Orlando Lions

For other soccer teams known as "Lions", see Orlando City SC and Queensland Lions FC.

For the Australian Rules football team, see Brisbane Lions.

The Orlando Lions were an American men's soccer team from Orlando, Florida which existed from 1985 to 1996. Over the years, the Lions competed at both the amateur and professional levels including some seasons as an independent team.

The Lions is a nickname that has persisted in the area in connection with later efforts to bring pro soccer to the area. It is used as a nickname for the current Orlando City SC team, which played in the third-tier USL Pro league between 2010 and 2014, and now plays in Major League Soccer.

ASL/APSL

Founded in 1985, the Orlando Lions joined the third incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1988. The team joined the American Professional Soccer League in 1990 when the ASL merged with the Western Alliance. They merged with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers after the 1990 season. The club played in Orlando, Florida.

Year-by-year

Year	Division	League	Reg. Season	Playoffs	Open Cup
1988	N/A	ASL	4th, Southern	Did not qualify	Did not enter
1989	N/A	ASL	4th, Southern	Did not qualify	Did not enter
1990	N/A	APSL	3rd, ASL South	Did not qualify	Did not enter

Yearly average attendance

• 1988 – 2,736^[1]
• 1989 – 2,761^[2]
• 1990 – not available

USISL

The second Orlando Lions were a soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The team began in the USISL and, in 1995, moved to the USISL Premier League.

Year-by-year

Year	Division	League	Reg. Season	Playoffs	Open Cup
1992	N/A	USISL	1st, Southeast	Sizzling Six	Did not enter
1993	N/A	USISL	1st, Southeast	Final	Did not enter
1993/94	N/A	USISL Indoor	4th, Southeast	Did not qualify	N/A
1994	3	USISL	4th, Southeast	Divisional Semifinals	Did not enter
1994/95	N/A	USISL Indoor	3rd, North/South	Did not qualify	N/A
1995	"4"	USISL Premier League	8th, Eastern	Did not qualify	Did not enter
1995/96	N/A	USISL Indoor	2nd, Southeast	Did not qualify	N/A
1995	"4"	USISL Premier League	2nd, Southern	Did not qualify	Did not enter
1996	4	USISL Premier League	2nd EC Southern	unknown	Did not enter

Coaches

• Mark Dillon (1985–1988, 1992–1993)
• John Higgins (1988–1989)
• Gary Hindley (1989–1990)
• Sergio Mora (1995)
• Steve Lions (1995–96) Indoor

Yearly awards

USISL MVP

• 1992: Sheldon Lee

USISL Top Scorer

• 1993: Sheldon Lee

USISL All-Star

• 1992: Robin Chan
• 1993: Sheldon Lee, David Mackey

USISL Coach of the Year

• 1993: Mark Dillon

References

1. Courtesy the A-League Archives, accessed February 5, 2012. Figures added and averaged. One home date out of 10 missing for 1988.
2. Courtesy the A-League Archives, accessed February 5, 2012. Figures added and averaged.