ORLANDO, Fla. – Two statements were made at the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando Saturday night:
1) Central Florida really likes soccer and
2) The Orlando City Lions are a very, very good soccer team.
Before an announced crowd of 20,886 fans, a new franchise and league attendance record, the Lions captured their second USL Pro Championship in the last three seasons, defeating the Charlotte Eagles 7-4.
Dom Dwyer, returning from a stint with Sporting KC of MLS, led the Lions with a game-high 4 goals.
The Lions and Eagles battled to gain an advantage for the entire first half and into the second, until Orlando City rattled off three consecutive goals to jump out to a 6-3 lead, taking over the game.
"To play in front of more than 20,000 tonight was amazing," Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath told the media, "It's a bit surreal because I've never been involved in a game like this in my life."
The Lions also won the title in 2011. Check out video from the game shot by Local 6 cameras above.