Lion Links: 10/8/25

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It is perfectly acceptable to have your Halloween decorations set up at this point, despite it feeling way too hot for fall. This is also your friendly reminder that just because the stores are already putting out the Christmas decorations, I think we can all agree that there needs to be an appropriate amount of time between taking down the Halloween stuff and putting up the Christmas stuff. Feel free to debate how much time in the comments. Now that I’ve started that argument, let’s get to the links.

Get to Know Luis Muriel

Luis Muriel is in his second season with Orlando City, and you’ve seen him acclimate to MLS and the club. Now, you can learn a little more about how he got here and what he hopes to accomplish the remainder of the season with the Lions. I’m sure you can guess he wants to score more goals and for the team to win the league. I want that too, so it’s good we’re on the same page. Regardless, this is a great look into one of Orlando City’s Designated Players.

Report: Orlando City Inquired about Richarlison

First, I don’t like Richarlison. Second, I’m completely willing to change my mind if he comes to Orlando City to score a bunch of goals. Third, he’s not coming to Orlando City. Fourth, I don’t like Richarlison. All that said, according to this story, the Lions’ brass made some phone calls to inquire about having him come to Orlando for a “career project,” but it doesn’t seem he’s ready to make that move.

Orlando Pride Rise and Fall

The Orlando Pride salvaged a point against the Houston Dash on Friday. Everyone agrees Simone Charley’s 85th-minute goal to earn the draw was an emotional highlight of the week. That result saw the club move up a spot to No. 5 in ESPN’s power rankings and down a spot to No. 5 in the Goal.com power rankings despite being No. 6 in the actual NWSL rankings.

Inter&Co Stadium Welcomes the Storm to Orlando

Inter&Co Stadium will be the official home of the new United Football League team, the Orlando Storm. The team will play its home games at the stadium during the 2026 season, which starts next March. This will be a good source of revenue for the stadium, though the grounds crew will have a more difficult job making sure it is ready for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride matches.

Club Accolades

We know how great Orlando is for soccer because we love Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, OCB, and all the other soccer-related events in the City Beautiful. With international competitions, tournaments, and U.S. National Team matches, it’s obvious Orlando is a soccer town, and it ranks as the No. 2 Best Soccer City in the U.S. according to WalletHub. Part of that success can be attributed to the investment of the Wilf Family in the clubs, the stadium, and the greater Orlando area. Fittingly, Orlando City and Orlando Pride Owner & Chairman Mark Wilf has been named one of the 50 Most Powerful People in Orlando according to Orlando Magazine.

Free Kicks

• Alex Freeman took on Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Hero Kanu in a Keep Up Challenge. I won’t spoil who won the competition.

• If you’re looking for something to do after work today, you can meet Duncan McGuire in Oviedo. Evidently Verizon also runs on Duncan.

• Not the retirement I was hoping for from Miami, but I still welcome the news. Bon Voyage, Jordi Alba.

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