Orlando City Soccer: A Huge Slice of International Sport in Central Florida in 2021

Soccer—or football, as it is known around the globe—is the world’s most popular sport. Of course, the United States is an exception, with football, basketball, and baseball more popular among fans. 

There are, however, soccer hotspots throughout the country, and luckily for fans of “the beautiful game” visiting Central Florida, one of those hotspots is in Orlando. Amazingly, this was also accomplished in a relatively short amount of time when it comes to professional sports.

European Roots and Brazilian Expansion

Phil Rawlins, a native of England, brought the Austin Aztex franchise from the United Soccer League and moved it to Orlando in 2010, as the Orlando City Soccer Club was born. Rawlins also kept a European flair on the field with head coach Adrian Heath. Playing in the cavernous Citrus Bowl, the team gained a following, as the city’s only other professional sports team, the NBA’s Orlando Magic, struggled on the court and had a lack of stars to capture the imagination of fans after Dwight Howard left in 2012. 

Around this time, Orlando City has hopes to be accepted into Major League Soccer (MLS), which is the top soccer league in the US. The club, however, needed financially secure ownership and a soccer-specific stadium for MLS to award a new franchise to the City Beautiful. 

Enter Brazilian entrepreneur Flavio Augusto da Silva, who became the majority owner of the team and announced a plan to build a privately financed stadium in downtown Orlando. 

That was enough to allow the Lions, as the club is nicknamed, to join the MLS in 2005. Brazilian superstar Kaka was signed to play for the team as well in an effort to draw support from a large fanbase that normally travels to central Florida from that country in droves each year. 

Playing in the Citrus Bowl while construction was ongoing at the new stadium site, Orlando City sold out the stadium, drawing 62,510 fans to see the Lions draw New York City FC, 1-1. 

In 2017, what’s now known as Exploria Stadium opened to an Orlando City win over NYC FC, 1-0, before a sold-out crowd of 25,550. 

After the COVID-19 pandemic slowed things down in 2020, the team announced that the stadium would be again allowing fans at full capacity starting in June 2021. At the same time, reports came out that da Silva is selling the team to the Wilf family—a group that currently owns the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, and it’s believed that the new ownership will invest heavily in Orlando City in order to keep a competitive team on the field for both local and visiting fans to enjoy. 

A Traditional Soccer Experience

Orlando City developed a passionate fan base in a short period of time. One of the unique aspects of soccer is the presence of supporter clubs, which are a dedicated group of fans that are more like family in their love of the club and the game. 

The clubs are allowed to stand behind the north goal for matches in an area known as The Wall. The Wall is designed to help foster “the loudest, most creative, most passionate, and visually stunning experience in North American soccer,” according to Orlando City’s website. 

Supporter clubs are responsible for the fun atmosphere you see at the games, including flags, chants, drums, and other musical instruments, and even the use of fog machines and other controlled smoke devices. There are currently two supporter groups for Orlando City Soccer Club: Iron Lion Firm and The Ruckus. You can learn more about each one by clicking the link to their websites.

Exploria Stadium & Downtown Orlando

If you’re used to spending most of your vacation time here in the attractions area—Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, International Drive, etc.—you may not be familiar with the burgeoning area that downtown Orlando has become. Exploria Stadium, the Amway Center (the home of the Magic), and the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center are all within walking distance of the heart of downtown, featuring a vast number of restaurants and bars. 

Many MLS teams play in larger football stadiums that don’t feature the intimate experience that soccer fans are used to, but Exploria Stadium was built just for soccer, holding 25,000 people—many of those seats covered from the elements in the case of a traditional central Florida summer storm, and the canopy roof also allows the noise of the spectators to stay in the playing field instead of escaping up into the air and out of the stadium. There’s also an 8,400-square-foot indoor club if you want to see a game in style.

An ideal evening in downtown Orlando would feature lunch or dinner before the game and/or entertainment afterwards. You can either walk to the stadium, take a free Lymmo bus ride, or enjoy a ride on a pedicab, which is a staple of downtown O-town.

There are a few more unique amenities for fans, especially those making their first visit to a Lions match:

• First Match Certificate: Fans attending their first Orlando City (or Orlando Pride—the National Women’s Soccer League team that also uses Exploria Stadium) match can stop by the LionNation booth in section 37 to pick up a “My First Match” certificate and commemorative photo.
• Fan Zone: The Fan Zone is on Church Street directly south of the stadium and opens three hours before kickoff. Here you can participate in tailgates, try some products from OCSC sponsors, and even play some games. Here is a map of Fan Zone activities.
• Signs and Banners: Signs, flags, banners, and posters are allowed in the stadium to show fan support. The materials must, of course, not have offensive language and also must be held by hand, as flagpoles are not allowed, and the banners are not allowed to be hung or attached on any part of the building.
• Tickets Are Available: The Club is again selling tickets for the entire stadium, which can be purchased in advance on Ticketmaster’s website or at the Exploria Stadium Ticket Office on gamedays. 

Click here for the 2021 Orlando City schedule to see a Lions match as part of your central Florida vacation!

Cover Image

Photo: Adam Roylance via Flickr

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