Last December, New York-based private equity managers Robert Lewis and John Aiello acquired a majority stake in Cesena FC, an Italian soccer club located 50 miles southeast of Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna region.

Cesena FC is now one of two U.S.-owned teams competing in Serie C, the third tier of Italian soccer (the other being Campobasso). It is also the 12th club with North American ownership across Italy’s three men’s professional leagues, with seven of them competing in Serie A, Italy’s top-flight.