ORLANDO, Fla. (October 20, 2016) – Coming off a clean sheet victory in Philadelphia, Orlando City SC (8-11-14, 38 points) closes off its 2016 Major League Soccer (MLS) campaign when it hosts D.C. United (11-9-13, 46 points) in its last match at Camping World Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 23.
The throwback themed match will celebrate the Club’s successful history at Camping World Stadium before moving into its new downtown stadium ahead of the 2017 MLS and National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) seasons.
Club partner MetroPCS is offering special codes at select stores to purchase $15 game tickets. For more information on how to take advantage of this exclusive partner promotion, please visit here. Single and group tickets can also be purchased at OrlandoCitySC.com or by calling (855) ORL-CITY.
Set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET, the match will be televised on WRDQ TV27 and transmitted on Real Radio 104.1 FM in English and on La Grande 1030 AM in Spanish. Prior to the game, the U.S. Women’s National Team fixture against Switzerland, featuring Orlando Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, will be aired in the Fan Zone (Rio Grande Avenue) with kickoff at 1:45 p.m. ET. Head Coach Tom Sermanni will be available for Q&A session with fans during halftime.
"I’m looking forward to being a part of and watching some of the stuff that happened, before the match on Sunday, about the history of this Club. This [stadium] has been important to this Club,” Lions Head Coach Jason Kreis said. “[D.C. United] is a good team. They went from being in a little bit of a tough patch to now a team that’s got a ton of momentum. It will be a big challenge for us. What’s important is how we finish, how we represent ourselves and how we represent the Club and its fantastic fans.”
The Throwback Game will feature a “where we came from” theme with special content dating back to our beginnings in Central Florida, including USL championship performances and the most memorable goals from two seasons in MLS. Legendary Orlando City players and members of the Orlando City Alumni Association will be recognized during the night. Fans are encouraged to wear jerseys and gear from years past as the club celebrates six years of Orlando City Soccer Club.
Sunday’s fixture will cap off a successful era for the Lions at Camping World Stadium. City posted a dominant 54-17-21 all-time record over five seasons at the stadium, won two USL championships - one of them in front of a then record crowd for any minor league sporting event in the nation with over 20,000 fans - #FilledTheBowl twice with over 60 thousand spectators for its MLS debut in 2015 and the 2016 season opener, and boasted the second-best average and total attendance figures in each of its two MLS seasons.
Additionally, the Lions hosted numerous high level international sides, including English Premier League teams Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United and Brazilian squads Fluminense FC and Ponte Preta.
In 2016, Camping World Stadium was also the home of Orlando Pride, Orlando City’s National Women’s Soccer League franchise. The Pride debuted with a 3-1 home win over the Houston Dash in front of a league record 23,403 fans. The Pride were second in the league in average and total attendance and featured U.S. national team players Alex Morgan and Harris, who won NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year.
The Lions enter the game coming off of an impressive all-around performance against the Philadelphia Union. In the 59th minute, Carlos Rivas began a darting run from midfield and poked the ball past goalkeeper Andre Blake. The strong team display continued with goalkeeper Joe Bendik in the 67th minute after he made a huge save off the line to prevent a Chris Pontius equalizer. Then, in stoppage time, Júlio “The Beast” Baptista finished off another 1-on-1 against Blake to secure the three points.
All-Star striker Cyle Larin leads the Lions with 14 goals while Kevin Molino is second on the team with 10 goals and seven assists. Kaká leads the team with eight assists and is third on the team with eight goals. Goalkeeper Joe Bendik is second in MLS with 113 saves and has five clean sheets.
In its last match, D.C. United used three first-half goals to power past New York City FC. With the win, D.C. United is now unbeaten in six straight games after four straight wins against Eastern Conference opponents. Lamar Neagle leads D.C. with nine goals while Luciano Acosta is first on the team with 11 assists.
