Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/22/26
Orlando City match day, Barbra Banda heads to WAFCON, OCB ranked, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It is match day as Orlando City heads to California to take on the San Jose Earthquakes. It’s going to be a late one, so I hope you got your beauty sleep last night. There’s a lot of excitement with the arrival of Antoine Griezmann and the return of Daryl Dike heading into the second part of the season. Let’s get to the links.
Lions Head West
Orlando City resumes the season tonight with a late night match against the San Jose Earthquakes. This will likely be Griezmann’s first official appearance for the Lions. Thanks to the World Cup break, Orlando City enjoyed the equivalent of a second preseason. This will be the first opportunity to see if the extra time and the presence of Griezmann can turn the season around. It won’t be an easy task as San Jose sits in second place in the Western Conference.
Banda to WAFCON
As much as the Orlando Pride need Barbra Banda — and they really do — she is headed off to play for Zambia at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. She won’t be alone, as several NWSL players will also be playing in the competition. You’ll be familiar with Temwa Chawinga, Rosemonde Kouassi, and Racheal Kundananji, among others. Zambia’s first match is against Egypt on Tuesday, July 28. The matches will be available on beIN Sports Connect.
Orlando City B Ranked
If you aren’t watching Orlando City B, I think you should give the team a chance. No matter the result, it’s usually interesting to watch. MLS NEXT Pro has the Young Lions sitting in seventh place in the current power rankings. It’s even more impressive since you never know who will be on the pitch any given match. OCB will be back in action Sunday against Huntsville City.
Red Card Rescinded
In my opinion, Leandro Paredes earned a post-match red card for his actions against several Spanish players. The official match tracker showed Paredes with a red card, but it was later deleted, and now FIFA says he didn’t receive the red card. FIFA also says that multiple Argentina players and coaching staff members will be subject to investigation around the incidents in the match against Spain and the political sign held up after the match against England.
Free Kicks
- The Chicago Stars were dealt a blow before the match against the Orlando Pride as Jordyn Huitema has been placed on the Season Ending Injury list.
- Borussia Monchengladbach is making Joe Scally and Gio Reyna available for sale.
- The LA Galaxy agreed to transfer forward Kyōgo Furuhashi from Birmingham City through the 2030-2031 season, and he will occupy an international slot.
- Premier League referee Anthony Taylor is retiring.
- I’m just going to leave this here as the butt of the joke.
That will do it for today. Check back with us tonight for coverage of Orlando City’s match. You can also follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for updates during the match. Vamos Orlando!