A little over 400 Orlando City fans traveled to witness the Lions secure the I-4 Derby title presented by United World Soccer Saturday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., bringing an incredible atmosphere to the match that made the Lions feel confident in what was a hostile away setting.

Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath was quick to point out that the support in his talks with Orlandocitysoccer.com.

“I think whenever you go out onto an away pitch and see the 300-400 supporters, it gives you plenty to play for,” said Heath. “I always say to the players ‘remember what you’re playing for.’ We have a moral obligation to give it everything we have, especially with the amazing support we have at Orlando City.“

Saturday’s derby title was evidence of that, with the Lions downing the 2012 NASL Champions 3-2 in both legs of the series, 6-4 on aggregate. Orlando represented the USL PRO in the win, an important point as the regular season champs from 2012 made a statement in the game of American soccer by beating a club representing a rival league (NASL) in Tampa Bay. Counting the final match of the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic (PSC), the Lions are 3-0-0 all time against the Rowdies.

The former Everton striker also touched upon the possibility of the I-4 Derby continuing into future seasons, saying it is nothing but a positive to grow the sport in both markets.

“Continuing the series is going to create nothing but a strong rivalry. At this stage of the game, anything that publicizes the atmosphere and play of the game in markets like ours (Tampa and Orlando) is a good thing.”

Supporters groups arranged a bus trip to the match beginning in early March, making sure that the team had plenty of support at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg. Michael Rissech, a supporter of Orlando City and director of the Iron Lion Firm, made the trip Saturday night, telling OrlandoCitySoccer.com that Saturday’s match was testament to all of the hard work they’ve put in over the past two years.

“Chartering two buses full of Iron Lion Firm, The Ruckus, and The 407 members was a tail to the commitment and hard work that the supporters groups have put into the last two seasons,” Rissech said. “The players I’m know absorbed our energy and passion in the stands and put it out on the field for 90 minutes, and getting that goal from Dom Dwyer in extra time to seal the victory was just the icing on the cake knowing that, even a draw, the I-4 trophy was heading east back to Orlando and Central Florida.“

A multitude of players scored in the series, including: Jamie Watson (2), Dennis Chin (1), James O’Connor (1), Jean Alexandre (1), Kevin Molino (1), Adama Mbengue (1) and Dom Dwyer (1). They too, felt the fan support, with Watson commenting specifically on the away leg in his conversation with Orlandocitysoccer.com.

“I can honestly say I’ve walked out before kickoff and gotten goose bumps from away supporters,” Watson said. “Looking over and seeing all the fans made us feel like we were at home. At several points I remember hearing all of the chants. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Heath also talked about the supposed gap of play between the USL PRO and NASL, saying the results between the Orlando/Tampa series and increased play of others in the USL have made it tough to see a definitive line.

“You will always have a game on your hands when you play teams like Charleston, Richmond, etc. I have repeatedly said we are the best club outside of Major League Soccer (MLS) and we are in the USL PRO. (Tampa Bay Head Coach) Ricky Hill was very complimentary of our style of play, which is a great deal because of how storied of a player he was. I think that says a lot about us and about Orlando.”

As Heath’s club heads into the 2013 regular season Sunday night in Tempe, Ariz., against expansion side Phoenix FC, he stressed to his players to remember the atmosphere of Saturday night’s match and play like every game is a championship-level match.

“The Tampa matches have put us into the regular season mode. The fact that we are champions of the league the last two season has every other team circling us on the calendar. We expect a good game out of a young team in Phoenix on Sunday and the same against LA (Blues) the Wednesday following. We always have to be ready and play our best.”