Rob Stone Talks Gold Cup’s Return to Tampa Bay and Rowdies MLS Bid

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2017/07/09/rob-stone-talks-gold-cups-return-to-tampa-bay-and-rowdies-mls-bid/3077

Rob Stone Talks Gold Cup’s Return to Tampa Bay and Rowdies MLS Bid

For the first time since 2011, Tampa Bay will play host to the U.S. Men’s national team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. This Wednesday night at Raymond James Stadium, Coach Bruce Arena and the national team players will look to shake off the disappointment of Saturday’s 1-1 result against Panama on Saturday in Nashville with a Group Stage matchup against Martinique.

One of the faces of providing studio coverage of the match and the rest of the Gold Cup is Fox Sports’ Rob Stone, a lover of the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Tampa Bay area in general. In the lead up to Wednesday’s match, The Unused Substitutes spoke with Stone about the importance of the market having a strong showing for the match and where he thinks the Rowdies stand in the competitive race to win one of the four Major League Soccer expansion slots that are up for grabs.

Below are some highlights of our conversation with Stone. The full interview will air on Tuesday night’s show on Radio St. Pete and will be available in podcast form shortly after that.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/811336

Rowdies’ Cohen Thrilled by Region’s ‘Rabid Fanbase’

Tampa Bay's VP & Chief Operating Officer excited for Gold Cup’s first visit to area since 2011

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Having been present from the time the Tampa Bay Rowdies kicked off their inaugural season in 2010, there are few who have seen the resurgence of soccer in Tampa Bay from the perspective of Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lee Cohen.

As the CONCACAF Gold Cup returns to Tampa Bay for the first time since 2011 when the United States faces Martinique, and Panama squares off with Nicaragua at Raymond James Stadium on Wednesday, the difference is almost night and day.

“It’s funny, we had the Sneaker Soiree that we went to just recently. I said to someone this is absolutely amazing to see the transformation of what in 2009 and 2010, people wrote it off as an afterthought from a soccer town, soccer community to where it is now,” Cohen said. “We have a rabid fanbase that’s just passionate about the sport and a community that’s grown behind it from the youth side – where the numbers are continuing to grow and grow and grow – to a viewership standpoint getting behind not just the Rowdies, but the sport in general. It’s really fun to go out and watch, but also be a part of on a day-to-day basis.”

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2017/07/09/nashville-emerges-as-strong-candidate-for-mls-expansion/

Nashville emerges as strong candidate for MLS expansion

(Follow link for full article.)

http://the18.com/soccer-videos/espn-releasing-30-30-george-best

ESPN Is Releasing A '30 For 30' On George Best

From the director who brought you "Hillsborough", Daniel Gordon tells the story about Manchester United star George Best. Best was a not only just a footballer but a celebrity in the 1960s who let fame get the best of him.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.socceramerica.com/article/74095/sporting-kc-principal-owner-neal-patterson-dies-at.html

Sporting KC principal owner Neal Patterson dies at 67 

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2017/jul/10/miami-marlins-all-star-game-jeffrey-loria-mlb

Is Miami the worst place to celebrate the MLB All-Star game?

The Miami Marlins owner is an ode to everything that’s distasteful about US sports. He is the least palatable host for baseball’s showcase

Meanwhile, the NFL’s Miami Dolphins are on the up again. Team owner Stephen Ross paid for stadium upgrades himself and the Super Bowl is returning to Miami in 2020. The NBA’s Miami Heat are adored, and even second tier FC Miami are making waves, eliminating MLS’s Orlando and Atlanta en route to the US Open Cup quarter-finals. The team won the NASL Spring Championship with the league’s second highest average attendance.

In the competition for sports fans’ dollars, a Marlins game can be a tough sell.

And this is before David Beckham’s MLS team enters the fray. The former England skipper can thank Loria for the absolute nightmare of securing a stadium site, despite Beckham’s investors fronting every last cent.