Orlando City SC Majority Owner Flavio Augusto da Silva is in advanced negotiations to sell the MLS club, as well as the NWSL's the Orlando Pride and related soccer assets to the Wilf family, the club announced in a statement Wednesday.
The Wilf family also own the Minnesota Vikings NFL franchise and currently have a minority stake in Nashville SC.
"With their passion for the sport and Orlando’s two teams that are in position to compete for trophies, I am confident that the Wilf family will continue to push Orlando City SC to new heights and lead the Club into this next phase, both on and off the field," Augusto da Silva said in the release.
Augusto da Silva took over as owner of the club in 2013, when they were then in the USL before Orlando entered MLS in 2015. Last season the club enjoyed their best season to date, reaching the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time under head coach Oscar Pareja.
"As I look back, I am proud of all we have accomplished during my tenure as majority owner," Augusto da Silva added. "On March 8, 2015, we reached the first of many milestones we set for ourselves, with 62,510 fans making history and introducing Major League Soccer to Orlando City SC. A year later, we brought women’s soccer to Central Florida in front of another record-setting crowd.
"We fulfilled our promise and opened the doors to our beautiful privately-financed stadium in downtown Orlando, and delivered two state-of-the-art training facilities for our teams. Our home, Exploria Stadium, has not only hosted some of the game’s biggest international events, but has also become the blueprint for soccer-specific venues across the country.
"We’ve welcomed some of the world’s global icons to our teams, while also establishing an academy that will produce the future stars of our sport, and made some incredible memories in between it all."
Augusto da Silva added that the sale is expected to be completed in the coming months.
