Lion Links: 5/5/26

Good morning, everyone, and happy Cinco de Mayo! It was another weekend of wildly varying results for Orlando’s soccer teams. Orlando City erased a 3-0 deficit and knocked off Miami 4-3 on the road, the Orlando Pride dropped a 4-2 decision to the Washington Spirit, and Orlando City B drew Crown Legacy FC and then lost the penalty shootout. We’ve got quite a lot to talk through this morning, so let’s take a look at today’s links.

Lions Rake in the Recognition

OCSC had the highest-profile performance of the weekend, and the Lions are rightfully reaping the results of their efforts. Martin Ojeda is in the starting XI of the MLS Team of the Matchday, while Tyrese Spicer is on the bench and Martin Perelman was named the coach of the side. It doesn’t stop there though, because Spicer’s game-winning goal was named the Energy Moment of the Matchday, while Ojeda was named the Player of the Matchday. In the unlikely event that all of that somehow isn’t enough for you, make sure you go vote for Ojeda’s first goal to be named the Goal of the Matchday. Keep up the good work, fellas!

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a healthy number of Americans who will be playing games during the working week, so let’s go over some of the highlight matches. Things kick off with a vengeance later today when Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid travel to London to face Arsenal in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal tie. Wednesday has Timothy Tillman and LAFC seeking to close out Toluca on the road in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. Thursday brings us back across the pond as Chris Richards’ Crystal Palace side will try to maintain their 3-1 aggregate lead on Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Conference League semifinals. Things finish up on Friday with Gianluca Busio and freshly promoted Venezia taking on Palermo in Serie B action.

Lessons from Matchday 11

MLS matchday 11 is officially in the books, so what did we learn from the weekend’s action? For one thing, Diego Luna looks ready to roll if he gets the call for the World Cup this summer. He’s got five goal contributions in five starts despite fighting his way through some injury struggles at the start of the season, and he put the game to bed against the Portland Timbers on Saturday while consistently creating danger throughout the match. The race for the Golden Boot is starting to pick up steam, as Petar Musa and Hugo Cuypers are tied atop the leaderboard with 10 goals apiece, and Sam Surridge is just behind them with nine. Finally, Orlando City isn’t the only team refusing to go quietly into that good night, as FC Cincinnati fought through a 56th-minute Kyle Smith red card to beat the Chicago Fire 3-2 and climb up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The summer transfer window will be upon us before we know it, so let’s catch up on some of the big rumors. First up, Bayern Munich reportedly remains dogged in its pursuit of Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon, but the Bavarian club is said to be reluctant to meet the Magpies’ valuation of €90 million. Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain is said to be interested in signing 18-year-old defender Joan Martinez from Real Madrid, but his €150 million release clause understandably presents a big hurdle to overcome. Moving to Italy, Inter Milan has reportedly warned Barcelona away from making a move for center back Alessandro Bastoni, as the Catalonian club looks to strengthen its back line in the off-season. Finally, Manchester City midfielder Tijani Reijnders may depart the team in the summer, with a number of Serie A teams said to be interested.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City rose five spots to no. 25 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• Unfortunately, the Orlando Pride moved five spots in the other direction when it comes to the same outlet’s NWSL power rankings.
• Chelsea’s almost-guaranteed failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League comes with some dire financial implications for the club.
• MLS great Kei Kamara has officially called time on a truly wonderful career.

• Santos FC has opened an investigation into an alleged physical assault of Robino Junior by Neymar that took place on Sunday.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!