The Rise of Orlando City SC: A Culture of Excellence, from the Ground Up
It’s 2010, and the rumors became reality…Orlando was getting a professional soccer team.
The Austin Aztex FC were relocating to Central Florida, with a bold vision: to evolve from a USL PRO team into a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise. But it wasn’t as simple as applying and getting accepted. At the time, MLS expansion came with a very specific checklist: a downtown soccer-specific stadium, strong airport access, an engaged fan base, and a fully integrated youth development system. Every detail mattered. The infrastructure had to be built. The culture had to be right.
From day one, the leadership group—and Head Coach Adrian Heath—understood that success on the field was the fastest way to galvanize a city around the club. Winning was more than a goal—it was the strategy. That belief attracted like-minded people, and from the beginning, SPECTRUM was one of them.
From the inception, in 2011, SPECTRUM’s Dan Schuck joined as the team’s Head Performance Coach. As with any new venture, there are so many moving parts and systems to build, programs to fund, and areas to improve. The Medical and Performance Department wasn’t what you see with todays clubs. Top tier clubs today have full teams of people overseeing the players health, strength, conditioning, performance, nutrition, and recovery. These coaches, nutritionists, physiotherapists, trainers all meet daily to review player loads, talk about preparation before practice, recovery after practice, training protocols for players not playing in games, treatment protocols for injured players, and all of this is communicated to the coaching staff to plan and adjust training so that each player is optimized for what they need to do each day and week.
With no dedicated weight room or rehab space at the team’s initial facility, the club turned to SPECTRUM for performance training. Players came to us for strength and conditioning. Injured athletes completed their return-to-play protocols offsite with Schuck to prepare for re-entry onto the pitch. We became the performance engine behind a team focused on building something bigger.
That first year? The team set the league on fire. Orlando City won both the regular season title and the playoffs—securing the coveted DOUBLE in their inaugural season. It was the perfect introduction to the city and a massive leap toward meeting the MLS requirements.
The following season, they repeated as regular season champions and continued to build momentum—on the field and off. But there were still boxes to check. One of them: a Developmental Academy that included nutrition guidance and performance training weekly.
Once again, SPECTRUM stepped in. With years of experience training entire youth clubs, we had the infrastructure and expertise to support the Orlando City Development Academy. We worked weekly with youth teams (U11/12, U13/14, U15/16, U17/18), delivering in-person performance sessions that mirrored the pro team’s environment—developing players physically and mentally for the next level. From movement mechanics to strength, plyometrics, and speed training, the goal was to teach young athletes how to train like professionals.
A typical day for Schuck started at the pro team’s facility around 9 a.m. He would handle individual player assessments, prehab, warm-ups, and activation routines—working directly with Coach Heath to align performance with tactical preparation. Post-training, he’d shift focus back to SPECTRUM, training academy players in the afternoon, helping each age group evolve from foundational movement skills to sport-specific performance demands.
By 2014, Orlando City SC had built what few expansion clubs could: a true culture of excellence. From the youth teams to the professional squad, performance was a daily priority. The club went on to win their third Commissioner’s Cup in four years.
And then, the announcement came:
Orlando City would officially become the 21st MLS franchise, beginning play in 2015.
From humble beginnings to national recognition, the journey wasn’t easy—but it was intentional. SPECTRUM is proud to have played a key role in that journey—helping build a performance culture that pushed the club forward and brought a city together.
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