Sports have a way of uniting people. On June 18th, 2016, the City Beautiful turned to the Beautiful Game for solace during its darkest of times.
“We had a chance to bring something to a City that was in pain,” Orlando City midfielder Servando Carrasco said in an exclusive interview with MLS’s Calen Carr. “Maybe provide some sort of relief, some sort of hope.”
Exactly one year ago Monday, the tragic shooting at Pulse nightclub cast a shadow over the greater Orlando community. Amongst all the grief, anguish, and pain, Orlando City Soccer Club saw an opportunity to be the light.
Sports are often said to be a distraction for people to escape the stress and hectic nature of their daily lives. While this is typically true, every once in awhile something occurs that temporarily alters the distractive essence of sport, and sport becomes a platform for something bigger than a game.
Soccer became more than a game on June 18th, 2016 when Orlando City played a home match in remembrance of the 49 victims whose lives were cruelly taken earlier that week. After an emotional pre-game ceremony, there was a halt in play during the 49th minute to honor those 49 victims with a moment of silence. That moment touched thousands and reminded people that love is still in the air. It was a reminder that, together, Orlando will persevere.
On Monday, the greater Orlando community came together to remember that tragic day in which so many innocent lives were lost. In support of our City Beautiful, Orlando City SC joined the Orlando United Day – A Day of Love and Kindness and will honor the victims during both their Wednesday and Saturday matches.
