Lion Links: 5/5/25

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy covering high school sports to help finish the spring season. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City forward Ramiro Enrique, who turned 24 on Sunday, Orlando Pride defender Oihane Hernandez, who turned 25 on Sunday, and Orlando City B midfielder Juan Quevedo, who turns 20 today. It was a rough weekend for our teams, as the Lions could only get a draw, while the Pride and OCB lost. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw Chicago Fire on the Road

Orlando City and the Chicago Fire split the points in a scoreless draw Saturday at Soldier Field. Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady received a red card and was sent off after he came off his line and slammed into Duncan McGuire in the first half, denying a goal-scoring opportunity for the Lions. However, Orlando City couldn’t capitalize on the man advantage. Lions goalkeeper Pedro Gallese had a solid performance in goal, making eight saves as Orlando escaped with its fourth scoreless draw in its last five matches. Orlando City extended its unbeaten run to eight matches and is eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Lions will be busy this week with two matches, visiting the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Round of 32 of the 2025 U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, followed by a home match against the New England Revolution on Saturday.

Pride Lose in Portland

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Portland Thorns on Saturday at Providence Park. Reyna Reyes scored the lone goal for the Thorns. The Pride didn’t create many chances throughout the match and couldn’t get an equalizer. The Pride’s struggles at Providence Park continue as they have been winless in their last six meetings on the road in Portland. Despite the defeat, Orlando remains tied for first in the NWSL standings with the Kansas City Current. The Pride will be on the road on Saturday to face the North Carolina Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park.

OCB Crushed by Chicago Fire II

Orlando City B fell 5-1 to Chicago Fire FC II on Friday at Flames Field on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago. The Young Lions got off to a good start as Shak Mohammed scored the opener in the first half. However, Chicago scored two goals to take a 2-1 lead going into halftime. In the second half, Chicago added three more goals to seal a 5-1 win and snap its three-match winless streak. The Young Lions are now winless in their last three matches and are in fifth in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference standings. OCB’s next match will be on May 17 at home against Inter Miami II.

Americans Abroad

Let’s catch up on how some Americans did abroad over the weekend as the European season nears its conclusion. Former Lion Daryl Dike scored his first goal in 485 days for West Brom in Saturday in a 5-3 win over Luton Town to close out the EFL championship season. Dike was also named the SBI Soccer Americans Abroad Player of the Week. Americans Haji Wright and Aidan Morris faced off on Saturday. Wright played 90 minutes as his Coventry City side beat Middlesbrough 2-0 and booked a spot in the EFL Championship promotion playoffs. Meanwhile, Brenden Aaronson and Leeds defeated Plymouth Argyle 2-1 and edged Burnley on goal difference to win the EFL Championship title. Weston McKennie played 90 minutes, but his Juventus side settled for a 1-1 draw against Bologna. Finally, Folarin Balogun scored his first goal since October as Monaco defeated Saint-Etienne 3-1.

Free Kicks

• Yesterday was May the Fourth and Orlando City and the Pride got in on the action to celebrate Star Wars Day.

• Leicester City captain Jamie Vardy blew the whistle to stop play so referee David Webb could get medical treatment. Webb suffered a head injury after a collision with Leicester City forward Jordan Ayew, and the match against Southampton was delayed for 11 minutes.

• Harry Kane finally ended his trophy drought as Bayern Munich was crowned champion of the Bundesliga on Sunday after Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg fought for a 2-2 draw.
• The Chicago Stars are reportedly exploring moving home matches to the Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, IL, next season. The Stars’ lease at SeatGeek Stadium expires at the end of this year.
• Sporting Kansas City defeated the LA Galaxy 1-0 on Sunday and became the first MLS club to win a match without attempting a single shot on goal.

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