Connect with us

Orlando City

Orlando City’s Home Stadium Gets New Name

The new name for the home of the Lions and Pride is kind of cringe but the partnership will be a positive for OCSC.

Published

12 months ago

on

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Exploria Stadium is no more. Orlando City Stadium is long gone. The next time you step into the purple palace on Church Street in Parramore, chances are you’ll be walking into Inter&Co Stadium. Yes, you read that correctly. The Lions and Pride will play in a building that shares part of its name with Orlando City’s southern, in-state rivals.

The club has entered into a long-term naming rights agreement with the financial and digital commerce services company — one that many of you may not have ever heard of before (it’s based in Brazil) unless you’ve seen its previous promotions at the stadium. It is a “founding partner” on the Orlando City partners page. The deal was officially announced today at a press conference at the stadium.

In September, Inter&Co became the club’s official financial institution of both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride. The Brazilian-based company is the club’s first international partner.

Orlando City President of Business Operations Jarrod Dillon said that the initial partnership grew into the current stadium naming rights agreement. There wasn’t a widespread search for a new stadium name sponsor. Inter&Co leadership, he said, experienced firsthand the passion the city had for both the MLS and NWSL teams, wanted to be a bigger part of it, and asked how they could make it happen. That led to the discussions that eventually culminated in today’s announcement.

“It’s only fitting that as we enter our 10th season in the MLS here in Orlando and ninth in the NWSL that we would partner for the next decade with a global company, not only committed to our community, but with a shared vision for the future,” Orlando City SC and Orlando Pride Owner and Chairman Mark Wilf said in a club press release. “We are truly excited about what we will build together, enhancing the fan experience in the venue and further connecting our soccer cultures in meaningful ways.”

Who or What Is Inter&Co?

In addition to being the holding company of Inter Group, it is the first financial institution with Latin-American roots to own the naming rights of a major stadium in the U.S. Based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, it holds all of Banco Inter’s shares. (Banco Inter is a large, Brazilian bank.) Inter bills its digital financial services platform as a “super app” which sounds fancier than a normal app, but that simply means it combines multiple services into one platform. It claims to provide financial and digital commerce services to more than 30 million customers. What services? Banking, investments, credit, insurance, and cross-border services.

The company has other soccer-based relationships with Clube Atlético Mineiro, Athletico Paranaense, and Fortaleza Esporte Clube. Its sister company, MRV, has naming rights to the MRV Arena in Belo Horizonte.

“I think one area that’s going to be exciting for fans is the synergies with soccer, and soccer leadership,” Dillon said. “There’s not a lot of partnerships on the business side that necessarily soccer and business are kind of talking about together and strategizing around. This happened to be one. Inter&Co has, I would say significant history of partnerships with major Brazilian top flight clubs. They could have partnered with anybody in the world — you know, EPL, Barcelona, Real Madrid, these clubs, like they could have partnered with anybody. And for us to know that we’re working with them, that that’s how much they believe in Orlando City and Orlando Pride, in our region, and our city, and our community is really an honor.”

Inter, per the club’s press release, will provide Orlando soccer fans with exclusive access to as-yet unnamed products on the company’s app as well as rewards, perks, and unique stadium experiences. There are also plans to bring more cultural and music events to the stadium, including a post-game concert for ticketholders following an Orlando City match this season. There is no word yet on the musical act, but Dillon said an agreement is nearing completion.

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

What It Means for Orlando City/Orlando Pride

According to the club, the company has already started to make technology upgrades to the stadium. These include new LED lighting, a new video board with upgraded resolution, a new LED video wall in the West Club, and new television monitors in the suites, premium spaces, concession stands, and lower-level concourse. There are also plans for new interactive concourse displays, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, 5G antennas for improved cell service, and new hospitality options.

It also means that if you’re on social media, you will likely be extra annoyed at all the jokes that write themselves if and when Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami wins at the newly renamed stadium against Orlando City.

“It absolutely was a conversation point with our executive team and soccer operations and business operations,” Dillon said about the coincidence of having “Inter” written on the side of the club’s stadium. “I think, essentially, where we landed is we just really felt like we’re going to give our fans the benefit of the doubt to understand all the great things that this partnership is going to bring to our club, for business, for soccer, to help provide the resources for us to continue to be competitive, to continue to win, to continue to pour in those resources to both clubs on the pitch and off the pitch. And we really feel as we go through this, that all the benefits far outweigh that.”

It’s obviously great for the club to find a naming rights partner, and it’s not always easy to do that. It helps the club financially and the technology amenities Inter promises will benefit fans.

But the name that goes on the front (and side, and top) of the stadium matters. It may not matter to everyone what it’s called. However, most people prefer a “cool” name (we’re still stanning Publix Park and pining for a rotating lion statue out front…and at least it’s not a shady crypto or NFT company, a pyramid scheme or…ahem…a timeshare firm). Many fans would at least settle for a name that’s not embarrassing. The new name isn’t exactly cool (it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, and the lack of spaces in the way it’s stylized is annoying). And while not outright embarrassing, it is at least in the neighborhood of it to have part of the name of the club’s biggest rival so prominently displayed. The fan banter will be insufferable if Orlando City loses at home to its southern neighbors.

Dillon said this naming thing could even help intensify the rivalry.

“I am as competitive as anybody else,” Dillon said. “This does not give our rival any competitive advantage. What matters is going out and playing and our fans and supporters being in the crowd, supporting the players. We just really believe that our fans are going to understand the greater good when they see all the different elements of this partnership and what it’s going to bring resource-wise and allow us to hopefully go out and do for both City and Pride.”

If it helps you think about it this way, at least the stadium isn’t being named after fellow club “founding partner” and noted fan-fleecing firm Ticketmaster. And we’ll all need to get used to it, as the partnership is a 10-year agreement.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/14/25

Orlando City begins preseason, Orlando Pride sign defender Zara Chavoshi, MLS transfer roundup, and more.

Published

21 hours ago

on

January 14, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It’s been a busy few days for me and sadly I won’t be getting much of a break as my work schedule continues to be packed this week. As is always the case, we have plenty of things to talk through this morning, so let’s jump into today’s links.

Orlando City Opens Preseason

It seems like the 2024 season just came to a close, but Orlando City had its first day of preseason training on Monday. The Lions didn’t quite have everyone in attendance, as Shak Mohammed, Jack Lynn, and Ivan Angulo were not present, while Duncan McGuire and Mason Stajduhar trained off to the side. It was a good first day back though, as the team got its first taste of life without Facundo Torres. One of the big talking points of this preseason will be how the team replaces Facu, with the upcoming preseason games set to evaluate where the team stands.

Orlando Pride Sign Zara Chavoshi

The Orlando Pride announced Monday that the team has signed defender Zara Chavoshi to a one-year contract. The 22-year-old spent the last four years with Wake Forest, where she played both center back and right back for the Demon Deacons. She helped the team advance to the championship of the NCAA College Cup, where the team fell to North Carolina. While she may not play too much during the 2025 season, this is a signing that should provide solid defensive depth while the team evaluates whether or not to award her a longer deal in the future.

MLS Transfer Roundup

Monday saw a slew of MLS teams not named Orlando City making transfer moves, and that means we have a lot to catch up on. We start with confirmation that the San Jose Earthquakes have signed Josef Martinez. Sporting Kansas City decided to continue the trend of signing forwards, as it announced the acquisition of free agent striker Mason Toye, who most recently played for the Portland Timbers. San Diego FC has signed midfielder Onni Valakari on loan from Pafos FC of the Cypriot first division. LAFC has announced the signing of midfielder Odin Thiago Holm on loan from Celtic. Finally, Toronto FC has sold winger Thiago Andrade to Cerezo Osaka of the J1 League.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a ton of American players who will be taking part in games this week, and there are some good matchups to look forward to. Things get going today as Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and AC Milan face Como in Serie A play, while Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus travel to take on a strong Atalanta side. Tomorrow has Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace taking on Leicester City in the Premier League, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis have a tough Copa del Rey test against Barcelona. Luca de la Torre and Celta Vigo will then have a similarly tough task on Thursday when they face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Things wrap up on Friday when Gio Reyna, Cole Campbell, and Borussia Dortmund hit the road to play Nathaniel Brown and Eintracht Frankfurt in Bundesliga play.

Philadelphia Union Hit with Transfer Ban

The Philadelphia Union are currently on FIFA’s transfer ban list (paywall) handed down from FIFA — with the club currently unable to register new players for the next three transfer windows. The issue is reportedly linked to the 2022 signing of Venezuelan striker Jose Riasco. The Union owed $700 to Mineros de Guayana — Riasco’s boyhood club, as part of the sell-on percentage it was owed due to developing him. The Union had a difficult time finding a way to pay the club, and the missing money was reported to FIFA. While the Union have been trying to get the issue cleared up since December, they are not the only team dealing with a ban, so it’s uncertain how long it will take to resolve.

https://twitter.com/JoserNunez91/status/1878820472110084600

Free Kicks

  • Check out some of the views from Orlando City’s first day of preseason training.
https://twitter.com/OrlandoCitySC/status/1878914287907086415
https://twitter.com/OrlandoCitySC/status/1878849573680275609
  • MLS has reportedly instituted a cash-based internal trade system which will start immediately.
https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1878934350596882898

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Orlando City

Martin Ojeda Could Become a Star for Orlando City in 2025

Will Martin Ojeda replace Facundo Torres’ goal production in 2025?

Published

2 days ago

on

January 13, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Martin Ojeda on Jan. 9, 2023, using the Designated Player slot formerly occupied by club captain Mauricio Pereyra. The signing came with quite a bit of hype as it seemed the Argentinian midfielder would line up alongside Ivan Angulo and Facundo Torres to bolster the attack. It’s been an up-and-down first two seasons for the attacker, but 2025 could be his breakout campaign.

Ojeda began his career in Orlando as a regular in the starting lineup before being relegated to the bench for most of the second half of the 2023 MLS season. He spent more time in the starting lineup in 2024, eventually winning a spot in the starting XI. From June 28, 2024, to the end of the season, Ojeda started all but one game for the Lions, including every game in the team’s playoff run to the Eastern Conference final.

Orlando City is beginning a new era after the departure of the club’s all-time top goal scorer Facundo Torres earlier this off-season. The Uruguayan left a lasting mark on the club in just three years, including lifting the club to its first major trophy — the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In his three years in purple, Torres tallied 47 goals and 72 total goal contributions — both the most in club history, even if you include the USL era. He was the focal point of the offense, especially when the strikers weren’t scoring. His 20 goals in all competitions last year led the team and helped the Lions reach the Eastern Conference final for the first time.

It’s fair to expect the club’s strikers to pick up for the goals departing with Torres. However, the current striker group is unlikely to do so. Duncan McGuire netted 15 goals in 2023 before missing a chunk of 2024 while at the Summer Olympics. Ramiro Enrique started in his place, scoring 12 times, a significant increase from his four goals a year earlier. But the diminutive forward hasn’t shown that he can lead the team in scoring.

Making matters worse, the Lions will be without McGuire for a considerable part of next season. The striker was injured during the playoffs and required surgery on his shoulder this off-season. It will likely take time for him to return to action, resulting in Oscar Pareja depending on Enrique in the starting lineup unless another forward is signed.

Torres made up for the lack of goals from the striker position last year and that production has been tough for Ojeda to match. However, while some might consider the Designated Player disappointing in most of his first two seasons, he created plenty of opportunities in 2024. Torres played 858 more minutes than Ojeda last season and only had 12 more shots. While Ojeda didn’t get on the scoresheet as often as Torres, he created chances for others, racking up a team-leading 13 assists.

When it comes to goal scoring, Torres’ production largely has to do with his shooting accuracy. The Uruguayan put 41 of his 88 shots (46.6%) on frame. Meanwhile, Ojeda only put 30 of his 76 shots on goal (39.5%). This is a major reason why Torres netted 20 goals in all competitions and Ojeda only scored seven times.

Especially considering that Ojeda started 34 games last season, the midfielder is almost guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup. And with Torres now playing in Brazil, Ojeda will likely be a focal point of the Lions’ attack. This gives the attacker a chance to fill the hole left by Torres and live up to his Designated Player status.

Torres leaves Orlando with an impeccable reputation, and the way Ojeda is viewed as a Designated Player signing will largely depend on if he can replace Torres’ goal contributions. If he can increase his production and replace the goals scored by Torres, Orlando City fans will think much more highly of the attacker. However, his failure to produce similar numbers as the departed star could hurt his legacy as a Lion.

Expectations will be high for Orlando City in 2025. The Lions were widely expected to contend for the Supporters’ Shield and/or MLS Cup, and while they didn’t meet those lofty goals, they made it farther than any previous MLS incarnation of the team. To make it one step further in 2025, they’ll need Ojeda to step up and help to replace the star they lost in December.

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/13/25

Orlando City preseason training starts today, Jaedyn Shaw reportedly set to join the North Carolina Courage, MLS transfer news, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

January 13, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It’s just been another busy week for me working at Under Armour, and I covered some high school basketball. Later this week, I’ll be working at the Chicago Cubs Convention. Let’s all wish Orlando City goalkeeper coach Cesar Baena a happy birthday, and also a happy belated birthday to Orlando City forward Jack Lynn, who turned 25 on Sunday. There’s plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Preseason Training Camp Starts Today

Orlando City players completed their medicals over the weekend to get ready to kick off their 2025 preseason camp.

Robin Jansson and Ramiro Enrique discussed the benefit of working with Orlando Health and the team’s athletic trainers and medical staff to ensure the players are fit and ready to play. The Lions also had their sports science and performance testing on Sunday.

Jaedyn Shaw Will Reportedly Join the North Carolina Courage

The San Diego Wave are reportedly trading forward Jaedyn Shaw to the North Carolina Courage for an undisclosed amount of Allocation Money. Shaw had reportedly been seeking a trade from the Wave for the past year. For the Courage, this move would bolster their attack after they only scored 34 goals last season. Shaw spent three seasons in San Diego, recording 14 goals in 61 appearances across all competitions. She has also made 21 appearances for the United States Women’s National Team, scoring eight goals, and was part of the squad that won a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

MLS Transfer Roundup

Major League Soccer had another busy weekend with some notable transfer moves. The San Jose Earthquakes acquired forward Cristian Arango from Real Salt Lake in exchange for $700,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM), $700,000 in 2026 GAM, and a 2026 international roster slot. Arango will be a Designated Player in San Jose. The Quakes appear not to be done yet, as the club is reportedly close to a deal to add forward Josef Martinez.

The Seattle Sounders have re-signed midfielder Joao Paulo through 2025, with an option for the 2026 season. Lastly, Atlanta United has reportedly submitted a bid to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough for forward Emmanuel Latte Lath.

English FA Cup Weekend Recap

The third round of the FA Cup continued over the weekend in England with some notable results and plenty of drama. On Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur needed to go to extra time to defeat National League side Tamworth 3-0. Despite playing the second half with 10 men, Manchester United defeated Arsenal 5-3 on penalties following a thrilling 1-1 draw. Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir stopped a penalty in the second half and made a clutch save on Arsenal’s Kai Havertz in the penalty shootout, while Joshua Zirkzee scored the winning penalty for Manchester United to advance.

On Saturday, Liverpool shut out Accrington Stanley 4-0, Manchester City defeated Salford City 8-0, and Wolverhampton edged Bristol City 2-1. We did get one upset, as Plymouth Argyle defeated Brentford 1-0.

The draw results for the fourth round were announced and there are some intriguing matchups. Manchester United faces Leicester City, Plymouth Argyle hosts Liverpool, and Aston Villa takes on Tottenham.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando Pride defender Ali Riley lost her home in the Los Angeles wildfires. We here at The Mane Land extend our thoughts and best wishes to all those affected by the wildfires in Southern California.
  • Former Orlando Pride goalkeeper Carly Nelson spoke up about her experience dealing with physical and emotional abuse with the Utah Royals on social media .

Carly Nelson is speaking out about her time with the Utah Royals. “This experience revealed a harsh truth: the culture of any organization is shaped by its leaders. When they prioritize power over people, abuse thrives unchecked.”

— Lesley Ryder (@lesleyryder.bsky.social) 2025-01-10T20:32:36.056Z
  • The USWNT’s January training camp has been moved to Florida due to the Los Angeles wildfires. The USWNT will train at Inter Miami’s Florida Blue Training Center in Ft. Lauderdale.
  • Forward Matthew Hoppe and Middlesbrough have reached a mutual agreement to terminate his contract, and he will leave the club as a free agent.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

Continue Reading

Trending