As Orlando City launched into its inaugural season in 2015, it was the work of earlier expansion clubs in Portland and Seattle that the Lions hoped to emulate. It was in these two teams, both of which had moved through the lower ranks of the United States soccer pyramid with notable supporter enthusiasm, that felt like the best example of what Orlando could be.
It hasn’t gone as well as we had hoped it would. If you consider recent expansion clubs, Orlando is the most unsuccessful team if you use making the playoffs as the measure.