David Villa and Kaká will face each other in front of 62,000 fans at the Citrus bowl on Sunday. The season kicks off on Friday between LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire, but it is the game among Orlando City SC and New York City FC that has more people talking.
The game organizers had initially sold all 60,000 seats for the game. They later added another 2,000 for standing-room-only tickets. Those last ones were sold in less than 24 hours on Wednesday.
Orlando SC had some fun with the incident
Sorry, Frank - we're sold out. #FilledTheBowl pic.twitter.com/sJkQO3mo8z
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) marzo 5, 2015
“The excitement in this city is now immeasurable,” Orlando SC president Phil Rawlins said. “We’re thrilled to see the final hurdle overcome and are eager for our squad to take the pitch before 62,000 screaming fans at the Citrus Bowl.”
The club just announced Walt Disney World as their founding sponsor. The multi-year agreement helps ensure that Kaka’s games reach a global audience such as Brazil and other Latin American countries where soccer is really important. UK residents will be able to watch this games on Sky Sports.
Both teams already met during preseason on February 21. That time Kaká scored for his team in a 1-1 draw. David Villa had already scored New York’s first ever goal in the history of the franchise with against St. Mirren on February 10.
Will El Guaje also score the first regular-season goal?
#TBT: @Guaje7Villa celebrating #NYCFC's first ever preseason goal. Who will score the first goal in @MLS? Play ball. pic.twitter.com/WyLB22frIa
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) marzo 5, 2015
They are the two newest teams in the league which celebrates its 20th season. While Kaká is the biggest star for Orlando, Frank Lampard and possibly Xavi will join Villa later in the season. There have also been rumors linking Mario Balotelli with Orlando SC.
“If we had 80,000 seats, I firmly believe we would have sold all 80,000,” Rawlins added. “We’re prepared to sell 30,000 per game, but it could be more.”
The Citrus Bowl, usually used for College Football games, will host 62,000 soccer fans on Sunday