Photo: Mark Thor

2013 was a big year for Orlando City SC and its fans.

Some of the many highlights include: Major League Soccer (MLS) coming to town, approval of funding for a new, downtown soccer stadium, and the 2013 USL PRO Championship in front of a minor-league championship record 20,886 fans.

“2013 was a big year for us,” said Orlando City President Phil Rawlins in an interview. “Obviously our dream of becoming a MLS expansion club has been achieved, and we’ll now move onto the next opportunities that lay ahead of us.”

But don’t let the prior achievements fool you, the ownership of Orlando City SC have their sights set much higher than what’s already been accomplished- and that all starts with 2014.

The ownership, including Rawlins and Owner Flavio Augusto da Silva, have said multiple times that the aim is not to just be another MLS club- but be one of the best both on and off the pitch.

“We want to be an international brand,” said Augusto da Silva. “Our goals are set high to grow the Lions into a team that succeeds in MLS and is known worldwide.”

So what does 2014 have in store? The following are just a few highlights to look forward to:

• The USL PRO season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
• 2014 kit reveal
• Major League Soccer logo unveil
• Downtown soccer stadium groundbreaking
• MLS-related unveilings leading into 2015

So stay tuned, #LionNation. While 2013 was a big year, 2014 is setting itself up to be even bigger.