How Luis Muriel found his groove with Orlando City | OneFootball

By Jon Arnold

Luis Muriel believes it’s all in your mind.

Not his resurgence during his sophomore season with Orlando City SC. That is very real. Through 13 matches, the Colombian forward has matched his goal total in 33 games played last season. The preparation and being in the right place to help the team? That all starts with your brain.

“I think it’s mostly about working on the mind. That’s where the most important work takes place,” he told MLSsoccer.com this week.

“I think that’s the secret. That’s, let’s say, the formula I used to be able to come out of that zone and be able to start to really be here, really show my football, do things well for my team and be able to help them.”

Forward progress

Muriel has registered five goals and three assists this season, helping Orlando reach sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Now, Muriel is pushing for more when the Lions visit Inter Miami CF for Part 1 of Rivalry Week's Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire doubleheader (7 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, AppleTV+).

The veteran forward understands his debut MLS season fell short of expectations the club had when they signed him to a Designated Player deal in February 2024. After all, Muriel had a decorated career in Europe, helping Atalanta win the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League and putting up double-digit goal totals across four different Serie A seasons, including the 2020-21 campaign when he trailed only Cristiano Ronaldo and Romelu Lukaku for the league’s top scorer prize.

So, he asked himself what was different from the moments he enjoyed in Italy – plus a few stops in Spain – and why he wasn’t excelling in MLS.

“I was here. I did this. I did this. I did that,” he reminded himself in the winter. “Why can’t I do that now that things are different? That mental work really helped me use the experience I have to do my job. Being well-prepared mentally, focused on doing things well. That helps things become easier physically, on the field. It helps everything flow and go well.”

Muriel also hinted that he may not have fully grasped the challenge he was taking on when he joined Orlando. He’s enjoyed time with family, especially getting more frequent visits from those based in Barranquilla, who are now a short flight away. But lately, he's struck a better balance between what he’s doing off the field and the work he’s doing to perform on it.

“Coming to a league like this isn’t easy. A lot of times from the outside, you aren’t able to measure up or really see what the league is. Sometimes you can underestimate things, thinking it’s easy,” Muriel said. “That leads you to take things on in a different way, the work, the matches.

“When you go into 'MLS Mode' you realize how good the league is, how competitive it is, how demanding the league is to be able to do things well. That’s when things start to flow, to go well. I think that’s the difference between this year and last.”

Modus operandi

Now in MLS Mode, Muriel wants to help Orlando reach their goals and pay back the faith from Oscar Pareja and his coaching staff. Pareja made it clear, though, that his faith in Muriel would not be blind faith, and the striker would need to get his mind and body right during the offseason for him to be a key piece of the Orlando attack in 2025 along with fellow DPs Martín Ojeda and Marco Pašalić.

“This year, for me, was vitally important. Very, very important. Two days after the tournament ended last year, coach Oscar was, honestly, very clear with me, very direct about what he wanted, what he didn’t want and how he wanted me to be in the team,” Muriel recalled.

“That was very important for me to understand, to know where I was, to know what I needed to do to be able to help a team like Orlando and give my best and help Orlando.”

With Muriel getting his mind right and delivering on the expectations set out by Pareja, Orlando are focusing on building off last year's Eastern Conference Final appearance and lifting MLS Cup. There are small milestones along the way, Muriel said, with a win in Sunday’s Florida Derby able to bring a huge mental boost if the team can secure the three points.

“Those are the matches you always wait for, that you want to play – above all because of the players they have, you face and measure up against a certain type of player and that makes the matches different from other games,” Muriel said.

“We always respect every opponent we play, but it’s a Clásico and we’re a game apart. They’re games that prepare themselves because you have this super high motivation. The only thing missing is to be physically good because everything comes together when you have such a strong desire to play a Clásico.”

No. 9 battle

It doesn’t hurt when the opposing team is full of players he has faced before, both on the club level and internationally. Lionel Messi draws the attention, but Muriel also said he admires what Luis Suárez does, especially at 38 – four years older than Muriel.

“He’s still someone who with the smallest bit you give him can hurt you a lot,” Muriel said. “He’s a player we have to be careful with and mark him well. We know it’s tough against them, but we’re going to try to do what we’ve been doing this season, which has been very good.”

Muriel has the edge on Suárez in goals scored in each of their sophomore seasons, with the Colombian hoping to increase that number with a goal, an assist or anything else Orlando need to get past their rival in Sunday’s clash.

He’s set his mind to it, certain his body will follow.

Orlando find balance before Rivalry Week showdown with Miami