Orlando City Soccer is entering their third Major League Soccer season and second year in the new downtown Orlando City Soccer Stadium. This year stands as a changing of the guard with the significant turnover on the roster and departure of franchise cornerstones like Kaka and Cyle Larin.
There are many questions to answer about the team this year and some of the most crucial goals Orlando City Soccer needs to reach are profiled by our own David Baumann. The one thing that goes without saying is that making the playoffs in the MLS for the first time is something Lions fans are dying to see.
Those supporters will get to cheer Orlando City on during an exciting slate of 17 home games. We came up with our list of the five games that you cannot miss as a City fan in 2018.
1. Orlando City SC vs. D.C. United, Saturday, March 3rd, 7:30 p.m.
The Orlando City Soccer opener has turned into a major event, with several weeks of activities leading up to the big game. This year provides additional intrigue since it will be the first opportunity to see Orlando's new-look roster in action.
While not much is expected from D.C. United in 2018, they are still one of the league's heritage franchises. They are also precisely the type of club that Orlando City could benefit from getting an early win against if they are fighting for one of the Eastern Conference's last playoff spots late in the season.
2. Toronto FC, Saturday, July 14th, 8:00 p.m.
No team boasts as much collective star talent with the likes of Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley. Toronto FC also returns every starter from last year's MLS Cups champions, with the exception of Steven Beitashour.
Many have dubbed that 2017 team the best in league history and there is no reason to think they do not have a great opportunity to go back-to-back. This will also be a great midseason statement opportunity for Orlando if they sit in the top-half of the East table at that point.
3. Seattle Sounders, Wednesday, October 17th, 7:30 p.m.
Like Toronto, the Sounders have been to two straight MLS Cup finals and they are a leading Western Conference contender to make a third consecutive trip. Take away their status as one of the MLS' best teams and their position as one of the league's most recognized franchises alone makes this a game where tickets will be in high demand.
This will be just the second time Seattle comes to Orlando for MLS play and the first time they take the pitch at the new stadium. Unfortunately, star American youngster Jordan Morris is out for the season with an ACL tear, but there should still be plenty of intrigue in this late-season matchup.
4. Atlanta United FC, Friday, August 24th, 8:00 p.m.
Orlando also hosts Atlanta earlier in the season on Sunday, May 13th, but hopefully, the August showdown will have greater playoff implications. The rivalry with City's closest geographic neighbor has already heated up, with Atlanta fans placing a billboard in downtown Orlando prior to their meeting last year.
Atlanta United FC also one-upped the Lions by making the playoffs in their first season and they are picked by many league experts to be one of the best teams in the East again in 2018. Orlando will certainly be looking to assert their dominance over the second-year club and re-add some weight to the city's claim of being the "Soccer Capital of the Southeast."
5. New York City FC, Thursday, July 26th, 8:00 p.m.
As fellow expansion mates in the 2015 season, NYCFC is considered by many to be Orlando's original rival. Despite the fun back and forth between fanbases, the Lions have dominated on the field, sporting a 5-2-2 all-time record.
Like Orlando, NYCFC has continued to be one of the bigger spenders in the league and they realized the fruits of their efforts my finishing second to Toronto in the East last year. This could be the swan song in New York for international superstar David Villa and the club had reloaded behind him to build one of the league's most competitive teams.
Carson Ingle has been a sportscaster and sports talk radio host in Orlando for the past ten years. He can currently be seen several times a week on Spectrum Sports 360's Face-Off segment at 10:30 p.m. on Central Florida News 13, channel 1013. Follow him on Twitter.
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