Orlando City SC

Orlando City Soccer Club is a professional soccer team from Orlando, Florida. They play in Major League Soccer, a top soccer league, in the Eastern Conference. The team is owned by the Wilf family and is linked to the Orlando Pride, a women's team.

Before joining Major League Soccer, Orlando City SC played in a lower league called the USL Pro. In those early years, they won three Commissioner's Cups and two league championships. This success led to them joining MLS in the 2015 season with a new team, New York City FC.

The team’s home games are in downtown Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium, a stadium they own. Since 2021, under new ownership, Orlando City has done well, reaching the CONCACAF Champions Cup twice and winning the U.S. Open Cup in 2022.

History

Overview

Orlando City Soccer Club began as a team in the United Soccer League (USL) in 2010. It was started by Phil Rawlins, who was a board member of Stoke City F.C. Rawlins moved Austin Aztex FC to Orlando and renamed it Orlando City SC. The team wanted to join Major League Soccer (MLS) a few years later.

Orlando City played its first game in 2011 and soon became a strong team in the USL. They won the USL Pro title in 2011 and again in 2013. In 2013, Orlando City was announced as a new team for MLS.

2015–2019: MLS arrival and subsequent struggles

In 2015, Orlando City joined MLS and played its first game at the Citrus Bowl. Even though they had some good games, the team had trouble making the playoffs during these years.

2020–present: Consistent success and first post-USL trophy

From 2020 on, with new coaching, Orlando City started to do better. The team made it to the MLS playoffs and won its first big trophy as an MLS team in 2022, the U.S. Open Cup. The club kept growing, reaching new heights in the league and playing in international tournaments.

Stadium

Prior stadiums

Before 2014, and from 2015-2016, Orlando City played its games at the 70,000 seat Camping World Stadium (which at the time was called the Citrus Bowl), located in Orlando, Florida. The team had many fans, with over 6,900 people watching each game on average in 2012.

Due to renovations at the Citrus Bowl, the team played the 2014 season at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. In 2014 the club had its lowest average attendance, 4,657 people a game up to July. In the opening home matches of the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Orlando City had sell-out crowds of over 60,000.

Current stadium

Main article: Inter&Co Stadium

In April 2013, the City of Orlando bought land downtown for $8.2 million to help build a $110 million soccer stadium. However, state funds were not approved. The team kept looking for ways to fund the stadium.

The stadium moved closer to getting funding in August 2013 when leaders agreed to help pay for it. In October 2013, they voted to use $20 million in tourism taxes to help build an $84 million stadium in downtown Orlando.

On May 29, 2015, the team announced that the stadium would be paid for completely by the team and would be owned and run by them. They also planned to make the stadium bigger and buy the land from the city.

Orlando City moved to Inter&Co Stadium (which was called the Orlando City Stadium) at the start of the 2017 season. The first game there was on March 5, 2017, when Orlando City beat New York City FC 1–0. Cyle Larin scored the first goal.

In 2017, Inter&Co Stadium became the first place to host MLS, NWSL, and USL teams all in one location.

The stadium has hosted many important matches. On October 6, 2017, it hosted the United States men's national team for the first time in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Panama. The following week the 2017 NWSL Championship game between North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns was also played there. The United States women's national team played there during the 2018 SheBelieves Cup.

On June 4, 2019, the naming rights to the stadium were sold to Exploria Resorts. As a result, the stadium was renamed Exploria Stadium.

On July 31, 2019, the stadium hosted the 2019 MLS All-Star Game between Atlético Madrid and the MLS All-Stars, which Atlético won 3–0.

On January 18, 2024, Inter&Co secured the naming rights to the stadium. On March 9, a trophy case called "The Vault" opened behind section 15, featuring trophies and other memorabilia.

Developmental system

Orlando City SC has a team called Orlando City B that helps young players improve. This team plays in MLS Next Pro and is based at Osceola County Stadium.

In the past, Orlando City worked with another team, but now they have their own team, Orlando City B. They also have youth teams that help players get better, and they work with local programs to bring the fun of soccer to children.

Colors and badge

Their first logo was shown on a local morning news program in Orlando on December 16, 2010. The team chose the nickname "Lions" because other teams in Orlando had used it before. The colors they picked were "Regal Red", "Pride Purple", and "Championship Gold". The red showed their passion, the purple represented the pride of the city, and the gold stood for the trophies they aimed to win. The logo featured three lions to show teamwork.

The team's home uniform is a white shirt with red shoulders and white shorts. Their away uniform is a red shirt with white armpits and red shorts.

Mascot

Orlando City's mascot is Kingston, a strong lion with brown and purple dreadlocks. He wears war paint on his face and a headband with the team's initials.

Sponsorship

Orlando Health has been the team's shirt sponsor since 2010. Adidas provides the team's kits.

Club culture

Supporters

The club sold many season tickets before its first match in March 2015. In 2017, the number of season tickets reached 18,000. On March 8, 2015, 62,510 people watched Orlando's home game against New York City FC, a record for any new team.

The club has two main groups of fans:

• The Ruckus is the oldest group, formed in 2009. They sit in section 120.
• The Iron Lion Firm separated from The Ruckus before the club's first season and sits in section 121. Another group, The 407, joined the Iron Lion Firm before the 2014 season.

These groups come together on game days to create "The Wall" in the safe standing area. The club also has fan clubs in Brazil and the United Kingdom.

Rivalries

Main article: Inter Miami CF–Orlando City SC rivalry

Orlando City does not compete for any special rivalry trophy in the league.

The club has a rivalry with Inter Miami, the closest team to them in Florida. Orlando City joined the league in 2015 but only played against Inter Miami in 2020 when they joined. Before that, Orlando City had a rivalry with Atlanta United as the only two teams from the southeastern United States in the league since 2017. There have been some exciting moments in these matches.

Before these rivalries, Orlando City had competitive matches against other teams in the Eastern Conference, especially New York City FC and Columbus Crew. These matches created some exciting and memorable moments for fans.

Players

See also: All-time Orlando City SC (MLS) roster

Roster

As of February 20, 2026

Note: Flags show which country's team a player can join, as decided by FIFA eligibility rules. Some players can belong to more than one country outside of these rules.

Out on loan

Note: Flags show which country's team a player can join, as decided by FIFA eligibility rules. Some players can belong to more than one country outside of these rules.

Reserve

Further information: Orlando City B

As of April 22, 2026

These players have played for Orlando City's main team at least once.

Note: Flags show which country's team a player can join, as decided by FIFA eligibility rules. Some players can belong to more than one country outside of these rules.

Staff

As of April 17, 2026

Ownership

Orlando City SC started with an ownership group called Orlando Pro Soccer in 2010. This group had money problems. A man named Phil Rawlins bought the team's rights and moved another team called the Austin Aztex to Orlando.

Later, a man named Flavio Augusto da Silva became the main owner in 2013. In 2021, he sold the team to Zygi and Mark Wilf, who also own a football team called the Minnesota Vikings. The sale included the team's stadium and other soccer assets.

Honors

Team records

Main article: List of Orlando City SC records and statistics

Here is a short list of the last five seasons for Orlando City. For the full history, see List of Orlando City SC seasons.

**^**1. Avg. attendance shows numbers from league games only.
**^**2. Top goalscorer(s) counts all goals in MLS, Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, MLS is Back Tournament, Leagues Cup, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other important matches.

Affiliated clubs

Orlando City SC has two affiliated clubs. The first is Orlando Pride, which plays in the NWSL. The second is Orlando City B, which plays in the MLS Next Pro.

The club also has partnerships with Sporting CP and Black Knight Football Club UK Limited. This includes teams like AFC Bournemouth, Auckland FC, Hibernian FC, FC Lorient, and Moreirense.