Lion Links: 9/23/26

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. September has some really fun oddball “holidays.” Sept. 19 was International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and yesterday was Hobbit Day, because canonically it is both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins’ birthdays. I’m going to stop there because otherwise this will be a Tolkien-based article. I am kind of upset I didn’t write Lion Links for the 19th and thus missed out on all the great pirate jokes. Arrrghh! (Okay, just the one).

Before we get to our stories of the day, let’s wish Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena a happy 32nd birthday. Today is also a special day for us here at The Mane Land, as it is the completion of our 12th year of existence. Our blog started 12 years ago today in 2014 as a free WordPress site before moving to SBNation for a long time and then finally coming full circle and going independent.

Now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Prepares for Philly

You have to love MLS continuing to play matches when so many players are being called up to national teams, including several players in the upcoming match between Orlando City and the Philadelphia Union. Justin Ellis and Cavan Sullivan will both miss the match, though both will be in Orlando (see below). The Union have jumped to the No. 5 spot in the MLSsoccer.com power rankings while the Lions are sitting down in the 14th spot. You can expect to see some backups starting in this match for both clubs.

Orlando Pride Tumble After Portland Loss

The Orlando Pride might be sitting at 11th in the NWSL standings, but the club is ranked 12th in both the ESPN power rankings and the All for XI power rankings. It’s not surprising given the Pride gave Yolanda Thomas her first defeat as interim head coach in the embarrassing 4-1 loss to the Portland Thorns.

USMNT Visits Orlando on Saturday

We’re all aware that the USMNT will play in Inter.co Stadium this weekend before heading to four additional venues across the country. The first match in Orlando pits the USMNT against Peru. There will be plenty of current and former Orlando City players in the match. Current Lion Justin Ellis and former OCSC defender Alex Freeman will represent the U.S., with Orlando midfielder (and today’s birthday boy) Wilder Cartagena and former Lions Pedro Gallese and Yoshimar Yotun on Peru’s roster. It should be a fun one if you can afford the ticket.

USWNT’s Pipeline Tapped?

The USWNT has consistently been among the best teams in the world for a very long time. One of the reasons for this has been the program’s ability to reload with younger players. Now, there’s concern that the pipeline is running dry. It may be that the entire youth development system needs to be fixed. The NWSL has implemented a new player development rule that may help both the national team and the league.

Free Kicks

• U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team Head Coach Gonzalo Segares has called up 20 players for the training camp in Spain to prepare for the 2027 FIFA World Cup in Azerbaijan/Uzbekistan. One of those players is Orlando City midfielder/defender Colin Guske, who is currently on loan with Real Salt Lake.

• Matt Miazga has officially signed with New York City FC through the end of this season after reports first surfaced days ago. I know another team that could use a quality center back. Too bad Miazga is no longer available.

• The Mexican Senate is debating if and when to bring back promotion and relegation to Mexican soccer, which went away during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Good news, everyone! No Orlando City players were fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee. However, Orlando City’s next opponent, the Philadelphia Union, got dinged for violating the league’s Mass Confrontation Policy along with Sporting Kansas City.

That will do it for today. Check back with us as we prepare you for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!