ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 7, 2016 – The full 2016 regular season schedule for Orlando City SC’s second Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign is now available here.
The Lions will open the new season at the Orlando Citrus Bowl against Western Conference side Real Salt Lake on Sunday, Mar 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
The match will broadcast live on TV 27, a sister station of WFTV-Channel 9, and the new broadcast home for Orlando City in 2016.
A four-game package, including a ticket for the home opener, is available for purchase here. Season Ticket Members for the Club’s three teams will receive information on exclusive single-game ticket offers today. Public on-sale of single-game tickets will be announced at a later date.
Highlighting City’s 34-game regular season schedule are 16 nationally televised matches, including several prominent home fixtures against teams such as reigning MLS Cup Champions Portland Timbers and four-time Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champions Seattle Sounders FC, who will both feature at the Orlando Citrus Bowl for the first time since the Lions joined MLS.
Secure your spot with a 4-Pack of tickets
Key Eastern Conference contests against Toronto FC, New York City FC, Columbus Crew SC and many others provide numerous star-studded contests throughout the course of the season for City supporters.
Lastly, Orlando will play 28 weekend games in 2016 – with the Lions scheduled for only six midweek games.
To synchronize Orlando City’s calendar to your mobile device or computer, click here.
“This is an exhilarating year for our organization,” said Founder and President Phil Rawlins. “The 2015 season marked a year of many firsts and learning opportunities for us and our partners. In year two, we will continue climbing the ladder and become an even more competitive team. Securing a playoff spot in 2016 is at the top of our priority list.”
Boasting the highest attendance record for an MLS expansion team, drawing an average of 32,847 fans per home game in 2015, including 62,500 in the home opener—the Lions proudly became the fastest team in MLS history to host a half million fans. The Club expects to reach similar milestones in 2016.
Five Must-See Games On Orlando City's Schedule
“We’re extremely excited to kickoff our second MLS season in front of our home fans,” said head coach Adrian Heath. “Obviously we’re disappointed that we didn’t make the playoffs in our inaugural campaign, but we’ll do everything in our power to ensure that we accomplish that goal in 2016.”
City’s number one overall MLS SuperDraft selection, Cyle Larin, took the league by storm in 2015, finishing as the fifth leading scorer with 17 goals, surpassing the all-time MLS Rookie goal-scoring record by six finishes. The 20 year-old Canadian kept up with the likes of seasoned veterans Robbie Keane and David Villa.
Team Captain Kaká led the team with seven assists, while Carlos Rivas, Brek Shea and Luke Boden all held second place with four, displaying the team’s consistency all around.
City’s dynamic defensive midfield duo also reached key milestones for the Lions. Colombian Cristian Higuita had a very successful season in his inaugural year in purple, and his numbers jump off the stat sheet wherever you look. Playing as a defensive midfielder, Higuita averaged 4.3 tackles per game — the second highest in MLS. His passing success rate finished at 87.1 percent for the season, placing him eighth best in the league. El Salvadorian national team player and MLS Latino of the Year, Darwin Cerén, was close behind with 86.5 percent, making Higuita and Cerén the third best defensive-midfield pair in passing percentage.
