Orlando City Soccer begin their 10th season in MLS with a familiar look.

Between a new stadium rights deal, welcome to Inter & Co Stadium, the return of an old logo, and a very active transfer window, there is a lot of buzz surrounding this seasons iteration of the Orlando City Soccer Club.

After finishing 2nd in the Supporters Shield standings last season and entering the MLS playoffs as the #2 overall seed, an early exit in the playoffs left fans wanting more. But an early end to the season prompted many questions for the team, including what to do with the expiring contracts of coach Oscar Pareja and general manager Luiz Muzzi.

Both considered architects of what has been a very successful roster, their resigning was viewed as a priority and ownership agreed. Both received 2 year contract extensions after the successes of the last 4 seasons that included 4 MLS playoff appearances, a MLS is Back Tournament final appearance, and a U.S. Open Cup championship.

But the offseason was not without roster moves. Team captain and #10 Mauricio Pereyra and the team agreed to part ways, fan-favorite midfielder Junior Urso moved on, and highly touted designated player Ercan Kara was transferred ending a 2 year up and down stint. One transfer went incomplete though, to the favor of many City fans.

After a failed transfer attempt, a missed filing deadline by European side Blackburn Rovers, Duncan McGuire returns to Orlando City after a breakout 2023 season where the forward scored 13 goals in his first season in the league. This along with the signing of Colombian forward Luis Muriel from Serie A side Atalanta leads many to think City will be more aggressive offensively than in years past.

High expectations for this MLS season, and the challenge of the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament, lends to a very exciting year 10 for Orlando City. Orlando starts their MLS season on Saturday at home against C.F. Montreal. Vamos Orlando.

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