Excitement is ramping up for this weekend’s inaugural Major League Soccer game scheduled for Sunday at the Citrus Bowl. Orlando City Soccer will face New York City Football Club, another expansion team. But the big elephant in the room is whether there will be a game.
Kickoff events are happening all over town this week. 60,000 fans have tickets to the big game. But MLS players may go on strike. The players’ union and the league are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement—and so far no deal.
Jerry Updike, president of The Rukus Lions fan club, says he doesn’t think there will be a strike. “Even if it gets canceled we’re still going to tailgate. I mean we will tailgate every game, every fixture that was scheduled. We will be in lot 11, I mean if you want to come and wait through the strike with us, should it actually take place.”
Updike encourages people to take the rail for free this weekend to the game, or if there isn’t one, to the tailgate at least.