Orlando City News Release -- www.orlandocitysoccer.com
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Orlando City SC kicks off the 2014 Walt Disney Pro Soccer Classic on Wednesday evening against Major League Soccer side the Philadelphia Union at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. as the Lions get set to play their first of three matches against MLS sides in the Pro Soccer Classic.
“Over the years, the one thing that we’ve proved to MLS teams is that we’ve always been competitive with them, and we expect to do that again,” said Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath. “We are always a little bit behind them (MLS teams) in terms of numbers and training time, but I’m still looking for an improved performance from our previous two matches.”
The Union, who are further along in their preseason training, have already held scrimmages in Jacksonville, Fla. against MLS clubs New England Revolution and the New York Red Bulls. Philadelphia drew 1-1 with the Revolution before falling 2-1 to New York at Everbank Field.
The Union is headlined by big-name players such as Maurice Edu and Jack McInerney. Edu, who has earned more than 40 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team, was acquired from English Premier League side Stoke City FC on January 27th. In his fourth season with the Union, McInerney had his most productive campaign to date in 2013 as he scored 12 goals.
Both Orlando and Philadelphia are quite familiar with each other, as both clubs have played one another in preseason for three consecutive years. The two sides initially matched up against each other when the Lions played their first game in Orlando during the 2011 preseason. Stemming from a Lewis Neal free kick, the Lions took a 1-0 victory against the visitors at the Florida Citrus Bowl. In 2012 and 2013, both games featured a 1-1 scoreline.
“We’ve really enjoyed it over the last few years,” said Heath. “We’ve had two or three really good games against Philly, so we don’t expect anything different.”
Orlando heads into the Walt Disney Pro Soccer Classic with two preseason matches under their belt against MLS sides, Chicago Fire and Montreal Impact. The Lions fell 3-0 to the Fire and 2-1 to Montreal, as Heath continues to evaluate the multiple trial players currently within the team’s camp.
Admission for the match against the Union starts at $20 and parking is available around the facility. The address of the complex is 700 S Victory Way, Kissimmee, FL 34747.