Sports Opinion: MLS This Could Be Us But…

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Sports Opinion: MLS This Could Be Us But…

Friday, May 20, 2016 1:14 pm

Chris Green

Just imagine the possibilities. A team playing in front of a capacity crowd. The most loyal supporters club marching through downtown on their way to the stadium for the evening’s match. The entirety of the game’s attendees standing at once and singing their support for the soccer team on the field, led by a three-time English Premier League champion who has played in multiple World Cups for England. Sound’s like David Beckham’s Miami dreamland? Well imagine my surprise when I realized this exists already, and it’s name is the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

During a recent trip to Saint Petersburg, Florida, I had the opportunity to attend a Rowdies game at Al Lang Stadium, a former minor-league baseball field that has been turned into a soccer mesa for the Tampa Bay area, complete with affordable concessions, roaring capacity crowds, and a beautiful view with Tampa Bay quite literally across the street from the stadium’s eastern sideline.