Lion Links: 7/20/26

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work, but I checked out a Noah Kahan concert and watched the World Cup final while catching up with friends over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Fall at Utah Royals

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Utah Royals at America First Field Saturday night. Narumi Miura scored the lone goal for Utah to secure the win, while the Pride have lost back-to-back matches after losing to Boston Legacy Wednesday. That result also dropped Orlando below the playoff line, as the club sits ninth in the NWSL table with 20 points. The Pride will return home for their next match against the Chicago Stars Friday at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 1-1 Draw vs. Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B drew Chattanooga FC 1-1 on the road at Finley Stadium Saturday. Pedro Leao scored the opener for the Young Lions in the first half. However, in the second half, Chattanooga FC scored the equalizer. The Young Lions won the penalty shootout 4-3 to earn a second point. OCB will be back in action at home Sunday, facing Huntsville City FC at Osceola County Stadium.

Orlando City Signs Clovis Archange to Homegrown Player Contract

Orlando City announced Friday that the club has signed defender Clovis Archange to a Homegrown Player contract with the first team. The deal is a three-year contract lasting through the 2027 calendar year, with club options in 2028 and 2029. Archange has made six appearances across all competitions for OCB during the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season.

Latest MLS Transfer Roundup

According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, there is no movement on the rumored Orlando City forward Marco Pasalic’s potential transfer to Hull City, but the English Premier League side has reportedly inquired about a loan deal.

The Columbus Crew have signed former Manchester United and Real Oviedo center back Eric Bailly. The contract runs through June 2027, with club options for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. Liga MX side CF Monterrey is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers.

LAFC has reportedly reached an agreement with Hammarby on a transfer fee to move midfielder Amin Boudri to the Swedish club. Lastly, San Diego FC is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.

Spain Wins World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, Sunday to win the World Cup for the second time since 2010. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time after committing a foul on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi. The match went to extra time, and Ferran Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in the 106th minute. Argentina was unable to find a late equalizer to send the match to penalties. Argentina was looking to repeat as champions but had only two shots in the game (both in extra time) and failed to record a shot on goal. As for the FIFA World Cup awards, Spain midfielder Rodri took the Best Player Award, while France striker Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot Award with 10 goals, the Golden Glove Award went to Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, and Cubarsi won the Young Player Award.

Free Kicks

• Check out this player spotlight piece from Stars and Stripes FC on Orlando City midfielder Justin Ellis, highlighting his soccer journey, his chances of making the 2030 USMNT World Cup squad, and more.
• Dylan Judelson and Archange of Orlando City B were called up to Canada’s U-20 squad for the Concacaf U-20 Championship in Mexico. Canada will face Panama on July 25, Honduras on July 28, and Jamaica on July 31 during the group stage.
• Major League Soccer is reportedly considering two candidates to succeed Don Garber as the league’s new commissioner, LAFC co-owner Larry Berg and former Fox executive David Nathanson. 49ers Enterprises president Paraag Marathe was mentioned as a candidate but later removed his name from consideration, according to reports.
• The Portland Timbers are reportedly hiring former Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes as the club’s new head coach and have reached an agreement on a three-year deal.
• Bukayo Saka recorded a hat trick for England as his side defeated France 6-4 in a 10-goal thriller to win the third-place FIFA World Cup playoff match Saturday.
• Besiktas has reached an agreement to sign Flamengo and former Orlando City defender Leo Pereira. The club is reportedly in advanced negotiations to sign former Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

• Telemundo has reportedly acquired the U.S. Spanish-language broadcasting rights to the UEFA Champions League men’s club competitions for three seasons, beginning in 2027-2028.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.