Inter Miami CF–Orlando City SC rivalry
Inter Miami and Orlando City players racing for the ball in 2025 | |
| Other names | Florida Derby, Florida Clásico, El Clásico del Sol |
|---|---|
| Location | Florida |
| First meeting | July 8, 2020 MLS is Back Tournament ORL 2–1 MIA |
| Latest meeting | March 1, 2026 MLS regular season ORL 2–4 MIA |
| Next meeting | May 2, 2026 MLS regular season MIA v ORL |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 19 |
| Most wins | Both clubs (7) |
| Most player appearances | Pedro Gallese Robin Jansson (15 each) |
| Top scorer | Lionel Messi (8) |
| Largest victory | MIA 5–0 ORL MLS regular season (March 2, 2024) |
Inter Miami CF Orlando City SC Location of the two teams' stadiums in Florida | |
The Inter Miami–Orlando City rivalry, also known as the Florida Derby, is a professional soccer rivalry between the two Florida-based Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs: Inter Miami and Orlando City.
Background
Although not an official MLS rivalry cup, the clubs share an intrastate rivalry. Orlando City joined the MLS in 2015 whereas Inter Miami joined in 2020, meaning Orlando City had to wait until its sixth season to play a rival from the same state in the league. The fixture is mostly referred to as the Florida Derby, after the dormant previous soccer rivalry between clubs based in Fort Lauderdale (several iterations of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers) and the sides from Tampa Bay (the old Rowdies, Mutiny, and the current Rowdies).[1]
Prior to the teams' entries to MLS, there was a separate rivalry that existed during the early years of the league. In that period, the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion were the teams that were involved in the Florida Derby. The Munity was one of the charter clubs in MLS, and Miami Fusion was one of the first expansion teams that joined the league. Due to financial troubles the league faced in those years, both teams had dissolved and ceased operations.
History
The first ever match between the two teams was played on July 8, 2020 during the group stage of the one-off MLS is Back Tournament. The game ended as a 2–1 for Orlando City, with Inter Miami's Juan Agudelo scoring the first ever goal of the rivalry. Orlando City turned around the game with goals from Chris Mueller and Nani.[2] The first three matchups between the teams were played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first game that saw a limited number of fans back in stadiums was Inter Miami's 2–1 triumph over Orlando City on October 24, 2020.[3]
On May 25, 2022, Inter Miami and Orlando City played each other in a knockout match for the first time in the round of 16 of the 2022 U.S. Open Cup where Orlando City won 5–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw.[4] Orlando City went on to win the tournament,[5] becoming only the second Floridian club to win the U.S. Open Cup behind the St. Petersburg Kickers in 1989, and the first in the rivalry to participate in the CONCACAF Champions League the following year.
The clubs faced each other in elimination again, this time for the round of 32 of the 2023 Leagues Cup. Newly-signed Argentine superstar Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to a 3–1 win over Orlando City,[6] coincidentally, Inter Miami went on to win the tournament after defeating Nashville SC 10–9 on penalties in the final on August 19, 2023,[7] becoming the first MLS club to win the competition. On August 27, 2025, the clubs faced each other once more in the Leagues Cup, this time for the semifinals of the 2025 edition where the score ended the exact same 3–1 for Inter Miami,[8] however, Inter Miami ended up losing 3–0 in the final against Seattle Sounders FC.[9]
Results
Competitive matches
| Season | Date | Competition | Stadium | Home team | Result | Away team | Attendance | Series | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | July 8 | MLS is Back Tournament | ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex | Orlando City SC | 2–1 | Inter Miami CF | 0 | ORL 1–0–0 | [1] |
| August 22 | MLS | Inter Miami CF Stadium | Inter Miami CF | 3–2 | Orlando City SC | 0 | Tied 1–1–0 | [2] | |
| September 12 | Exploria Stadium | Orlando City SC | 2–1 | Inter Miami CF | 0 | ORL 2–1–0 | [3] | ||
| October 24 | Inter Miami CF Stadium | Inter Miami CF | 2–1 | Orlando City SC | 2,216 | Tied 2–2–0 | [4] | ||
| 2021 | June 25 | MLS | DRV PNK Stadium | Inter Miami CF | 1–2 | Orlando City SC | 17,926 | ORL 3–2–0 | [5] |
| August 4 | Exploria Stadium | Orlando City SC | 1–1 | Inter Miami CF | 17,966 | ORL 3–2–1 | [6] | ||
| August 27 | Exploria Stadium | Orlando City SC | 0–0 | Inter Miami CF | 17,817 | ORL 3–2–2 | [7] | ||
| 2022 | May 15 | U.S. Open Cup | Exploria Stadium | Orlando City SC | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) | Inter Miami CF | 11,509 | ORL 3–2–3 | [8] |
| July 9 | MLS | Exploria Stadium | Orlando City SC | 1–0 | Inter Miami CF | 20,052 | ORL 4–2–3 | [9] | |
| October 5 | DRV PNK Stadium | Inter Miami CF | 4–1 | Orlando City SC | 15,228 | ORL 4–3–3 | [10] | ||
| 2023 | May 20 | MLS | DRV PNK Stadium | Inter Miami CF | 1–3 | Orlando City SC | 17,643 | ORL 5–3–3 | [11] |
| August 2 | Leagues Cup | DRV PNK Stadium | Inter Miami CF | 3–1 | Orlando City SC | 20,101 | ORL 5–4–3 | [12] | |
| September 24 | MLS | Exploria Stadium | Orlando City SC | 1–1 | Inter Miami CF | 25,527 | ORL 5–4–4 | [13] | |
| 2024 | March 2 | MLS | Chase Stadium | Inter Miami CF | 5–0 | Orlando City SC | 21,352 | Tied 5–5–4 | [14] |
| May 15 | Inter&Co Stadium | Orlando City SC | 0–0 | Inter Miami CF | 25,046 | Tied 5–5–5 | [15] | ||
| 2025 | May 18 | MLS | Chase Stadium | Inter Miami CF | 0–3 | Orlando City SC | 20,859 | ORL 6–5–5 | [16] |
| August 10 | Inter&Co Stadium | Orlando City SC | 4–1 | Inter Miami CF | 25,046 | ORL 7–5–5 | [17] | ||
| August 27 | Leagues Cup | Chase Stadium | Inter Miami CF | 3–1 | Orlando City SC | 17,878 | ORL 7–6–5 | [18] | |
| 2026 | March 1 | MLS | Inter&Co Stadium | Orlando City SC | 2–4 | Inter Miami CF | 24,453 | Tied 7–7–5 | [19] |
| May 2 | Nu Stadium | Inter Miami CF | – | Orlando City SC | TBD |
Friendlies
| Date | Stadium | Home team | Result | Away team | Attendance | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 14, 2025 | Raymond James Stadium | Orlando City SC | 2–2 | Inter Miami CF | 42,017 | [20] |
Eastern Conference standings finishes
Inter Miami CF Orlando City SC
| P. | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | |||||
| 2 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 3 | |||||
| 4 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||
| 7 | 7 | |||||
| 8 | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | |||||
| 10 | 10 | |||||
| 11 | 11 | |||||
| 12 | ||||||
| 13 | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | |||||
| 15 |
Statistics
Matches summary
- As of March 1, 2026
| Competition | Matches | Wins | Draws | Goals | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | ORL | MIA | ORL | |||
| Major League Soccer | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 23 |
| U.S. Open Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Leagues Cup | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| MLS is Back Tournament | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| All competitions | 19 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 28 |
Most appearances
Players in bold are still active within the rivalry.
- As of March 1, 2026
| Position | Player | Team | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pedro Gallese | Orlando City SC | 15 |
| Robin Jansson | Orlando City SC | ||
| 3 | Rodrigo Schlegel | Orlando City SC | 13 |
| 4 | Víctor Ulloa | Inter Miami CF | 12 |
| Kyle Smith | Orlando City SC | ||
| 6 | César Araújo | Orlando City SC | 11 |
| Mauricio Pereyra | Orlando City SC | ||
| Júnior Urso | Orlando City SC | ||
| 9 | Tesho Akindele | Orlando City SC | 10 |
| Iván Angulo | Orlando City SC | ||
| Antônio Carlos | Orlando City SC |
Top goalscorers
Players in bold are still active within the rivalry.
- As of March 1, 2026
| Position | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami CF | 8 |
| 2 | Marco Pašalić | Orlando City SC | 4 |
| 3 | Gonzalo Higuaín | Inter Miami CF | 3 |
| Luis Muriel | Orlando City SC | ||
| Nani | Orlando City | ||
| Martín Ojeda | Orlando City SC | ||
| 7 | Leonardo Campana | Inter Miami CF | 2 |
| Julián Carranza | Inter Miami CF | ||
| Daryl Dike | Orlando City SC | ||
| Ercan Kara | Orlando City SC | ||
| Chris Mueller | Orlando City SC | ||
| Telasco Segovia | Inter Miami CF | ||
| Luis Suárez | Inter Miami CF |
Honors
- As of December 6, 2025
| Inter Miami CF | Competition | Orlando City SC |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | USL Pro (Player's Shield) | 3 |
| N/A | USL Pro | 2 |
| 1 | Supporters' Shield | 0 |
| 1 | MLS Cup | 0 |
| 0 | U.S. Open Cup | 1 |
| 1 | Leagues Cup | 0 |
| 3 | Total aggregate | 6 |
| 3 | MLS eras total | 1 |
Players who played for both clubs
| Player | Inter Miami CF career | Orlando City SC career | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Span | Apps | Goals | Span | Apps | Goals | |
| Mikey Ambrose | 2020 | 7 | 1 | 2016 | 5 | 0 |
| Brek Shea | 2020–2022 | 47 | 6 | 2015–2016 | 47 | 3 |
| Kamal Miller | 2023 | 35 | 0 | 2019–2020 | 30 | 0 |
See also
References
- ^ Uribarri, Jaime (August 26, 2025). "Inter Miami, Orlando City set for "most important" Florida Derby yet". MLSsoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
- ^ Franca, Michael (8 July 2020). "MATCH RECAP: Inter Miami CF Kicks Off MLS is Back Tournament, Narrowly Falls 2-1 to Orlando City SC". Inter Miami CF. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ Serrano, Rodrigo (22 October 2020). "Inter Miami will allow fans to attend match against Orlando City". Diario AS. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ Venegas, Mauricio (25 May 2022). "MATCH RECAP: Inter Miami CF Kicks Off MLS is Back Tournament, Narrowly Falls 2-1 to Orlando City SC". Inter Miami CF. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ "2022 Open Cup Champions". Orlando City SC. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ "Match report: Lions bow out of Leagues Cup 2023 with loss at Inter Miami CF". Orlando City SC. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ De la Fuente, Homero (August 20, 2023). "Lionel Messi and Inter Miami capture first trophy in club history with nail-biting victory over Nashville FC in Leagues Cup final". CNN. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ^ Álvarez, Tony (28 August 2025). "MATCH RECAP: Lionel Messi Leads Inter Miami Comeback to Reach Second Ever Leagues Cup Final". Leagues Cup. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ Renkel, Favian (August 31, 2025). "Match Recap: Sounders Stun Messi's Inter Miami 3-0 to Win First Leagues Cup Title". Leagues Cup. Retrieved September 1, 2025.