Tonight will be the first time that Atlanta United and Orlando City meet for a match, but could a rivalry be in the works? The Atlanta United team bought billboard space in Orlando for some fun trash talk ahead of tonight’s match. But coaches for both teams aren’t interested in calling it a “rivalry” just yet.
Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino says, “We will see over time if it develops into a rivalry, but today it doesn’t feel like that.”
Orlando City’s coach, Jason Kreis, agrees. He says rivalries happen with experiences. Kreis says, “It would be premature to be talking about whether or not they are our rival. We shall see, starting with the first 15 minutes of the match.”
Others associated with Atlanta United may disagree. Team President Darren Eales tweeted a photo of the scoreboard from Mercedes Benz stadium, which will be the team’s home when construction is completed. Scoreboard read: Atlanta United 6, Orlando City 0. Eales accompanied the photo with the text: “Pitch side scoreboard @MBStadium appears to be working (with a winking emoji).”
Fans have been lighting up social media all week with trash talk ahead of the match. Many are making the drive to show support for their team and seem happy to encourage talk of a rivalry.
As for the billboard, team officials say they purchased the billboard to engage with the Orlando team ahead of back to back games. But they’ve not done anything like this with any other opponents.
Some are calling the game the “Battle of the South.” Although Atlanta and Orlando are more than 6 hours apart, they are closer together than any of the 20 teams in the league. That could change if other southern cities like Nashville or Charlotte decide to add teams in a league expansion.
Atlanta United and Orlando City take the field tonight in Orlando at 7pm. They face off again next week at Atlanta United’s temporary home, Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.