Lion Links: 3/26/26

It’s always nice to spend a Thursday morning basking in the glow of an Orlando Pride win the night before. There’s also plenty of international soccer to look forward to today, and I’ll admit it’s nice not worrying about if Orlando City is going to get destroyed over the weekend. It should be a nice couple of days. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Shut Out the Chicago Stars

The Orlando Pride won their first game of the season, beating the Chicago Stars 3-0 in their first road game of the year. They came out swinging with three goals in the first half, including a goal to remember by Jacquie Ovalle. The defense took care of its side of things for its first clean sheet of the season as well, and it’s a nice result for the team to build on. Orlando will be back in action on Sunday in what should be a tough road match against Gotham FC.

Generation Adidas Cup Kicks Off Friday

This year’s edition of the Generation Adidas Cup starts on Friday, with domestic and international academy teams in the U-15 and U-16 age groups competing against each other in Bradenton. Orlando City’s U-15 team has done well so far this year and was noted as one to watch in this tournament. Maxi Alvarez, who was called up to the U.S. U-15 National Team’s training camp earlier this month, is a Young Lion to keep an eye out for, along with fellow attacker Rijkaard Atali and defender Jaxon Ludwick. Orlando’s done fairly well in the tournament in recent years, so hopefully the teams can keep that trend going and make deep runs.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The Colorado Rapids sent $200,000 in General Allocation Money to Toronto FC in exchange for 23-year-old defender Kosi Thompson, with another $200,000 heading Toronto’s way if conditions are met. Further bolstering their back line, the Rapids also officially signed center back Loic Williams to a contract through the 2029-2030 season with an option for the 2030-2031 season.

The LA Galaxy and Inter Miami are reportedly interested in Manchester United midfielder Casemiro, whose contract ends this summer. FC Dallas is reportedly close to adding forward Santiago Moreno on loan from Fluminense, while American forward Marco Zambrano will reportedly join the New England Revolution on loan from Real Salt Lake. In regards to the Mo Salah sweepstakes, San Diego FC and the Chicago Fire don’t seem to be in the running as of now.

World Cup Qualifying Returns With Playoff Action

The 2026 FIFA World Cup may only be a couple of months away, but there are still spots up for grabs and both the UEFA and intercontinental playoffs start today. Plenty of eyes will be on Italy, which has failed to qualify for the past two World Cups and faces Northern Ireland. If it advances, Italy will face the victor between Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina for a spot in Canada’s group. Meanwhile, whichever team advances from the path featuring Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo will join the same group as the United States this summer.

As for the intercontinental playoffs, there are a pair of Concacaf nations in action today in Mexico. Jamaica will take on New Caledonia and the winner will play against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday. In the other path, Suriname and Bolivia will square off for the chance to play Iraq on Tuesday for a spot in a stacked Group I with France, Senegal, and Norway.

Free Kicks

• The Denver Summit won their first game in club history, beating Gotham FC 2-0 on the road. Melissa Kossler scored the first goal for Denver and then Natasha Flint doubled the lead thanks to a gaffe by Ann-Katrin Berger.

• St. Louis City midfielder Marcel Hartel won MLS Goal of the Matchday for intercepting a pass and immediately making the Revolution pay for it with a wild volley to beat Matt Turner.
• Mauricio Culebro was named as the president of soccer for Atlanta United and Atlanta’s NWSL team set to take the field in 2028. He has been Tigres UANL’s president for the past five years and was previously the chief operating officer of the Mexican Football Federation.
• In the first legs of the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona crushed Real Madrid 6-2, while Bayern Munich beat Manchester United 3-2 thanks to a late goal from Momoko Tanikawa.
• BBC Sports dove into the expected environmental impact of the upcoming World Cup, which will take place across North America and is the first with the expanded field of 48 teams. Spoiler alert, there will be an obscene amount of carbon emissions.

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