The club was owned by English-born Austin businessman Phil Rawlins. Originally from the UK, Rawlins serves on the board of English Premier League club Stoke City. Austin and Stoke had a formal partnership which included sharing training information and players, with Austin acting as a potential player resource for Stoke.[8][9]
Immediately after announcing their intention to join USL1,[10] the Aztex purchased the 2008 USL PDL expansion side Austin Stampede and rebranded it as Austin Aztex U23.[1]Wolfgang Suhnholz was named coach of the U23 team, which commenced play in 2008.
On August 8, 2008, the Aztex announced the 2008 PDL Goalkeeper of the Year and former Austin Aztex U23 player, Miguel Gallardo, as their first professional signing for the 2009 season. Gallardo was signed with the team through 2011.[11]
The Aztex began their inaugural season as a professional team by playing 4 MLS teams in preseason exhibition matches. The first three games were held in Austin at Nelson Field while the fourth MLS match was in Rio Tinto Stadium on the MLS opening weekend. A fifth exhibition match was scheduled against the CONCACAF semi-finalist Puerto Rico Islanders[12] in between their home and away series against Cruz Azul.
On May 19, 2010, Austin played the Tampa Bay Rowdies in front of 6,051 fans, their largest home crowd in franchise history.[13]
On October 22, 2010, an article was published that indicated that the team was likely to move to Orlando, Florida, for the 2011 season.[14] This was confirmed on October 25,[2] as the team became Orlando City SC.
Players
Final roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
