October 16, 2014 marked the beginning of a new era for Orlando City SC. The Lions officially broke ground three years ago today on what would now be one of the most unique soccer specific stadiums in Major League Soccer. That night marked the first time that the supporters could get a taste of what it would be like to march to the team’s new grounds. The cool and windy October night culminated with everyone in attendance getting a chance to take home a jar of dirt from the groundbreaking, as a commemorative memento of the evening.
It’s been quite a journey for Orlando City Stadium since that day. Slowly but surely, the stadium started to come together, piece by piece. From the groundbreaking to the ribbon cutting, the design of the overall stadium changed. 6,000 seats were added, the stadium was enclosed, seats were added in the corners and canopy roofs were added on all four sides of the stadium.
After extensive ground work in 2015, the stadium started building up in March of 2016, when physical structures began to go in place. By September, all the framework was in place and in December, the seats and grass were put in place.
Two years, four months and seven days after ground was broken, the stadium ribbon was cut and the doors were finally open.
As Orlando City just played their final MLS match of the season at home, the new stadium has already hosted 17 MLS matches, a U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup qualifier, the NWSL Championship game and it is still set to host the Women’s College Cup in December.
The atmosphere the stadium and the fans in The Wall have created has been lauded by many around the league and around the country. It has created a fortress to play in and has shown to be a huge advantage for the Lions, especially as they head into next season.
Owner Flávio Augusto da Silva said back in 2014 as he addressed the crowd, "We're going to leave great emotions in this land here." After just one year in the new stadium, that statement truly resonates with the fans of Orlando City.
