Orlando City and Atlanta United have never met before on the soccer pitch, with their first match at home this Friday. So you wouldn’t exactly consider a first time meeting as basis for a rivalry, right?
A billboard in downtown Orlando would say otherwise. Atlanta United making the first move in heating up a rivalry, placing the billboard downtown just blocks away from the Orlando City stadium. The red and black billboard says “Orlando, we’re coming to conquer”, and features this Friday’s date and the faces of United players.
“I didn’t notice that, they put something up?” joked defender Jonathan Spector.
“I drive past it every day. Yea, it’s an important game but not for what’s going on outside and the media, the social media, whatever they want to do, I don’t really care to be honest.”
“It’s important for us because they are one point above us and we’re both fighting for a playoff spot. That’s what makes it important, not what they want to put up on I-4 and some stupid billboard, that’s irrelevant to me.”
The two teams will play back-to-back home and away games with the winner gaining the edge in the MLS standings as Atlanta and Orlando currently sit 4th and 5th respectively, separated by one point. Billboard aside, that may be enough to turn a first time meeting into a blooming rivalry.
“I would say that it would be premature to be talking about whether or not they are our rivals,” said Head Coach Jason Kreis. “We shall see starting with the first 15 minutes of the match Friday night, and we’ll go from there to decide if they are our rivals or not.”