Orlando City is nearing a sale to the Wilf family, owners of the Minnesota Vikings, the team announced Wednesday.


What You Need To Know


"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," majority owner Flavio Augusta da Silva said in a statement.

Owner Flavio Augusta da Silva bought the team in 2013 and helped transition the team to Major League Soccer from the lower division USL Pro. He also helped found the Orlando Pride, the team's affiliated NWSL club.

Da Silva also privately-financed the building of Exploria Stadium in downtown Orlando, becoming one of the standards for soccer-specific stadiums in the MLS and in the United States.

While Orlando City saw tremendous growth within the community, the team struggled until last year. Orlando City made its first MLS Playoffs appearance in its short MLS history last season. They are currently unbeaten through four games to start their 2021 season, one of four remaining unbeaten teams in the league.

The Wilf family currently owns the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL. The sale to the Wilfs would include Orlando City, Orlando Pride and related soccer assets, da Silva says. It's not clear whether that includes Exploria Stadium itself.

Da Silva said he expects the acquisition to be finalized in the coming months. It's not known yet how much the team is being sold for. 

The deal won a thumbs up from the other major sports team-owning family in Orlando — the DeVos family, owners of the Orlando Magic. The Magic tweeted a welcome to the Wilfs on Wednesday.