Major League Soccer, in an effort to align its calendar with much of the rest of the international soccer community, is playing a 14-match season early in 2027 — what it is calling a “sprint” — before it makes its full schedule switch.
Orlando City SC revealed its MLS Sprint Season schedule Thursday. The Lions, as well as the league’s other 29 teams, will play seven games at home and seven on the road — solely against conference opponents.
The MLS Cup playoffs will feature the top eight teams in each conference in a single-elimination competition, culminating in the MLS Cup on Memorial Day weekend. The league will crown a 2027 champion about five months after this season’s title match, which is scheduled for Dec. 18.
The 2027-28 MLS season will begin in July, leading to a title game in May 2028.
Orlando City begins its 13th season in MLS on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. against the New England Revolution at Inter.co Stadium. The Lions have opened every season at home since joining MLS in 2015.
League-wide kickoff for the sprint season is Feb. 19-21 and will be highlighted by the Feb. 19 opener in Miami between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati.
Orlando’s only meeting with intrastate rival Inter Miami CF will be April 17, when the Lions host the Herons at 5 p.m. The Lions close their home schedule May 1 against New York City FC at 7 p.m.
Other MLS rivalry games of note: El Tráfico, the punny matchup between the LA Galaxy and LAFC, will be hosted by the Galaxy on April 10. There will be a Decision Day matchup of the Hudson River Derby at Yankee Stadium between New York City FC and Red Bull New York on May 8 — the final day of the regular season.
Additional marquee matchups across the league include the Canadian Classique between Toronto FC and CF Montréal on Feb. 28, the Cascadia Derby between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers on 4 April, and the Hell is Real Derby between Ohio-based rivals FC Cincinnati and the Columbus Crew on 24 April.
The mini-season will also have international competition implications. Five berths for the 2028 CONCACAF Champions Cup will be determined by 2027 sprint results. Eighteen teams will qualify for Leagues Cup, nine from each conference.
Orlando will alternate between home and road matches throughout the season. In addition to New England, the Lions will host Toronto FC, the Columbus Crew, Nashville SC, Inter Miami CF, the Philadelphia Union and New York City FC.
Orlando will travel to face the Chicago Fire FC, FC Cincinnati, Red Bull New York, D.C. United, Atlanta United FC, CF Montréal and Charlotte FC.
Information on single-match tickets for the sprint season will be announced later. Season ticket memberships for the sprint season are available. Every match will be aired on Apple TV.
2027 Orlando City sprint season schedule
Feb. 20: vs. New England Revolution, 7 p.m.
Feb. 27: at Chicago Fire FC, 3 p.m.
March 3: vs. Toronto FC, 7 p.m.
March 6: at FC Cincinnati, 4 p.m.
March 13: vs. Columbus Crew, 3 p.m.
March 20: at Red Bull New York, 7 p.m.
March 27: vs. Nashville SC, 7 p.m.
April 3: at D.C. United, 7 p.m.
April 7: vs. Philadelphia Union, 7 p.m.
April 10: at Atlanta United FC, 7 p.m.
April 17: vs. Inter Miami CF, 5 p.m.
April 24: at CF Montréal, 3 p.m.
May 1: vs. New York City FC, 7 p.m.
May 8: at Charlotte FC, 5 p.m.