ORLANDO, Fla. (November 1, 2016) - Orlando City SC has entered into an affiliation with Clube Atlético Paranaense (Pa-ra-na-EN-seh) of the Brazilian Serie A, the Club announced today. The technical partnership connects City with a club that boasts a world-class training facility and one of Brazil’s top academies.

“We are proud of partnering with Atlético Paranaense, a club with more than 90 years of history,” Orlando City Founder and President Phil Rawlins said. “In addition to their success on the pitch, they possess a vast knowledge on the process of developing a successful academy and running a top-notch training facility.”

As part of the affiliation, Paranaense will visit Orlando City for a friendly match in 2017. Orlando City will also play a friendly in Curitiba during the 2018 preseason. Additional details of the friendly matches will be released when available.

Founded in 1924, Paranaense has enjoyed great local, national and international success. CAP won the Serie A title in 2001 and has won 23 Campeonato Paranaense regional championships. The “Furacāo” was the runner-up in the 2005 Copa Libertadores, South America’s most prestigious club tournament, and reached the semifinal of the 2006 Copa Sudamericana, the continent’s second-most prestigious club tournament.

In addition to its success on the pitch, Paranaense has also developed one of the best footballing infrastructures in all of Brazil. The 43,000-seat Atlético Paranaense Stadium was the first stadium in South America with a retractable roof and hosted four games in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Its training facility, the Administrative and Technical Centre Alfredo Gottardi, is known as the best in the nation - featuring two hotels, two restaurants and two thermal pools, as well as a weight room and laundry facility.

The partnership complements Orlando City’s existing partnerships with Portuguese side S.L. Benfica and Stoke City FC of the English Premier League by expanding the clubs’ networks in South America.