USL now officially headed to Orange County /Orlando area

So as we first discussed several weeks ago, USL is headed to the Orlando area. The news is now official.

Full press release below.

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The United Soccer League (USL), in partnership with Central Florida Pro Soccer, today announced their intent to bring a professional men’s soccer team to the region. In March 2025, Federal Finance, the ownership group of Central Florida Pro Soccer, secured a letter of intent with the City of Winter Garden for a 72-acre site in East Winter Garden, with plans for a mixed-use development anchored by a multi-purpose stadium.

“Winter Garden is one of the most family-friendly cities in the country with a passionate soccer fanbase, making it a perfect place to build one of our community-centric clubs,” said Justin Papadakis, Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Officer with the USL. “Central Florida Pro Soccer’s project is an ambitious mixed-use development that will serve as a true community asset and local gathering place. As the centerpiece of the project, the soccer stadium will unite residents, drive economic growth and inspire youth athletes for generations to come.”

Pending city approvals, Central Florida Pro Soccer plans to move forward with a development featuring more than 150,000 square feet of commercial space, multi-family units, a 160-room hotel, nearly 100,000 square feet of retail, public parks, and a walking trail. The project also includes a 5,000-seat multi-purpose soccer stadium and 14 acres of recreational fields with three practice fields, baseball fields, pickleball courts and padel courts.

Central Florida Pro Soccer is founded by an international ownership team with strong local ties and deep experience in real estate development. The group is led by Federal Finance’s Tan Bahia and Austin Root, who also launched Federal Sports Alliance — a boutique sports and real estate management firm focused on creating Live-Work-Play ecosystems that add value not only to clubs, but to the communities around them.

Tan Bahia, founder and CEO, currently resides between Winter Garden, Fla. and London. A financier and developer, he has worked in banking since the early 2000s and in 2009 set up the Federal Group, a private equity fund and debt advisory firm. Bahia has developed real estate projects in the UK, New York, New Jersey, and Florida, including marquee projects like the Bath & Racquet in Sarasota.

Austin Root, co-founder and COO, began his career on Wall Street in 2000 in Merrill Lynch’s Global Markets and Investment Banking group where he created, developed and marketed complex, structured financial products for Fortune 500 companies. He has spent decades advising entrepreneurs, small- and medium-sized businesses in business strategy and development.

Joe Giannuzzi, development director, brings more than 20 years of corporate operations and project management experience, including extensive work in commercial and residential construction. He specializes in developing single-family and multi-family residential communities ranging from 10 to 500 units.

Siddharth Shankar, partner and board member, is a seasoned entrepreneur and leader in the global retail, wholesale, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) sectors. With over a decade of experience, he is best known as the co-founder and driving force behind Tails Trading Group, a company that connects British brands with Asian markets.

“Given soccer’s incredible growth trajectory in the United States and The World Cup right around the corner, it’s time that Winter Garden – one of America’s top 10 cities to live in – joins the movement with its own professional team,” Bahia said. “With games broadcasted nationally and on streaming services, our club will help Winter Garden become known around the world as not only a great place to live but one with a world-class soccer club, too. Central Florida has a strong youth soccer culture, and we’re excited to join the USL ecosystem and provide a pathway for homegrown players to move up to the professional ranks.”