2016 MLS Season Preview: Orlando City

With the MLS season set to begin on Sunday, theScore runs down everything you need to know about each team heading into the 2016 campaign. Here, we take a look at Orlando City.

If Orlando City fans learned anything in 2015, it's that life in MLS is, well ... quite an adventure.

On the field, Orlando surprised onlookers with its impressive football, ability to fight back and penchant for scoring goals, but off the field, Orlando's front office was nothing short of tumultuous. That instability now threatens to spill over onto the field.

Luckily, Orlando's raucous supporters, who number in the tens of thousands each and every game, helped the team through the difficult patches of an expansion year. The Lions thrived for it, pushing for a playoff spot in 2015. While it never manifested into a reality, the dream burns on for the 2016 campaign.

The club is looking to fill the Citrus Bowl once again on opening day and with a new star name in Antonio Nocerino, it shouldn't be too tough a task.

2015 season

Regular season: 7th in Eastern Conference

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Nuts and Bolts

• Head coach: Adrian Heath
• Stadium: Citrus Bowl
• Season opener: Sunday, March 6: Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake (Citrus Bowl) - 2 p.m. ET.

Key Arrivals

• Antonio Nocerino (acquired from AC Milan via D.C. United)
• Kevin Alston (Re-Entry Draft)
• Joe Bendik (traded from Toronto FC)
• Devron Garcia (acquired from CD Victoria)

Key Departures

• Tally Hall (option declined)
• Corey Ashe (option declined)
• Eric Avila (option declined)
• Danny Mwanga (option declined)
• Tony Cascio (out of contract)

Player to Watch

Once the greatest player in the world, Brazilian icon Kaka has found a new home in Orlando.

The former Real Madrid and AC Milan star captained Orlando City in its inaugural MLS season and enjoyed a stellar campaign, scoring nine goals and recording seven assists. His influence in each game allowed a young Orlando team to thrive and escape the conference basement, challenging for a playoff spot up until the final weeks of the season.

Sure, Orlando didn't make the playoffs, and yes, Kaka was outpaced by other midfielders in the league in both categories, but the intangibles he offers make him irreplaceable. Without Kaka, it's hard to imagine Cyle Larin breaks the rookie scoring record. Without Kaka, it's tough to envision how Orlando's XI, under constant change and injury woe, survives in its first year.

He is the rock around which this team has been built and with his former teammate Nocerino now in the fold, Kaka is set to enjoy a solid second season with the Lions of Florida.

Keep an eye on: Cyle Larin and Antonio Nocerino

Projected Starting XI

Season in a Sentence

Kaka and Nocerino combine once more, but so much of Orlando's success relies on the scoring feet of Larin and the rest of the Lions' supporting cast. Sure, this rag-tag bunch boasts some quality, but is it enough to field a consistent winner? A sophomore slump would really hurt the Lions in 2016, so Heath's job is making sure that dip in form never develops.