Michael Halliday Signs New Contract with Orlando City through 2025

Orlando City announced this afternoon that the club has signed Homegrown defender Michael Halliday to a new contract . The new two-year deal is through the 2025 MLS season with club options for 2026 and 2027.

Halliday originally joined the club’s academy in 2016 at the U-13 level, working his way up to the U-18/19 team. He became the club’s eighth Homegrown Player at 17 years old, signing on July 15, 2020, and becoming the fourth academy graduate to sign for the first team.

“Mikey is someone that we’ve seen a lot of progress from since he first signed for the first team and completed the pathway from the academy,” Orlando City Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s featured well in some key games both domestically and internationally with Concacaf Champions League last year and the FIFA U-20 World Cup, and we’re excited to see how he develops even further in the next few years.” 

The 20-year-old split time with Kyle Smith as starting right back last season before Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja moved midfielder Dagur Dan Thorhallsson to the position. After playing six games in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Halliday saw his playing time increase substantially in 2023 after the club traded former starting right back Ruan prior to the MLS SuperDraft. He made 21 appearances (12 starts) in all competitions last season, playing 1,109 minutes and recording a pair of assists.

Since signing a first team contract in 2020, the Apopka native has made 36 appearances (17 starts) totaling 1,646 minutes. Those appearances include 30 MLS games, one MLS Cup playoff game, three U.S. Open Cup games, and two starts in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League.

Additionally, Halliday made 12 appearances (11 starts) with Orlando City B during the 2020 and 2022 seasons, recording 966 minutes and one assist. OCB took a hiatus in 2021 as the reserve side awaited the launch of MLS NEXT Pro, and Halliday spent the entire 2023 season with the first team.

Internationally, Halliday became a fixture for the U-20 U.S. Men’s National Team in 2022, earning 12 caps since his debut. He was a member of the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship squad, making six appearances, and the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup squad, playing in four games.

What It Means for Orlando City

Pareja obviously thinks highly of Halliday as the young defender began the 2023 MLS campaign as the team’s starting right back. He missed time due to injury during the season and was away for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, enabling Thorhallsson to claim the starting right back spot. Unfortunately for Halliday, he was unable to win the position back, but did contribute off the bench.

The club picked up Halliday’s option for 2024 after the 2023 season, ensuring he would stay with the club through the coming season, likely backing up Thorhallsson. It appeared as though he would be playing for a new contract, but this new deal shows that the club has long-term plans for the defender. He’s now likely to remain with his hometown club through the 2025 season and possibly through the 2027 season, at which point he’ll be getting close to his prime years as a player.

The most important thing for a young player like Halliday is to continue developing. At only 20 years old, he still has plenty of time to improve and has shown growth since signing his first team contract three years ago. If he continues to show improvement, the young defender could remain in purple for a long time to come.