The Turning Point.

The 2011 championship winning season is something that most City fans will never forget. That year, the Lions revitalized an area that lacked a professional soccer team but had a deep-rooted passion for the game.

The team’s transition from Austin, TX quickly saw the formation of a capable squad and a vibrant supporter culture. As the Lions rolled through the regular season and the post-season, the supporters grew in numbers and City’s attractive brand of soccer, coupled with the budding fan base, led to one of the most memorable matches in the club’s history.

The 2011 USL PRO Championship was the club’s first final and held an unreal atmosphere that surpassed the previous matches at the Citrus Bowl that season. It was a setting for a championship winning night, and that could be felt throughout the stadium. However, what everyone didn’t know is that they were in for a roller-coaster ride that would dip through a series of emotions.

The 2011 final was a match that had too many ups and downs to count. Just as things seemed to go the Lions’ way, an unfortunate play would occur and the trophy would slowly inch away from the city’s grasp.

The first shadow of uncertainty began to loom when Captain Miguel Gallardo was sent off for bringing down a Harrisburg striker outside the area, reducing City to ten men for the remainder of the game.

The scoreless game seemed to be headed into extra time, but in the 87th minute faith was restored when former Lion and current Sporting Kansas City Midfielder Lawrence Olum blasted home a wonder-strike from just inside the area, sending the crowd into pandemonium.

Championship songs began echoing throughout the stadium and the trophy that was once slipping away was now within reach.

However, this match wouldn’t be described as a heart-stopper if it didn’t have a Hollywood ending.

Amidst all the pre-mature celebration, Harrisburg managed to equalize late in stoppage time and then took the lead in the opening minutes of extra time. But a Lewis Neal goal in the 117th minute leveled the match, and the ensuing penalty kicks were as dramatic as the 120 minutes prior.

After both sides missed two penalties each, Devorn Jorsling’s winning spot-kick saw the crowd erupt in jubilation as the 2011 championship trophy was officially secured.

So how do you top that performance as a club and as a supporter? In an organization that prides itself on always doing better than the previous year, how do you supersede a perfectly scripted match that had almost every scenario that could possibly occur in a soccer game?

You do so by adding seven more goals to the score line, to go along with 10,000 more fans in the stadium. Seems a bit speculative, right? Wrong!

The 2013 USL PRO Championship match marked the Lions’ first appearance in the finals since that memorable night in 2011, and featured a record crowd of over 20,000 who flooded the Citrus Bowl to form an overwhelming ocean of purple and red.

There was a sense of hunger and vengeance in the air that surrounded this year’s championship game. It featured an Orlando City side who were more experienced and wanted to do everything it its power to avoid the disappointment from the previous year, when they had taken their opponent for granted.

As OCSC President Phil Rawlins did his routine handshake with the players before the match, they gazed back into his eyes with the fierceness of warriors preparing to go to battle for a legion of 20,886 screaming fans, who were there to support them through thick and thin as they had done all season long.

That conglomerate consisted of fans who were there since day one, fans who hopped on the train along the way, and new faces who were excited to finally experience what the hype was all about.

Similar to the Islanders, the Charlotte Eagles was a team that very few predicted would be in the championship match. However after two stunning upsets, it was clear that the Eagles was not a side to be taken lightly, and anyone who believed that the match would be a stroll in the park was certainly in for a surprise.

The game began with a fast-paced tempo that saw both squads create several clear-cut chances. But it would be the Eagles who would move ahead first, when Striker Christian Ramirez headed home the first goal of the match, stunning the record-crowd.

Nevertheless, lethal striker Dom Dwyer, who is known for scoring when he wants, took over and scored two headers of his own to give the Lions a 2-1 advantage. The Englishman’s goals brought relief to the nervous crowd, but that apprehensiveness returned when Charlotte equalized before halftime and then regained the lead in the 57th minute.

Despite relinquishing the lead, the Lions continued to push forward with a wall of fans behind them and Dwyer would add two more goals to his tally to give the Lions a 4-3 edge. Chin and Mbengue then added the final three goals to put the game officially out of reach and the partying had begun.
It was as if the Soccer Gods had it planned all along.

Both championship matches were unusual games, featuring a range of emotions that took fans on a high before plummeting back down to a low in a matter of minutes. And although the 2013 championship may not have been quite as dramatic as 2011, it will always remain as a special memory for everyone in attendance.

The final in 2011 displayed something new to the City, including the supporters who were still vying to find their identity. But two years later, a massive progression occurred.

The team was no longer something new but generated more buzz than its first year. The supporters were no longer a group searching for an identity but had become well-run organizations that instilled a unique culture that every new fan wanted to be a part of.

Leading up to the final, mission 15K was the club’s goal, and that was accomplished 24 hours before the day of the game. Imagine if that was an MLS game.

The possibilities for soccer here in Orlando are endless, and Saturday night will forever be remembered as the turning point in the club’s short but rich history.

It gave the seasoned fans, and the new supporters a peek at what it would be like to have a Major League Soccer team in one of the most diverse and visited cities in the world.

It was the turning point from small time to big time.