MLS Season Preview: Orlando City SC

With the MLS season set to begin on Friday, theScore runs down everything you need to know about each team heading into the league's 20th campaign. Here, we take a look at one of the league's two expansion franchises, Orlando City SC.

It will be difficult for anyone in Major League Soccer to take their eyes off the fascinating project that is being constructed in the Sunshine State.

Orlando City, making the jump to MLS after a wildly successful spell in USL Pro where they captured two league championships in four seasons (2011, 2013), look destined to be must-see viewing in their inaugural campaign.

The star power is there in the form of Brazilian icon Kaka.

The support from an impressive fan base, already among the most rabid in the league, is there.

The intriguing stories within the squad are there: the continued transformation of American international Brek Shea into a left-back tops the list, while the club's perceived defensive frailties will be interesting to monitor all season.

Orlando City has all the necessary ingredients to keep MLS eyes firmly fixated this season. Do they have enough to make their project a winning one in just its first season, though?

Head Coach: Adrian Heath

Stadium: Citrus Bowl

Season Opener: Sunday, March 8: Orlando City vs. New York City FC (Orlando Citrus Bowl) - 5 PM EST

Key Arrivals

Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Kaka (free transfer), Amobi Okugo (Philadelphia Union), Aurelien Collin (Sporting KC), Brek Shea (Stoke City), Cyle Larin (SuperDraft)

Player to Watch: Kaka

Can Kaka's body hold up? That's the major question that will almost single-handedly determine if Orlando City can deliver on the high expectations placed upon the club by head coach Adrian Heath. Heath expects a playoff berth, and if the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year can stay fit for the majority of the campaign, he may just get it. 

The Brazilian, reportedly making a league-high $7.2 million per season, will get some attacking help in the form of exciting 20-year-old Honduran international Bryan Rochez, with No. 1 overall draft pick Cyle Larin also eager to make an impact. Kevin Molino, who scored 20 goals at USL level last season, will offer another outlet up front, but make no mistake, Orlando City will go as far as Kaka can carry them - and they know it.

"We not only brought a Brazilian superstar, we brought a world superstar," club president Phil Rawlins said when the signing was made official last July. "Today we put MLS on notice. We may be franchise No. 21, but we're not here to make up the numbers.

"We're here to win and we're here to play, and what better way to do that than to sign a winner in Kaka."

For the Lions, it's the only way.

Keep an eye on: Kevin Molino

Projected Starting XI

(4-2-3-1) Donovan Ricketts; Brek Shea, Sean St. Ledger, Aurelien Collin, Rafael Ramos; Cristian Higuita, Amobi Okugo; Lewis Neal, Kaka, Kevin Molino; Bryan Rochez

Note: Goalkeeper Tally Hall is expected to assume starting duties once he has recovered from surgery to repair a torn ACL he suffered last season.

Season in a Sentence

Transferring their winning pedigree from USL Pro into MLS will be no simple task, but with an already solid core being boosted by an influx of talent - led by the aforementioned Kaka - the Lions should be in the playoff race in the weaker of the league's two conferences.

(Courtesy: @OrlandoCitySC)