It was a historic night for MLS on Sunday, when Orlando City SC debuted its new stadium with a 1-0 victory before a capacity crowd — with fans learning the new facility would host the MLS All-Star Game in the future, to boot.
The opening of the new Orlando City Stadium met its expectations. Orlando City pulled out a win over New York City FC, with a reported crowd of 25,527 packing the facility and taking in the sights and sounds of the MLS’ latest stadium.
For the organization, the game marked a historic occasion, as Orlando City played its first two MLS seasons at Camping World Stadium while awaiting the completion of the new stadium. However, the night also became a cause for celebration for fans, MLS commissioner Don Garber, and Orlando officials. More from The Orlando Sentinel:
Members of the team’s two main supporter groups, the Ruckus and the Iron Lion Firm, were hugging each other as they stood together on The Wall — the rowdy, raucous 4,000-member section behind the north net where there are no seats and fans stand throughout the entire match.
Don Garber, the commissioner of Major League Soccer, even hugged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.
“Awe, pride and a lot of joy,” Garber said when asked to describe his feelings when he walked into the new stadium.
In his post-game comments, Garber indicated the stadium is in prime position to host a future MLS All-Star game. Chicago is hosting the 2017 All-Star Game.
We were on hand for the new Orlando City Stadium’s opening, and will have our own piece based on our visit to the facility later in the day. In addition, our 2017 MLS attendance figures have been posted, reflecting turn outs for matches from over the weekend. Among the highlights include strong showings in Orlando and Atlanta, where Atlanta United FC drew more than 55,000 fans to the first game in franchise history.