Before his team took the field last Friday night, Adrian Heath gathered them for one last moment of inspiration.
“I promised the lads that if they beat the Red Bulls, we would get 45,000 people in the Citrus Bowl against Montreal on Saturday.”
The final whistle blew 90 minutes later and the Lions had done just that – soundly defeating the Eastern Conference leading Red Bulls 5-2 on the strength of a hat trick from Cyle Larin.
The players fulfilled their end of the bargain and now it’s up to the fans to come out and support their team in arguably their biggest match of the season.
It’s a critical weekend for the Lions who are very much in the playoff hunt. Orlando City sits in 7th place in the Eastern Conference standings, right behind Montréal. A victory on Saturday would push the Lions within one point of the East’s sixth and final playoff spot with two games left to play.
Having 45,000 supporters in the stands on Saturday would mean a great deal to the Orlando City players. “It would be fantastic,” chuckled Lions midfielder Lewis Neal. “You go back to the first game of the season and the atmosphere, and it was unbelievable. It would be something that we would all look forward to and appreciate.”
Orlando City has a strong reputation for one of the best atmospheres in MLS. “Our support at home gets mentioned by all the teams that we play,” praised Coach Heath. “Our supporters have been incredible and with two home games left, I honestly believe they will get behind us with huge numbers again this weekend.”
It’s time to make it count as the Lions face off against the Impact this Saturday (Oct. 3) at 7:30 p.m. This is the second-to-last home game during the 2015 inaugural regular season. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.
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