The city of Orlando is once again making a splash in the country's sports scene. According to an extensive research process done by WalletHub.com, Orlando is the No. 2 city for soccer, just behind Los Angeles, California.
In order to determine the rankings, WalletHub compared "more than 300 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional soccer team across five divisions and examined each based on 52 key metrics."
According to Analyst Chip Lupo, “America has a late-blooming but clear passion for soccer, and cities such as Los Angeles and Orlando are leading the way in creating a great environment for soccer fans. Not only do these cities provide plenty of opportunities to enjoy high-level soccer at the professional and college level, but they also have cultivated highly engaged fans who support those teams passionately everywhere from the stands to social media.”
The study was split into four different categories, which included MLS and NWSL rankings for cities. In Orlando's case, The City Beautiful ranked fourth in MLS and third in NWSL, boosting the cities overall ranking.
Also included in the rankings are performances of both MLS and NWSL teams, minimum season ticket prices and most engaged fans on social media; all of which Orlando rank in the top five.
With the growth of soccer over the last decade in Orlando, it's a testamet to all the grassroots growth of the game laid down when the Lions were a humble USL team in 2011 to grow the soccer footprint to what it is today.
Mix the soccer landscape alongside one of the top food destinations and one of the most fun cities in the U.S., both according to WalletHub, and you get an incredible destination for anyone wanting to visit The City Beautiful.
