Orlando City and Stoke City of the English Premier League announced a formal affiliation Friday.
The partnership means the clubs will work together on player-exchange opportunities, scouting, recruiting and player development. They will share business advice, best practices and promote each other in their respective markets, and will launch a joint marketing campaign in the near future.
"It was very clear that we’ve always had a good relationship with Stoke City, and it came down to us wanting to reignite that synergy and bring our clubs closer together,” Orlando City president Phil Rawlins said in a statement released by the club.