Lion Links: 4/1/26

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I’d love to come up with some scorching April Fools’ Day joke for you, but given how my teams have been playing as of late, I can’t bring myself to do so. I hope you’re able to find some joy in life, even if it’s because of a bunch of pranks by your coworkers or family. Good luck throughout your day. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Prepares for LAFC

Orlando City heads to the City of Angels this weekend to take on LAFC at BMO Stadium. LAFC sits atop the Western Conference standings with no losses — or even a goal conceded — so far this season. Here is what you need to know about the matchup against LAFC. Interim head coach Martin Perelman shared his thoughts on the process, as did Eduard Atuesta.

The Orlando Pride Rise

It’s been a weird start to the NWSL season, with the top four teams from the last two years struggling in the early going. Out of the Kansas City Current, Washington Spirit, Gotham FC, and the Orlando Pride, only the Pride are currently in a playoff spot. Of course, it’s a long season and there’s no reason to expect the standings to stay like that. The Pride sit in seventh place in the league as well as in the Goal.com power rankings and the ESPN power rankings.

USMNT Loses Again

The USMNT made it two losses in March, falling 2-0 to Portugal on Tuesday in Atlanta. The U.S. had opportunities to score but could not finish chances. Portugal was able to capitalize on two of its opportunities to secure the win. While it is a disappointing result, given the lack of finishing by the U.S., at least it wasn’t as bad as the Belgium match. How did the individual players perform in the match? It’s important, as the next time we see the team, Mauricio Pochettino will have announced the World Cup squad.

World Cup Qualifiers

The USMNT and Portugal weren’t the only teams playing Tuesday. Italy will miss out on the World Cup again after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalty kicks. Czechia qualified for the World Cup after defeating Denmark — also on penalty kicks. Sweden defeated Poland 3-2 on a late goal to punch its ticket to the competition. Finally, Turkiye defeated Kosovo 1-0 to join the USMNT, Australia, and Paraguay in Group D.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City actually made the list of 10 stories that have defined the MLS season so far. Thanks to Antoine Griezmann it’s actually not for a bad reason.
• The man who was previously found guilty by a federal jury of arson after throwing flares at Inter&Co Stadium in 2024 has now be acquitted by a judge because there was no malicious intent.
• The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team will hold a training camp from April 7-16 in Kansas City, MO, including two matches against the Brazilian U-20 Women’s National Team.
• The U.S. U-21s secured a victory over the Korea Republic.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend.