Lion Links: 10/17/25

Happy Friday! I don’t know about you, but for me this week has felt like forever, and I can’t wait to kick back and relax a bit this weekend. I bought some books on my reading list, bought a blanket that’s arguably too expensive, and have a couple of new wok recipes I want to try out. There’s also plenty of soccer to get excited about as well, with both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride in action on Saturday. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Prepares for MLS Decision Day

The Lions will wrap up their regular season on the road in Canada on Saturday when they take on Toronto FC. Although Orlando has secured a playoff spot, there’s still plenty to play for on Decision Day as there’s still a chance the Lions would have to play in the wild card round. Orlando is coming off of a disappointing loss at home to the Vancouver Whitecaps but gets important players back following the international break. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on the team’s preparations ahead of this must-win game, and he also provided more information on Cesar Araujo and Robin Jansson’s availability.

NWSL Weekend Preview

The penultimate round of the NWSL season is here as teams fight for playoff positions across the league. Thankfully, the Orlando Pride have already clinched a spot in the postseason. They’ll play the Washington Spirit on the road Saturday in a rematch of the 2024 NWSL Championship, and a win would go a long way towards securing a top-four spot in the standings.

Pride fans will hope the Utah Royals can play spoiler tonight when they take on the Seattle Reign. NJ/NY Gotham FC’s match against Racing Louisville on Sunday will also be one to watch, and Louisville would qualify for the playoffs with a win.

U-23 U.S. Women’s National Team Roster Announced

There were 24 players called up for the U-23 United States Women’s National Team’s training camp, which will take place alongside the senior team’s camp in Philadelphia. Although no Pride players were called up, Pride Assistant Coach Yolanda Thomas was named as the team’s head coach. Angel City FC forward Riley Tiernan, who has scored eight goals this NWSL season, is one of many notable NWSL players who could impress. There are three players on the roster who play outside of the U.S., and Xavier defender Natalie Bain is the only college player called up for this camp.

Assessing the State of the USMNT

The folks over at Stars and Stripes FC dove into what was learned from the United States Men’s National Team’s recent friendlies against Ecuador and Australia. While it’s not great that the Yanks conceded first in both matches, they showed plenty of fight to claw their way back into things and get results. That grit is integral to doing well in tournaments, so hopefully they can show that same kind of hustle in November’s friendlies. An injury to star Christian Pulisic is worrying, but the team helped cover for his absence. Players like Haji Wright, Folarin Balogun, and Cristian Roldan all made strong claims for a spot on the roster come June as well.

Free Kicks

• Enjoy the Lions presenting Orlando City Director of Equipment Operations Charles Raycroft with his Topps card in a pretty wholesome moment.

• Everton signed English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to a contract extension through the 2028-2029 season. The 31-year-old has been with Everton since 2017, making 326 appearances.
• FIFA announced that over one million tickets have already been sold for the 2026 World Cup, with most of those tickets unsurprisingly coming from the three host nations.
• Manchester United, Arsenal, and Real Madrid all won in the recent round of UEFA Women’s Champions League matches. Bayern Munich also picked up a win, with Lea Schuller scoring a late winner to beat Juventus 2-1.

That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!