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: Austin FC vs Orlando City SC – 22.05.2022

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After Kyle Smith‘s buzzer beater header in stoppage time at Toronto FC (0-1), Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now head to Texas for their inaugural MLS fixture with Austin FC.

With no meeting between the sides in Austin FC’s inaugural 2021 MLS season, this is City’s first taste of the atmospheric Q2 Stadium as we look to maintain our positive league campaign so far. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Minnesota United vs Orlando City SC – 17.08.2019

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After Orlando City SC‘s crucial 1-0 win against Sporting Kansas City, the Lions make their first ever trip to Allianz Field to take on Minnesota United of the Western Conference.

The fixture represents the first ever MLS meeting of Lions club legend Adrian Heath and his former Orlando City SC player James O’Connor in the dugouts as Inchy plots a third consecutive win over the club he served with such distinction. Continue reading

Sheffield-born pro becomes second Brit at Orlando City SC

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Selected by Orlando City SC as the 20th pick (64th overall) in round three of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft yesterday, the Lions have a new British player on board – Danny Deakin.

The 23-year-old Sheffield-born pro arrives in Central Florida having spent last season at NASL outfit Detroit City and now becomes the second Brit on Orlando City SC‘s 2017 first team roster. Continue reading

A thank you speech to Orlando City SC’s Phil Rawlins

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Here at Orlando City UK, we really had to look twice when seeing Phil Rawlins had stepped down from his day-to-day operational responsibilities at Orlando City SC on Tuesday evening.

A personal decision with Phil now assuming a Life-President role, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank a guy who proved a huge motivation in us deciding to support Orlando City SC back in 2015. Continue reading

Will he? Won’t he? Orlando City SC’s Grégory Sertic move

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Yesterday was an incredibly busy day in the world of Orlando City SC with the Alex Morgan loan to Lyon announcement, turf at Orlando City Stadium and two particular transfer rumours leaving us all eager to find out more!

But for Jason Kreis‘ side, the biggest news of the day surrounded the Lions’ reported interest in Bordeaux defender Grégory Sertic. Continue reading

What does Orlando City SC’s partnership with Atlético Paranaense mean?

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There was positive news for Orlando City SC fans to savour on Tuesday as the Lions entered into a new formal partnership with Brazilian Serie A outfit Clube Atlético Paranaense.

Already boasting existing affiliations with Portuguese Primeira Liga giants Benfica as well as Premier League side Stoke City, the latest partnership only extends Orlando City SC‘s influence worldwide. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Stoke City – 27.07.2016

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There’s something entirely different for Orlando City SC supporters to look forward to this Wednesday evening as the Lions welcome Stoke City to Titan Soccer Complex in a mid-season friendly.

The Premier League outfit became an official affiliate club to Orlando City SC back in May 2016 and as part of the agreement, this glamorous friendly was scheduled among other benefits. Continue reading

Orlando City SC name Jason Kreis as new head coach

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Adrian Heath‘s successor has now been found as Orlando City SC officially announced Jason Kreis as the Lions’ new head coach around 10pm on Tuesday evening (UK time).

One of the outstanding candidates on City’s shortlist, the experienced Kreis has been in and around Major League Soccer since its inception back in 1996. Continue reading