Max Griffin is ready for the regular season to start. And, by his account, so is the entire team.

The Lions travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the regular season opener against the Charlotte Eagles on Saturday at 7 p.m. After a long preseason, the entire team is restless to get the season underway.

“We all have the feeling we’re ready to go,” Griffin said. “Over the past few weeks, we’ve really started to come together as a team.”

Orlando trounced USF in their last preseason friendly, topping the Bulls 5-0 in Tampa, Fla. Griffin said it was a culmination of the team improving over the last few months and a mindset they’re ready for the regular season to commence.

“The USF match showed how much we’ve improved. We needed that win to go into the match against Charlotte on Saturday with a lot of confidence.”

Even though Griffin and the club have been preparing for Charlotte all week and are focused on taking three points with a victory, he and the team have their ambitions set on a much higher objective.

“Our goal is not to lose a match this season. With the guys we have on the team this year, I feel like that shouldn’t happen. That includes every regular season and U.S. Open Cup match. As long as I’ve been with the squad, we’ve gotten to that level (round when MLS teams enter) but fell just short each time. This year, we have the right team to go beyond the first couple rounds of the Open Cup.”

After the Charlotte match, the Lions return for the home opener on Sunday, April 15, against the Wilmington Hammerheads. Tickets for the match are going fast, so be sure to secure your seat by calling our ticket office at 855-ORL-CITY today.