Lion Links: 6/26/26

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this weekend beyond enjoying all of the soccer as the World Cup’s group stage comes to a close before the knockout round begins on Sunday. We also have an Orlando City B home game on Sunday, so be sure to go support the Young Lions if able. Now, let’s get to the links!

Maxime Crepeau’s Road to the World Cup

Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau has helped Canada advance to the knockout stage of this year’s World Cup and he gave some insight into how he reached this point of his career. He made the most of his loans at various Canadian clubs before a trade to the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he went on to earn the starting job. Crepeau also gave some insight on the leg injury he suffered in the 2022 MLS Cup final with LAFC that caused him to miss out on the World Cup in Qatar. Now representing his country on the world’s biggest stage, Crepeau and Canada will take on South Africa in the round of 32 on Sunday.

USMNT Falls to Turkiye in Final Group Game

The United States Men’s National Team lost 3-2 to Turkiye in its last game of the group stage on a last-gasp goal deep in stoppage time. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino heavily rotated the squad for this one, having already clinched the group, and Christian Pulisic came off the bench in the second half. The Yanks got off to a hot start thanks to a goal by defender Auston Trusty, but Turkiye scored twice in the first half to take the lead. Another strong start by the U.S. in the second half led to Sebastian Berhalter’s great equalizer, but Turkiye found a winner at the death as Trusty limped around after sustaining an injury with no substitutes remaining. It was the first loss of the tournament for the U.S., which will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday in the round of 32.

NWSL Challenge Cup Takes Place Tonight

While we’re still waiting for the NWSL season to resume, we have the NWSL Challenge Cup to look forward to tonight. Gotham FC will take on the Kansas City Current at 8 p.m. in the latest edition of this event that pits the previous NWSL Championship and NWSL Shield winners against each other. Gotham hasn’t lost against an NWSL team since the Current won 2-1 on April 4. Tonight’s game will be held in Columbus, which was recently awarded an expansion team in the league and is expected to field a team in 2028.

World Cup Roundup

More nations have booked their spots in the knockout round as the group stage winds down. Australia secured its place after a scoreless draw with Paraguay, with Paraguay likely to advance as well. The Ivory Coast shut out Curacao 2-0 to claim second in Group E and qualify for the knockout round for the first time, while Ecuador advanced as the third-place team after winning 2-1 against Germany, which had already won the group. In Group F, the Netherlands beat Tunisia 3-1 to win the group and will face Morocco in the next round. Japan and Sweden battled to a 1-1 draw, with both teams advancing as well.

Today’s action features what should be a good match between France and Norway to win Group I. Senegal and Iran will square off in the other match in that group for a chance to advance as a third-place team. Uruguay’s match against Spain and Cabo Verde against Saudi Arabia should also make for some great viewing tonight.

Free Kicks

• Enjoy this look behind the scenes of Antoine Griezmann getting his medical done by Orlando Health, which also includes Griezmann posing with a rather unique portrait of Robin Jansson.

• The Houston Dash improved its attack by signing Serbian forward Miljana Ivanovic from Malmo FF in Sweden.
• Alexia Putellas will reportedly join the London City Lionesses in the Women’s Super League after 14 years with Barcelona. While she would’ve been a cool addition to the NWSL, I’m not complaining about the Pride not having to face her on the field.
• Emily Sonnett signed a two-year contract extension with Gotham FC that will keep her at the club through the 2028 season.
• Czech forward Patrick Schick announced his retirement from international soccer following his team’s exit from the World Cup.
• Manchester City has reportedly signed English midfielder Elliot Anderson for a club record fee.

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