Friday, January 31, 2014

Orlando City

The Lions were the 21st team to jump to the MLS, and the first from the South East in the modern MLS. They went on to win the USL in their last season in 2014. The team brought a lot of players with them to the MLS, but they didn’t transfer to the big leagues that well. After 2 mediocre seasons, Orlando picked up the #1 overall pick in the draft, a midfielder from USF. The Tampa product started on the bench. He demanded a loan to the NASL, or playing time. The coach gave in to shut him up, and his first shot on goal was a 30 yard screamer to the top corner. From there, he started every game the rest of the 2017 season. Orlando City signed an Ireland U-20 product to put at Left Back. They matched the other side with a Right Back from Seattle.They continued to improve, as the crowd fell in love with their #1 pick. He was the first player in team history to start in an All-Star game. A two managers came and went before the 2021 season. A former Premier League manager came to Florida to coach Orlando City. The youth system was finally producing senior team members. They never had a striker to build around. They picked up a Brazilian who was trying to get out of the Brazilian league. He was 28, and with a bunch of young players coming up, the Lions’ had a fast paced offense. The system was to have their stud midfielder get it to the Brazilian up top. That year, the record of goals scored by Orlando City fell. The team wasn’t all that deep. The first playoff run by the team was short lived, a 2-0 loss in the first round. Their midfielder went on to play on the national team in the 2022 World Cup. After a great performance, he was bought by Chelsea. The huge deal gave a lot of money for Orlando City to play with 3 US players, a player from Israel, and a player from Panama came in to compete for the roster. The team was now deep, and the competition for starting spot was insanely fierce. 2023 was the best season yet for them. They sold out every game, and finished 2nd in the East. They rode to the MLS cup, thanks for a 92nd minute header on the road against Philadelphia to advance on the tie breaker. The Galaxy beat them in the finals in LA. That team eventually fell apart, due to the starting spots not being set, and better opportunities. Most of their senior team is from the academy and draft. The logo is custom, since their current is just AWFUL. I wanted to go heavy on the purple, since it is so unique. The home is a mix of Arsenal and the US navy jersey. The clash is just a wild nike concept that is a mix of a few concepts.

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