Orlando City Expands Seating to 23,000 for Vancouver Whitecaps Match

When the Vancouver Whitecaps visit the Orlando Citrus Bowl on Saturday, March 21, they won’t have to play in front of 62,000 like New York City FC did on Sunday.

Instead, the Whitecaps and Orlando City SC will likely be in front of at least 23,000 purple-clad fans. The club, faced with a near-sellout today for the Vancouver match, announced they will expand lower bowl seating to the corners, which would have otherwise been covered. That will take “sellout” capacity for this game from 20,000 to 23K.

"Sunday night's attendance was simply astounding and the demand continues to be very strong for our upcoming home matches," said Lions Founder and President Phil Rawlins. "Based on that response we will continue to review capacity for upcoming matches on a case-by-case basis."

Inaugural game attendance on Sunday was 62,510 – the largest crowd for a soccer match ever at the Citrus Bowl, besting totals from the 1994 FIFA World Cup games played there.

As the season rolls on, Orlando City officials will continue to monitor ticket demand and there could be more games with expanded attendance. The club still has a few 2015 season tickets available.