Orlando City to announce plans at Eastern Florida

For months, Orlando City Soccer Club has been searching for a home for its proposed minor-league affiliate.

It seems that search, which included Eastern Florida State College's Melbourne campus soccer complex, is over. Orlando City on Tuesday announced a press conference at EFSC on Thursday afternoon.

The team would play in the United Soccer League, a Division III Professional League, below the MLS and another feeder league, the North American Soccer League.

Cocoa hosted a USL Pro team from 1993 to 2007.

Orlando City is hoping to have the team begin playing in the USL in 2016.

The club envisions using the team as a feeder system for its popular MLS team, which plays now in Orlando's Citrus Bowl, but will move to a soccer-only facility nearby.

While they have not formally been awarded a USL franchise, it seems to just be a formality. Orlando City has named Anthony Pulis its USL team coach.

He is scheduled to be at Eastern Florida State College on Thursday for the announcement.

Titan Soccer Complex, off Post Road on the northeast corner of the EFSC's Melbourne campus, currently holds 1,500 fans and has hosted state high school tournaments and junior-college national tournaments.

But USL franchises need the ability to hold 5,000 fans. Eastern Florida has said it would add bleachers around the field to accommodate the request when it is official. The complex also has a practice field, concession stand, video scoreboard and the equipment needed to broadcast games on television.

Eastern Florida is approximately 90 minutes from Orlando City’s practice facilities at Sylvan Lake Park.