Major League Soccer (MLS) side Orlando City SC has announced that sports architecture specialists Populous will work as lead architects on its proposed 18,000-seat stadium, while Barton Malow will oversee development on the downtown project.

The US$84m (€60.5m, £49.9m) stadium scheme – a 50/50 public-private partnership – has seen US$40m (€28.8m, £23.7m) pledged by the club, with the remainder coming from various public contributions. The stadium will be operated by the City of Orlando.

Also included in the development will be a 4,000sq ft (372sq m) team merchandise store and a 4,000sq ft club with buffet and bar.

“This is an opportunity for the City of Orlando to engrain soccer into the fabric of the city with the design of a new, soccer-specific urban stadium,” said Bruce Miller, principal at Populous and leader of the design team.

“Our design team aims to work to capture the spirit of both the city and the fan base in our design to create a stadium that will be vibrant, intimate and iconic. It’s an opportunity for the team to redefine the soccer experience for an entire region.”

Populous has also worked on two other new MLS stadium projects – Kansas City’s Sporting Park and Houston Dynamo's BBVA Compass Stadium – as well as working on several iconic stadiums across the world, including Wembley Stadium, The O2 Arena and Yankee Stadium.

Barton Manlow – mainly based on the east coast of the US – has a body of work that includes redeveloping several iconic sports venues including Oriole Park, The Rose Bowl and the Daytona International Speedway.

ICON Venue Group (ICON), which has served as project manager on eight of the 11 MLS stadiums to have been constructed or renovated in the last decade, will oversee the planning, design and construction for the build.

Orlando City will join the MLS in 2015, becoming the league’s 21st club. The club will move to its new home in 2016, playing its first season at the Citrus Bowl.