From Southern California to Central Florida, Bryan Burke has seen a productive preseason since being the first signing of Orlando City SC for the 2013 season.

“Iʼm still learning, still learning on how the team plays, but Iʼm looking forward to a great season,” Burke told orlandocitysoccer.com. “The weather is similar to California, the soccer is great and the transferring here (Orlando) was easy.”

The Newport Beach native spent the 2012 USL PRO season with the L.A. Blues, appearing 19 times for the Southern California club.

Burke has appeared and started seven out of the eight preseason matches so far for the Lions, with his most recent start coming against Stetson University during a collegiate friendly last Wednesday at the Seminole Soccer Complex.

“The (I-4) derby (presented by United World Soccer) was big, but every other game is important to us,” said Burke. “Weʼre still building, but we treat every game like its important.”

The winger shared his thoughts about the Disney tournament, saying the team’s performance wasn’t up to the expectations they set for themselves early on in the preseason.

“The Disney tournament was awesome but I felt we could of done better,” said Burke. “I think weʼre doing well right now, but once we get to the season, U.S. Open Cup and more, we need to be firing on all cylinders.”

Being mostly active in the final third, Burke, who is known for his speed, has serviced Cityʼs forwards throughout preseason.

“I like getting a lot of playing time even though Iʼm relatively new to the team,” he added. “Iʼm just looking forward to putting in my time, work and effort into practice.”

You can catch the young defender this Saturday, March 16, when Orlando City host Florida Gulf Coast University at the Seminole Soccer Complex with kickoff set for 2 p.m. Admission is free to the game. For more information, visit Orlandocitysoccer.com.