At various times in the season, MLS brands a week “Rivalry Week” featuring games that pit teams that have natural or established rivalries throughout the league.
Orlando City has been in MLS for one year and there were some heated matchups and battles, but without making the Playoffs, it is hard to say there is any emotional attachment to any team in the league that really gets the ire up.
That is, of course, except for one.
The one natural rivalry that has been brewing since the expansion was announced. That familial battle with the team that entered the league at the same time.
Indeed Orlando City and New York City FC have established a nice competition among the fans. The whole “built not bought” narrative Orlando City supporters like to push. It is definitely a clash of styles.
For Rivalry Week, MLS put out a poll to determine who Orlando City’s rivals are and New York City FC ran away with the win with 39.5 percent of the vote as of Friday morning.
Indeed that is certainly who many consider Orlando City’s biggest rival in many ways. And they have played some high-scoring games already in a short time. Cyle Larin recorded a hat trick at Yankee Stadium last year.
The Columbus Crew finished second in the voting followed by the New York Red Bulls.
There really is no natural rival for Orlando City in this sense. There is no geography and no history, how rivalries are made.
No, the Lions are not playing New York City FC this week. Instead they match up with the Montreal Impact on Saturday. That would normally pit the two big international superstars Kaka against Didier Drogba. But even that is ruined with Drogba out with an injury.
And Orlando City has its long winless streak to snap as it starts a stretch of four of five games at Camping World Stadium (the lone road trip to New York to play NYCFC). The team is not so concerned with rivalries.
The people have spoken though this Rivalry Week. So we have May 29 circled for the Orlando City-New York City FC rivalry.
