Lion Links: 8/25/23

Welcome to Friday! It’s a pretty exciting weekend to be an Orlando soccer fan. The Orlando Pride, Orlando City, and Orlando City B will all play home games over the next few days, creating a purple gauntlet of sorts. If you’re heading out for any of the games, I hope your travel goes smoothly and that you stay cool in this August heat. But for now, let’s dive into the links!

Orlando City Preps for St. Louis City

The Lions will play the top team in the Western Conference tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m., with St. Louis City coming to the City Beautiful. Orlando is coming off of a 3-1 win in Chicago, with Facundo Torres providing a goal and an assist. It was Torres’ 22nd goal as a Lion, tying him with Tesho Akindele for sixth on the club’s scoring list. His next goal will have him tie Chris Mueller for fifth on the list. One thing to watch for in the upcoming match will be just how much playing time Junior Urso and Michael Halliday will get after returning last weekend. Tomorrow’s match will also include a pop-up shop at Section 10 for you to buy merch signed by players.

May the Force Be With the Orlando Pride Tonight

The Orlando Pride host the San Diego Wave tonight at 7 p.m. on Star Wars Night at Exploria Stadium. After a disappointing NWSL Challenge Cup campaign, the Pride received an immediate boost from their players who took part in the World Cup in the club’s 5-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars. Rafaelle and Mariana Larroquette both scored in their Pride debuts, while Marta and Adriana combined for three assists. Not only have the Pride won their past three league games, but they shut out their opponents during that stretch as well. The Pride have not lost to the Wave since the California club joined in 2022.

New Vendors Headed to Exploria Stadium

Exploria Stadium’s food and beverage options are expanding to include 13 local vendors across the stadium. This is the latest part of the venue’s efforts to feature more Orlando-area favorites for fans to enjoy at games. You’ll be able to get your first taste of the new food tonight at the Pride’s game, with Dexter Birdland, Sus Hi Eatstation, and Cholo Dogs available as part of the rotating vendor cart offerings. Fortuna Bakery, Norma’s Italian Eatery, and Chill in Tacos are a few of the other new options you can check out, and more will be on their way in the future.

Orlando City B Plays Columbus Crew II on Sunday

After taking this past weekend off, Orlando City B faces Columbus Crew II at 7 p.m. on Sunday at Osceola Heritage Park. This is OCB’s first game since a 4-3 comeback win against New York City FC II back on Aug. 13. Jack Lynn had a brace in that match and is right in the thick of the Golden Boot race with 14 goals to his name this season. Shak Mohammed also had a brace, so hopefully he can keep building momentum in this final stretch of the season. A win would go a long way towards OCB qualifying for the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs, as the Young Lions are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with five games to go.

Free Kicks

• This thread details how fired up former Lion Niko Gioacchini is to return to Orlando and play his old team. Hopefully Orlando’s defense will keep him quiet on the field.

• American defender Cameron Carter-Vickers will be out for two months after sustaining a hamstring injury in Celtic’s match against Aberdeen.
• Inter Miami loaned Harvey Neville, son of former Miami coach Phil Neville, to Loudoun United in the USL Championship.
• Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales will reportedly resign today after FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against him for kissing Jenni Hermosa.
• The San Diego Loyal are folding after this USL Championship season, as solutions for a home stadium did not materialize.
• Susie Rantz of Sounder At Heart attended the recent Women’s World Cup and detailed some of her takeaways from the tournament.
• Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez is reportedly headed to Italy to join Inter Milan.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday. Go Orlando!