It was 10 days before Christmas and the Orlando City board of directors, including owner Flávio Augusto da Silva, president Phil Rawlins and CEO Alex Leitão, sat around a table at the club's offices in Thornton Park.
Orlando City was in the midst of an identity crisis that had incensed a fan base and flummoxed people from the front office to the technical staff and players.
The Lions, who are poised to open their second Major League Soccer season Sunday in high spirits and with great expectations for the year ahead, are not far removed from an offseason of turmoil that threatened to derail the club.