Open letter: Orlando City UK, my baby, and my farewell (kind of!)

Ten years is a lot doing anything! 😮 And it takes real dedication to stick around so long. Luckily for me, these past ten years have been some of the best of my life, growing and nurturing Orlando City UK.

Orlando City UK has been my baby since November 2015 – a labour of love, obsession, and way too much caffeine. A little fun fact – when I first joined Twitter (X) in 2015, the @orlandocityuk handle was already taken. I reached out to the owner and explained my plans to cover the team, but he politely declined. So I went with @Orlando_CityUK – and from that moment, I was fully committed to covering all things Orlando City SC.

But life has a way of reminding you that you can’t do everything forever. There comes a time when balance matters more than ambition, when priorities shift, and the next chapter calls louder than the one you’ve been living. So here’s the big news first. In 2026, I’m going to become a DAD! 💜 Amazing, right? With Baby Williams arriving in June, our journey has been extremely difficult. But we’re incredibly grateful that our second round of IVF was successful. My wife, Christie, and I want to thank the team at Care Fertility, as well as our family and friends, for their constant support over the past four years. It’s been the perfect way to end 2025, and we’re both excited for what promises to be a huge 2026 – with maternity and paternity leave timed just right for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 😉

Orlando City UK isn’t going anywhere, but content will be far more reduced. That means no more weekly Stats Previews, live blog commentaries, and transfer articles. Instead, I’m choosing to be kinder to myself by taking more off my plate. I’ll still be around – cheering, writing, and sharing. But with a lot less energy, more sleepless nights, and an exciting new focus on our own little Lion cub. 🦁 Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: LA Galaxy vs Orlando City SC – 31.08.2025

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THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED, DIDN’T THEY? 🤬😤 Orlando City SC were kicked to the curb in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday. Ultimately, we were robbed of a Leagues Cup Final berth by decisions that only went one way. Just two games ago, we had a chance to reach third place in the East and the 2025 Leagues Cup Final. With both chances missed, we’re now clinging on to salvage at least a 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup spot in the Third Place Match. The game can be cruel and unrelenting, but we need to keep going. As Ricardo Moreira tweeted after our semi-final heartbreak: “Tomorrow is day one again.”

It’s a brutal turnaround, too. Having flown cross-country to Los Angeles on August 20, we’re back in Carson for the third time in 2025. This time not for silverware, but survival of sorts. A third place finish still gets us into continental football, and that has to be the focus. LA Galaxy may be a mess in MLS – rock bottom, with the worst title defence in league history. But don’t think for a second they won’t throw everything at this! Continue reading

Twitter reacts to… Zakaria Taifi signing a first team contract with Orlando City SC

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After progressing through our development pathway, Academy and Orlando City B product Zakaria Taifi has today signed a first team contract with Orlando City SC.

The 19-year-old defender has penned a deal through 2026, with club options for 2027, 2028, and 2029. Born and raised in Orlando, the American defender of Moroccan heritage is the latest in a long line of players to rise through the ranks at Orlando City SC.

A standout in MLS NEXT Pro, Taifi not only becomes our latest Homegrown Player. He’s also our eighth first team signing this year after Colin Guske, Nicolás Rodríguez, Carlos Mercado, Marco Pašalić, Eduard Atuesta, Joran Gerbet, and Gustavo Caraballo. Continue reading

Twitter reacts to… Gustavo Caraballo signing a first team contract with Orlando City SC

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After progressing through our development pathway, Academy and Orlando City B product Gustavo Caraballo has today signed a first team contract with Orlando City SC.

The 16-year-old Venezuelan forward has put pen to paper on a deal through 2027, with a club option for 2028. In doing so, he becomes the youngest player in Orlando City SC history to sign a first team contract at just 16 years and 198 days old.

Not only our latest Homegrown Player, Gustavo Caraballo becomes our seventh winter arrival after Colin Guske, Nicolás Rodríguez, Carlos Mercado, Marco Pašalić, Eduard Atuesta, and Joran Gerbet. Continue reading

Orlando City UK celebrates our seventh birthday: 2022 round-up

Wow, what an incredible 2022 we’ve had! Today, we’re celebrating our seventh birthday here at Orlando City UK with our Official International Fan Club of Orlando City SC established seven years ago.

In our eighth MLS season, 2022 was the year the Lions finally got their hands on their first major silverware. Triumphantly winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, our loyal UK supporters keenly supported every step of the way from the United Kingdom. Continue reading

Orlando City UK celebrates our sixth birthday: 2021 round-up

Orlando City UK celebrates our sixth birthday

Just where did all the time go? Today, we’re celebrating our sixth birthday here at Orlando City UK with our Official International Fan Club of Orlando City SC established six years ago.

After last season’s playoff heartbreak, Oscar Pareja has Orlando City SC in the post-season yet again with our loyal UK supporters still passionately supporting from the United Kingdom. Continue reading

Why I support Orlando City SC… UK fan Ollie Griffiths has his say

With Orlando City SC now into their seventh Major League Soccer season, the Lions already have an abundance of loyal and passionate supporters spread up and down the United Kingdom.

Becoming an Orlando City UK member in August 2020, Leicester City and Orlando City SC fan Ollie Griffiths is the latest to tell his story about why the Lions were the MLS team for him. Continue reading

INTERVIEW: Orlando City UK chats to Orlando City SC’s Kay Rawlins

Having witnessed it all, from the club’s 2010 founding as Austin Aztex to present day, Orlando City UK caught up with the queen of Orlando City SC, Kay Rawlins.

Co-founder and co-owner of the club, plus Orlando City Foundation President, we spoke to Kay about that incredible MLS Cup Playoffs win over New York City FC, about community, plus her answers to a series of miscellaneous Lions questions covering the past 10 years. Continue reading

Orlando City UK celebrates our fifth birthday: 2020 round-up

Orlando City UK celebrates our second birthday

Time flies when you’re having fun, right? Today, we’re celebrating our fifth birthday here at Orlando City UK with our Official International Fan Club of Orlando City SC established five years ago.

Following five disappointing seasons in MLS, 2020 has refreshingly been all change. Oscar Pareja finally led Orlando City SC to the MLS Cup Playoffs with our loyal UK supporters still passionately supporting from the United Kingdom. Continue reading

Orlando City UK celebrates our fourth birthday: 2019 round-up

Orlando City UK celebrates our second birthday

Here at Orlando City UK, we’re wondering where the past few years have gone. Today, we’re celebrating our fourth birthday with our Official International Fan Club of Orlando City SC established four years ago.

Despite 2019 being another disappointing campaign for the Lions on the pitch, Orlando City UK thoroughly enjoyed another year of covering and supporting Orlando City SC while growing the club’s presence in the United Kingdom. Continue reading