It is the biggest opportunity in Orlando City’s history. After years of frustration and despair, coming up short in numerous Play-Offs, the Lions are now in a pivotal position to bring glory to the City Beautiful.
All that is standing in their way of a first ever Conference Final are Atlanta United – the “underdogs”. Although we thought they were the underdogs. I use this term very loosely for obvious reasons.
Atlanta finished ninth in the regular season, a so-called consolation reward earning them an ambitious Wild-Card route to the Play-offs. Perfection in penalties in Montreal gave them the even more ambitious task of taking on the titans of Inter Miami, where Lionel Messi and co had just achieved the most successful MLS campaign ever. An inevitable thrashing was surely going to occur. However, rules are meant to broken … scripts are meant to be rewritten.
A three-legged tie saw one of the greatest David-versus-Goliath narratives in US soccer history. The bright lights of Miami were shut off by the big peaches of Atlanta, seeing United through to the Conference semi-finals.
After an extremely average year, how have they found themselves in this lucrative position? Three points away from a Play-Off spot as the final day of the regular season loomed, they had no choice but to pray for a DC United defeat to Charlotte and beg that their own players took to the field and win. That was their only chance. And it happened. And who did they beat to enable their progress to the Play-Offs? None other than Orlando City.
Despite feeling like a lifetime, that decisive day was only a month ago. The two teams meet again November 24th. On paper, Orlando should win. A much better regular season. Attacking and defensive talent across the roster. The prospect of finally proving their worth as the best in the region. But football isn’t played on paper. It’s played on the pitch. And once the referee’s whistle blows this Sunday, history and revenge does not matter. It all comes down to who has the best quality to decide the game.
Orlando have this opportunity. They must take it.

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