Lion Links: 4/2/26

April Fool’s Day is thankfully over! It’s always an annoying way to start the month of April, but we’ve made it through and now we don’t have to worry about the more egregious attempts by corporations to go viral. The international break is also over, which means Orlando City soccer is back on the menu, for better or for worse. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Robin Jansson’s Road to Recovery

Orlando City center back Robin Jansson and head athletic trainer Tyler Killinger both spoke on how his rehabilitation process is going, with Killinger noting that he’s just over the halfway mark of it. The 34-year-old hasn’t played yet this season due to a foot injury this preseason that required him to undergo surgery.

Although he continues to support the team off the field as the team’s captain, his absence has definitely been felt. Orlando has conceded 17 goals so far this season, the most in the league, so hopefully the Beefy Swede comes back beefier than ever when he’s ready.

Orlando Pride Prepare for Angel City FC

The Orlando Pride are back in the City Beautiful after a road trip that included a 3-0 win against the Chicago Stars and a scoreless draw with Gotham FC. They’ll aim for their first home win of the season on Friday when they host an Angel City FC side that has won all three of its games so far. The Pride are coming off back-to-back clean sheets, but Angel City leads the league with nine goals. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines detailed how the defense is shaping up as the team prepares for a tough opponent at home.

USWNT Roster Announced for April Training Camp

United States Women’s National Team Head Coach Emma Hayes called up 26 players for the team’s training camp roster this month. The most notable inclusion is forward Sophia Wilson, who returns to the team for the first time in 17 months. Defender Tierna Davidson is also back in the fold after missing over a year with the USWNT due to a knee injury. It’s another fairly experienced squad this time around, as there aren’t any uncapped players on this camp’s roster. The USWNT will face Japan in three friendlies this month, starting with a match on April 11 in San Jose.

Takeaways from USMNT Defeats

The United States Men’s National Team is licking its wounds from an international break that gave more questions than answers with the World Cup only a couple of months away. Uncertainty abounds when it comes to the USMNT’s attack, which struggled to capitalize on its chances despite doing well to create them. Former Orlando City right back Alex Freeman had a solid showing against Portugal and will likely be part of Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s plans this summer. It’s still a bit unclear which center back will be starting alongside Chris Richards in June, but Matt Freese seems to be the frontrunner for the goalkeeping job over Matt Turner.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando City and Orlando Pride pop-up bar, The Final Whistle, will be sticking around through the summer. It’s great news for folks like me who haven’t had the chance to make it out there yet.
• There’s now a limited edition bottle of Jameson themed after Orlando City, which sounds perfect for taking the sting out of 5-0 losses.

• The USMNT fell a spot to 16th in the first FIFA rankings of the year following its losses to Belgium and Portugal. Mexico is now the highest ranked Concacaf nation, rising to 15th after draws against the same foes.
• Chelsea announced pre-tax losses of $350 million, which is a record high in the English Premier League. It’s an absurd amount of money that I can’t fully wrap my head around.
• ESPN ranked the 48 teams participating in the World Cup this summer, with the U.S. ranking 22nd. France tops the list, while Qatar is at the bottom right below Curacao.
• Former Pride head coach Marc Skinner spoke on what Manchester United must do in order to improve after the club’s exit from the UEFA Women’s Champions League following a 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich.

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