Heck is convinced by the potential of Villa, which will compete in the Champions League this season.
"It’s very Philadelphia-centric in the sense of, they’re not the pretty boys, but it’s a very prideful club," Heck said of Villa on the Crossing Broad Sports. "It’s a club that has incredible heritage. This is our 150th year. That’s really cool. We play in a stadium that was built in 1897.
"Think about that a little bit. It comes with a lot of charm, but headaches as well. It’s also the second-largest market in the UK. We can win, we have the infrastructure to be one of the best clubs in the world in one of the best leagues in the world. It doesn’t happen overnight.
"Our owners have had the club for five years and they’ve really been smart and methodical about how this has been built up, and that’s pretty exciting. We’re in the Champions League for the first time in 42 years. It’s awesome."