Lion Links: 11/13/25

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope you all enjoyed the cold weather, as it looks like things will be warming up pretty soon. It’s been pretty nice to exist outside without sweating, and hopefully that trend continues this weekend since it includes an Orlando Pride playoff match in the City Beautiful on Sunday. For now though, let’s dive into today’s links!

Wilder Cartagena Will Stay In Orlando

Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena agreed to a new contract with Orlando City that will last through 2026 with a club option for 2027. The 31-year-old was a key part of Orlando’s midfield in 2024 but missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to an Achilles injury sustained during the preseason. With the status of many defensive players up in the air this off-season, it’s nice knowing that at least Cartagena will be a familiar face holding things down in 2026.

Community Food Drive at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are teaming up with The Ruckus for a food drive to help ensure families have essential items for the holidays. Donations of shelf-stable and nonperishable food items will be accepted Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 26, with locations at the club’s front office and the Gate D lobby at Inter&Co Stadium. This will coincide with other annual food drives to address food insecurity in the community. The holidays can be a rough time for many of us, so let’s make sure to check out ways we can help each other if able.

Carson Pickett Selected for NWSL Skills Challenge

The NWSL unveiled details about this year’s NWSL Skills Challenge, and Orlando Pride defender Carson Pickett is one of seven players slated to participate. Players who are set to play in the NWSL Championship won’t take part in the event though, so hopefully that’s the case for Pickett. Other players set to participate include Croix Bethune and Racheal Kundananji, with the rosters for each of the two competing teams set to be revealed later. The winning team of the Skills Challenge will get $30,000 of prize money to split and this year’s competition will feature a crossbar challenge, a relay race, and a gauntlet involving scoring on mini goals.

Atlanta Officially Receives an NWSL Team

The NWSL officially awarded an expansion club to Atlanta and the club will be owned by Arthur Blank, who also owns Atlanta United. This team in Atlanta will be the closest one to the Pride in terms of distance, so we’ll see if a rivalry of sorts develops between the two. It’s all still a few years away though. The club is set to begin play in 2028 and will play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with modifications expected and a capacity of about 28,000 people. The NWSL’s expansion has been steady, with the Denver Summit and Boston Legacy set to take the field for the first time next year. I’ve been enjoying the balanced schedule in the league in recent years but am curious how the league will adjust to having Atlanta and possibly another team in the mix in 2028.

Free Kicks

• American defender Walker Zimmerman’s time in Nashville will reportedly come to a close once his contract expires this winter. I can think of one team that could use some help at center back.

• San Jose Earthquakes winger Cristian Espinoza is reportedly a free agent as well. The MLS veteran had four goals and 12 assists this year and is a creative player to keep an eye on as teams look to keep up in the league-wide arms race for talented attackers.

• MLS owners are once again expected to vote on changing the league schedule to run from fall to spring. As an avid romance novel reader, I’m used to this “will they, won’t they” rigmarole from the league about this and won’t believe anything until the Lions are up to their manes in snow for a January game in Colorado.

• Wolverhampton hired Rob Edwards as its next manager and he has his work cut out for him. Dead last in the English Premier League, Wolverhampton has yet to win a game this season and has only scored seven goals in 11 matches.
• World Cup qualifying is back and many eyes will be on Victor Osimhen as he aims to lead Nigeria towards qualification. Nigeria will take on Gabon in a semifinal today, with the winner taking on whichever team prevails between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The 2028 Euros will be hosted across the United Kingdom and Ireland, with the opener taking place in Cardiff City and the semifinals and final set for Wembley Stadium in London.

That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!