Phil Rawlins admitted Orlando City’s officials and players were “blown away” by a near 7,000-strong fan turnout for the MLS expansion club’s first open practice on Saturday night.
Days after the Lions president targeted a
season-opening crowd more than seven times that size
, Rawlins led the formal introduction at the Citrus Bowl, the team’s 2015 home as work continues on their
soccer-specific stadium downtown
, which replicated a game-day experience with tailgating, concession stands and the obligatory autograph sessions.
In all, the evening lasted three hours as City conducted a 75-minute training session then opened up the field to season-ticket holders, with all the players – led by Brazilian star Kaka – returning to meet fans and sign autographs.
Kaka set the tone by staying twice as long as the allocated 45 minutes for the meet-and-greet portion of the event, signing autographs for the purple-clad masses.
“It has been amazing to see and we’re all pretty blown away by it,” Rawlins said. “We know we have some passionate supporters, and we wanted to make this first practice session an event, but I think even we’ve been a bit taken aback.
“I’ve talked to our players who have been in MLS for many years and some of them said they never had an atmosphere like it for some games they played in.”
Head coach Adrian Heath was mic'd up for the practice, providing a running commentary as he put his squad through its paces, and there were notable cheers for memorable goals and saves during attacking drills.
The Ruckus supporters group kept up a barrage of songs and music at one end of the stadium, and it all made a big impression on Heath.
“The fans never cease to amaze me with their support of the club,” he said. “It was a great evening, and I think it sets another marker for our first game.”
“It was important we stayed to meet all the fans,” added Kaka. “It was a very special evening and a very nice reaction.”
Single-game tickets went on sale on Saturday, and the team aims to release a new figure for total sales early this week after passing the 11,000 mark earlier this month.
