It was an emotional Saturday night in Orlando. What at the beginning of the year was listed as simply a road game on the Quakes' schedule turned out to be one of the most important events in Orlando's sporting history. In deep need of healing, the Quakes' match vs. Orlando City SC was to be the first major sporting event in the city of Orlando since the attack that took 49 lives & injured many more.
A number of moving tributes were planned. Players wore Orlando United patches on their jerseys that featured a rainbow heart, symbolizing the LGBTQ community that was shaken by the events on Sunday, June 12. In addition, first responders & more were honored pregame as they walked out with both teams wearing Orlando United t-shirts. Forty-nine seats in a designated section were left empty, marked only with a colored balloon for each victim.
ESPN's full SportsCenter video feature on the game and its many more touching gestures from Orlando City SC can be watched here.
After 49 minutes of play, the match was intentionally stopped to honor the victims with a moment of silence. Play then resumed and ended in a 2-2 draw. The in-game moment of silence can be viewed in its entirety here.
