT Pro

Speaking of MLS NEXT Pro, the upcoming season will be streamed on OneFootball rather than through Apple TV like in past years. As part of the partnership between the league and streaming platform, matches will be aired live and freely for OneFootball users. I’m not too fond of having to sign up for yet another streaming platform in order to watch soccer but am withholding most of my judgment until I can see the product for myself. Thankfully, the games will be broadcast on the league’s website as well.

Free Kicks

• Former Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams was called up to replace Jordyn Bugg on the United States Women’s National Team’s roster for the SheBelieves Cup, which kicks off on Sunday.
• Melina Gaspar of All For XI ranked all of the new NWSL jerseys this year, with the Pride’s coming in third. I can’t overstate how much Gotham FC’s hurts my eyes
• St. Louis City signed forward Simon Becher to a new contract that will keep him at the club through June of 2028 with an option for the 2028-2029 season.
• Austin FC has reportedly signed forward Christian Ramirez, who was waived by the LA Galaxy earlier this month.

• You’ll need to get past the paywall for the full details, but MLS clubs will be able to use the lower back of their jerseys for ad space after the All-Star break.
• Brentford Head Coach Keith Andrews has signed a new contract with the English club that will last until 2032.
• Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong will be out for up to six weeks due to a hamstring injury in training, meaning he will miss the club’s Copa del Rey semifinal on Tuesday against Atletico Madrid.

That’s all I have for you on this fine Friday. I hope you all have a great day and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!