Orlando City is hoping to get 45,000 fans at the Citrus Bowl for the super-important game against the Montreal Impact on Saturday.
Orlando City has never been afraid to set lofty attendance goals for itself. Not in the least.
The Lions packed in 60,000-plus and sold out the Citrus Bowl in their inaugural MLS game. They sold a ticket package with the Mexico national team game to get more than 30,000 for the Los Angeles Galaxy game.
And now with everything on the line in the Playoffs, Orlando City is trying to lay down the gauntlet to their fans again. The Lions want to pack in 45,000 fans for the “six-point” battle with the Montreal Impact.
Kaka to Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel:
“It makes a lot of difference when we have the supporters. If we have 45,000 voices shouting on us and motivating us in this game it will be perfect, so I invite our supporters to be there because it’s going to be a great moment for us, a great moment for this team this year. We hope we can enjoy together this Saturday.”
Orlando City representatives told Tenorio that as of Wednesday they are in the “high 20s” approaching 30,000 tickets sold. It could be a charged atmosphere for sure.
There is a lot on the line too.
Orlando City trails Montreal by four points and Montreal has two games in hand. The Lions need a win Saturday to stay in the Playoff race. A loss all but eliminates them.
You can see why Orlando City wants to pack the fans in.
And Montreal could be without its best player in Didier Drogba. Drogba is reportedly unsure of playing on Orlando City’s artificial turf. He will give it a try when the Impact train at the Citrus Bowl on Friday and make a decision on whether to play or not.
