Lion Links: 4/24/26

Happy Friday! I’m still energized from Orlando City’s victory on Wednesday and am hoping the winning trend continues tonight and through the weekend as we get ready for three straight days of Orlando soccer. Let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Martin Ojeda, Luis Otavio Honored on MLS Team of the Matchday

Orlando City forward Martin Ojeda claimed a spot on the latest MLS Team of the Matchday after scoring twice in the second half to lift the Lions to a 4-1 win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday. It was a welcome return to form for Ojeda, who amassed 31 goal contributions last season but was off to a slow start this year. Midfielder Luis Otavio scored his first goal as a Lion in the match and was named to the bench of the MLS Team of the Matchday as well. The 19-year-old’s goal was struck with the outside of his foot and was one of the wilder moments from an exciting night of MLS soccer that included 43 goals across 11 games.

Orlando Pride Play Racing Louisville Today

With the international break over, the Orlando Pride are back in action today at 5:30 p.m. for a road game against Racing Louisville. The Pride last played on April 3, with Haley McCutcheon scoring a pair of late goals in a 2-1 victory at home to hand Angel City FC its first loss of the season. Although Louisville is still searching for its first win of the season, the Pride have never won on the road against Racing. Hopefully the Pride can make some history tonight and take all three points to start this next stretch of games off strongly.

USWNT Will Play in Brazil This June

The United States Women’s National Team will play Brazil in a pair of road friendlies in June. The first will take place in Sao Paulo on June 6 before the two nations meet again on June 9 in Fortaleza. These will be the USWNT’s first matches in Brazil since 2014 and should help the team prepare for the World Cup there next summer. The U-23 team will also be with the senior team in Brazil during this time to play against clubs from Sao Paulo.

European League Races Hit the Final Stretch

Leagues across Europe are entering the home stretch of their seasons and there’s still plenty up for grabs. The title race in England is neck and neck between Manchester City and Arsenal, but the relegation fight is just as enticing as Tottenham remains in the drop zone with five games to go. Another intriguing relegation battle is in Spain, as Sevilla’s 2-0 loss to Levante has the club right in the thick of things near the bottom of the La Liga table.

Things are fairly settled in Germany and Italy beyond squabbling for Champions League qualification, but the Ligue 1 title race may center around a May 13 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens if PSG stumbles over the next few weeks. Last, but definitely not least, the Scottish Premiership title fight is as tight as can be. Hearts slightly leads over Rangers and Celtic, but there are juicy matchups between the three over the next month.

Free Kicks

• The Pride have climbed four spots to second in All For XI‘s latest NWSL power rankings.
• Midfielder Dylan Chambost signed a contract extension with the Columbus Crew that will keep him at the club through June of 2029.
• D.C. United forward Tai Baribo was named MLS Player of the Matchday after scoring a hat trick in a 4-4 draw with the New York Red Bulls. The Lions will need to keep him from replicating that performance when they face him and D.C. United on Saturday.
• Inter Miami midfielder Yannick Bright was suspended for an additional game for violating the league’s non-discrimination and will not be available for Miami’s game against the New England Revolution on Saturday.
• Forward Lamine Yamal will miss the remainder of Barcelona’s season due to a hamstring injury but is expected to be available for Spain for the World Cup.
• Saudi Arabia officially hired Georgios Donis as its head coach ahead of the World Cup after firing Herve Renard.
• Tiago Tomas scored a backheel goal deep into extra time to lift Stuttgart to a 2-1 win over Freiburg in the German Cup semifinals. Stuttgart is now set to take on Bayern Munich in the final on May 23.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!