MLS Cup Finalists are the Two Clubs Orlando City Most Wants to Be Like

When you turn on the TV at 4 p.m. Sunday to watch the Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew tangle for MLS Cup, just imagine either team wearing purple. The two teams competing for Major League Soccer’s ultimate prize just happen to be the two clubs Orlando City has been trying to emulate while making the jump to America’s top flight.

Lions Founder and President Phil Rawlins has often mentioned the similarities between the cities of Portland and Orlando when discussing his club’s jump from the USL to MLS. Rawlins spoke about wanting to duplicate the success the Timbers have had in capturing hearts and minds in the Portland community, noting to Paul Tenorio of the Orlando Sentinel how similar the two towns are.

“It was a community looking for a second identity and second [pro] team, very similar to Orlando,” Orlando City president Phil Rawlins said, noting both Portland and Orlando count anNBA team as their other pro franchise.

“The age demographic, the fact that there is a creative class in both cities. … All of those things makes the two cities very similar, and if you look at the size they are very similar-sized cities. There are a lot of correlations between the two. Portland is further along in its culture and some of the amenities, but Orlando is catching up fast.”

If the front office would like the Lions to emulate Portland off the field, Head Coach Adrian Heath would love for his team to mirror Columbus on the pitch. Heath has been effusive in his praise for Gregg Berhalter's side throughout this inaugural 2015 season and he loves the way the Crew plays the game.

"I think they play football the way it should be played. The games have been incredibly entertaining," said Heath on his radio show on July 28.

Columbus pressures the ball, attacks well in combinations and has a deadly striker up at the top of the formation. These are all attributes Heath wants for his team. Both Columbus and Orlando City play a base 4-2-3-1 and each team showed a willingness to tweak that formation to get results. Both teams also leaked a few too many goals in 2015, but the Crew were more effective in their high pressure, creating turnovers and dangerous counterattacks led by attacking midfielders Federico Higuain, Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay, and often finished by striker Kei Kamara.

Heath would like his attacking force to play that way, with Kaká in the middle, orchestrating, and setting up dangerous play by wingers Kevin Molino and Carlos Rivas (or Brek Shea) and having them, or forward Cyle Larin, finish the play in front of goal.

The Lions can play that style and be effective. It showed in five-goal performances against New York Red Bulls and Columbus, and a 4-0 effort against the LA Galaxy. Orlando City also showed it can be effective against similar types of teams, going 3-1-1 in five combined matches against the Crew and Timbers in all competitions.

Heath said down the stretch that he thought his team could be as dangerous as anyone if it got into the playoffs, and it appears he was right. The teams that play most like Orlando are now in the final.

It may bode well for the Lions that the two teams that made it out of their conferences are the ones most similar in style to Orlando City. Maybe next year one of the two finalists will be wearing purple kits.