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

Orlando City UK celebrates our 10th birthday: 2025 round-up

Today, we’re celebrating our 10th birthday at Orlando City UK, with our Official International Fan Club of Orlando City SC established a whole decade ago 😮 – time flies!

After back-to-back top-four finishes in 2023 and 2024, this season has been a big step backwards – plain and simple!

A strange season that quickly swung from hope to heartbreak, our loyal UK supporters watched all the action live on Apple TV. Continue reading

Winners revealed in Orlando City UK’s 2025 end-of-season awards

This past week, we asked Orlando City SC supporters on X to select their Orlando City SC Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year for 2025 as part of our annual Orlando City UK end-of-season awards.

A public vote designed to recognise the standout Orlando City SC players in our challenging 2025 campaign, we can now proudly reveal the winners as voted by you! Continue reading

Votes now open in Orlando City UK’s 2025 end-of-season awards

I don’t know about you, but I’m still hurting from Orlando City SC’s gutting 3-1 loss to Chicago Fire in last Wednesday’s 2025 MLS Wild Card match (East).

After back-to-back top-four finishes in 2023 and 2024, it’s clear we’ve come a long way since our rough early years in Major League Soccer. But this season felt like a big step backwards – plain and simple! Sadly, we still yearn for that elusive first-ever MLS Cup title!

Despite scoring more single-season goals than ever before (63), our ninth-placed finish is impossible to ignore. Nevertheless, our latest public vote is designed to recognise the standout players in the Lions’ 2025 season. Continue reading

Orlando City UK member Josh Keeble attends Orlando City SC’s 2-4 win at St. Louis CITY SC and 1-2 loss to FC Cincinnati

Follow City Away!
By Orlando City UK member, Josh Keeble

It’s been a few days since I landed back in London after my latest trip stateside, and it’s probably fair to say it was my most hectic yet!

When Major League Soccer released the 2025 schedule at the start of the year, one fixture in particular stood out as a must-see. That fixture was Orlando City SC’s first-ever visit to St. Louis, Missouri, conveniently scheduled in the middle of summer when I was finally unshackled from university commitments.

The St. Louis CITY SC game, though, was just one of seven sporting events I attended last week, as my ambition to make the most of this trip drained me both physically and financially. Continue reading

Orlando City UK member Josh Keeble’s experience as Orlando City SC thrash Tampa Bay Rowdies 0-5

Follow City Away!
By Orlando City UK member, Josh Keeble

A few weeks ago, when Orlando City SC announced their 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup date with bitter I-4 Derby rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies, I knew there was absolutely no way I would let such an opportunity pass me by.

A gap in university deadlines, (relatively) affordable flights, and a first visit to Al Lang Stadium in eleven years all meant that, regardless of the result, the trip made complete sense. And then we went and beat them 0-5! Continue reading

Twitter reacts to… Oscar Pareja’s new Orlando City SC contract through 2028

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After guiding Orlando City SC to the MLS Cup Playoffs for five consecutive seasons, the hugely popular Oscar Pareja signed a new three-year deal yesterday. Penning his last contract extension in December 2023, this new deal keeps our winningest head coach in club history at Inter&Co Stadium until at least the end of 2028.

Over his five-and-a-bit years in Central Florida, the 56-year-old Colombian has successfully turned around the Lions’ losing culture in Major League Soccer. His impact was clear last season, when City reached their first-ever Eastern Conference Final. Although we suffered a heartbreaking 0-1 loss to New York Red Bulls, we came within touching distance of our first-ever MLS Cup. That narrow defeat has only fuelled our hunger and determination to go one better this year – and bring the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy home.

So far, the man affectionately known as Papi has built a genuine brotherhood in the City locker room. That bond paid off three years ago when Orlando City SC defeated Sacramento Republic 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium to win the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final – our first major title as an MLS club. Continue reading

Orlando City UK member Josh Keeble’s experience as Orlando City SC fall 2-1 at New York City FC

Follow City Away!
By Orlando City UK member, Josh Keeble

On Saturday, March 8, I travelled Stateside to watch Orlando City SC suffer another Yankee Stadium defeat against New York City FC. The result did little to ease concerns about another slow start to the Major League Soccer season.

A fine counter-attack involving Alex Freeman, Marco Pašalić, and goalscorer Luis Muriel was ultimately overshadowed by goals from Alonso Martínez and Hannes Wolf. Both New York City FC strikes were aided by some questionable goalkeeping from Pedro Gallese. Still, those who follow the Lions know that away days aren’t really about the result – they’re about having a great time. And what better place than the Big Apple? Continue reading

Winners revealed in Orlando City UK’s 2024 end-of-season awards

This past week, we asked Orlando City SC supporters on X to select their Orlando City SC Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year for 2024 as part of our annual Orlando City UK end-of-season awards.

A public vote designed to recognise the standout Orlando City SC players in our promising, yet ultimately unfruitful 2024 campaign, we can now proudly reveal the winners as voted by you! Continue reading