2017 will be the third Major League Soccer season for Orlando City. Here is at their updated roster, major story lines, and predictions for the year ahead.

Another year that Orlando City SC didn’t make the MLS Cup playoffs meant that there had to be some offseason moves to strengthen Jason Kreis’ side. The transfer deals were made but now the question is, will the Lions qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time in their MLS history?

A Recap of 2016

Record: 9-11-14

Finishing Position: 8th in Eastern Conference

Post-season: N/A

Orlando City has finished its second season in the MLS but not without their ups and downs. During the summer the Lions lost their head coach Adrian Heath who had been with them since their USL days. Jason Kreis took over the head coaching spot for him, leading the side to an eighth place finish in the Eastern Conference, missing the final playoff spot by one point.

We also saw the city of Orlando come together in an incredible way. On June 12th, 49 people were killed and 53 more were wounded in an attack inside the Pulse nightclub.

The club stood in solidarity with the victims and the greater community by having special jerseys made for the game following the event, selling posters with all the funds going to the OneOrlando charity. They also dedicated a section of seats for the victims of the terrorist attack:

Though Orlando wasn’t able to grab their first ever spot in the playoffs in 2016, the side ended with two strong wins against the Philadelphia Union as well as DC United. Now Kreis and the rest of his crew will look to take those two results and build a strong 2017 season off them.

Transfers Out:

Luke Boden (contract option not exercised)

Tyler Turner (contract option not exercised)

Pedro Ribeiro (contract option not exercised)

Júlio Baptista (contract option not exercised)

Mikey Ambrose (Expansion Draft-Minnesota United)

Kevin Molino (Transfer-Minnesota United)

Harrison Heath (Transfer-Atlanta United)

Transfers In:

Donny Toia (Transfer-Atlanta United)

Jose Aja (contract extension)

Patrick McLain (Re-Entry Draft)

Servando Carrasco (contract extension)

Will Johnson (Transfer-Toronto FC)

Victor ‘PC’ Giro (Transfer-Tampa Bay Rowdies)

Kevin Alston (contract extension)

Seb Hines (contract extension)

Pierre Da Silva (Transfer-Orlando City B)

Johnathan Spector (Transfer-Birmingham City)

Josh Saunders (Transfer-New York City FC)

Predicted Starting XI for Opening Weekend

Orlando City could go a number of different ways with their starting line up. The recent abductor strain to Cristian Higuita will most likely give the starting holding mid spot to Antonio Nocerino. The back line will feature new acquisitions Jonathan Spector and Donny Toia as well as former Toronto midfielder Will Johnson could easily see himself in the starting lineup.

The biggest question will be who is starting in goal for the Lions. Josh Saunders was an incredible shot stopper for New York City FC, with a 62% shot stop ratio and a 1.7 goals against average. Though anyone could make a strong case for him to start opening day, Orlando will most likely be starting with Joe Bendik, who finished second in the league for the most saves, only four behind Portland’s Jake Gleeson. He has a very similar shot stop ratio and goals against average to Saunders with 64% and 1.76. Though either goalkeeper would be successful for the side, Bendik is probably the best choice for the Lions on opening day.

2017 Predictions

Third time’s a charm right? For the past two years Orlando has just fell short of qualifying for the MLS Cup Playoffs, finishing seventh both times. This year, with Kreis having a full season with the Lions, could be very different. I predict that Orlando will snag one of the last playoff spots in the East, qualifying for their first ever MLS Cup Playoff run.

Finishing Position: 5th in the Eastern Conference

This could very well be a great year for the Lions and Orlando fans should have a reason to be excited.

2017 MLS Team Previews

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