Orlando City Take On Charlotte Eagles to Decide 2013 USL PRO Championship Tonight!
Only one place to be tonight… the 2013 USL PRO Championship game between Orlando City SC and Charlotte Eagles at the Citrus Bowl. Kick off is at 7.30pm and the club is expecting a bumper crowd after announcing this morning that upper sections 217-223 have been opened due to high demand for tonight’s game. This is the first time this has happened in franchise history and it promises to give the evening a superb atmosphere.
Earlier in the week the club launched an aggressive social media campaign labelled “#Mission15k” in an attempt to draw 15,000 fans for the club’s final match of the 2013 season. The club all-time attendance record is 11,220 from the 2011 USL PRO Championship match. Tonight’s game is expected to break that mark, alongside breaking the USL all-time attendance record. Phil Rawlins, President of Orlando City, made the following post on social media just a few moments ago…
Last night we opened up the upper bowl behind the goal on the South End for GA. You guys are unbelievable!!!! You made this happen….unreal
Thanks to everyone who made this possible!!!!
Please, please, please get there early, collect your Will Call tickets early, take your seat early…..it’s going to be one hell of a night Orlando!!!!!!
#GoCity #WeWantOurTrophyBack”
As for the game itself, Orlando City SC (16-4-6, 54 points, No. 2 seed) takes on the Charlotte Eagles (10-5-11, 41 points, No. 5 seed) and the Lions attempt to capture a second postseason title in franchise history.
“This is the final game, and we know what we have to do,” said Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath. “We will have another great crowd at the Citrus Bowl Saturday night and we want to make them happy.”
Charlotte will be no pushover though and evidence of that comes with the fact that they upset the No. 1 seeded Richmond Kickers 2-1 last Saturday night to advance to the Championship. Midfielder Chris Ramirez scored his second goal of the postseason and Nate Thornton notched the final goal for the victory.
“Their front three players will cause different problems than most of the players in the league,” Heath continued. “I wasn’t surprised that Charlotte beat Richmond. We have to control possession and dictate the tempo of the game. I think if we can do that, we can win the game.”
Leading the Charlotte frontline is striker Jorge Herrera, who led the Eagles in scoring in 2013 with 10 goals. Charlotte is coached by Mark Steffens, who’s in his 17th year with the Eagles.
The Lions have played the Eagles twice in 2013, winning 1-0 in Orlando while ending in a 0-0 draw in Charlotte. The Lions have yet to fall to the Eagles in three years, compiling a 4-0-2 all-time record against the North Carolina side.
Orlando is in the Championship match for the first time since 2011 when they beat Harrisburg City Islanders on penalty kicks in the club’s inaugural season.
Tickets for the Championship game are still available and fans are encouraged to visit Ticketmaster.com if they have not yet purchased their tickets for tonight’s Championship. Supporters can pick up their tickets early at the main Orlando City offices located in Winter Park (1201 S Orlando Avenue, Winter Park, FL, 32789) from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. or at Will Call (located in the Varsity Club at the Citrus Bowl) starting at 4 p.m.
