Orlando City supporters groups banned from matches in Atlanta

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http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3187882/orlando-city-supporters-groups-banned-from-attending-next-four-matches-at-atlanta-united

Orlando City supporters groups banned from matches in Atlanta

A pair of Orlando City supporters groups have been suspended from attending the next four away matches against Atlanta United.

The suspension of the two groups, Iron Lion Firm and The Ruckus, is in response to complaints about the behavior of OCSC fans at the July 29 match against Atlanta at Bobby Dodd Stadium, a club spokesperson told the Orlando Sentinel.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, three men were arrested for damaging metal bleachers at the venue.

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http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/baybuzz/nurse-says-hell-ask-state-ethics-commission-to-weigh-in-on-baker-edwards/2335157

Nurse: State should weigh in on Baker's business ties to Edwards

ST. PETERSBURG — City Council member Karl Nurse said Friday that he will ask the Florida Commission on Ethics to weigh in on whether Rick Baker, if elected mayor, should negotiate city business with his current boss, Tampa Bay Rowdies owner Bill Edwards.

Baker has said he doesn’t see any reason to recuse himself from negotiating a long-term lease with the Rowdies to upgrade their home pitch at Al Lang Stadium if Major League Soccer grants the team an expansion franchise. MLS is expected to make a decision on four new teams by next year. Baker led the Rowdies' successful May referendum that granted the team the right to redevelop Al Lang.

Baker, who served as mayor between 2001 and 2010, also said he would negotiate any amendment to the Mahaffey Theater contract. Edwards’ company manages the city-owned theater.

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http://m.startribune.com/rise-of-mls-wasn-t-always-so-certain-with-two-other-leagues-competing/441787753/

Rise of MLS wasn't always so certain, with two other leagues competing

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http://michiganradio.org/post/expert-says-something-about-major-league-soccer-business-model-doesn-t-add

Expert says something about Major League Soccer business model doesn’t add up

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https://growlermag.com/mpls-city-sc-diy-soccer/

The ‘ramshackle,’ DIY soccer club bringing a new sense of fun to the pitch

It’s summertime in Minnesota. The sun’s out, the coolers are full, and do-it-yourself season is officially here. The coolest DIY project in the Twin Cities isn’t a deck, or a fire pit, or a brand new man cave. It’s a soccer team called Minneapolis City SC—a self-proclaimed “ramshackle bunch” on a mission to build a soccer club from the ground up and have more fun than anyone else in sports.

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https://www.portada-online.com/2017/08/24/soccer-continues-to-gain-ground-in-the-us-market/

Soccer Continues to Gain Ground in the U.S. Market

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https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/08/24/wanted-mls-stadium-site-in-charlotte-close-to.html

Wanted: MLS stadium site in Charlotte, close to uptown

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https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/08/23/marcus-smith-well-be-sorry-if-mls-bid-fails.html

Marcus Smith: 'We'll be sorry' if MLS bid fails

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/826275

USL Reaches 1.5 Million Attendance for 2017

League surpasses 2016 total attendance after record-setting midweek night

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zov4Sdc874

1981-08-04 ESPN WEEKLY (NASL)

NASL 1968-1984 SOCCER HISTORY

Published on Feb 21, 2017

Note below that Tampa Bay was not one of the cities in MLS with bad attendance:

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/6vtqul/when_we_talk_about_bad_attendance_numbers/

When we talk about bad attendance numbers (self.MLS)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Soccer_attendance#Season_averages

When we talk about bad attendance numbers we don't tend to say that five cities have been the worse all time. They are Kansas City, Miami, Dallas, Denver, and San Jose. One city lost their team and was promised years later to return but it never generates enough enthusiasm to get moving.

The others have all built SSS (Soccer specific stadiums) and while KC and San Jose seem to be on the right track building smallish stadiums Denver and Dallas have no excuses.

Denver and Dallas are growing massively and demographics suggest their Hispanic population is booming yet attendance for the Rapids and FCD hasn't improved to scale. These two sides finished one and two in the overall standings last season, FC Dallas won both the supporters shield and US Open Cup.

Are these clubs just doomed in their cities?

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http://www.mystatesman.com/sports/soccer/mls-trademarks-possible-names-for-potential-austin-franchise/ebRZrUnOnfwMjpYYywBXZL/

MLS trademarks possible names for potential Austin franchise

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OljFnRkUzr4

"They Think We're Scum" | How MLS is Creating Massive Rivalries

COPA90

Published on Aug 22, 2017

Does football exist in America? Here’s a look at how MLS rivalries are growing, with the New York and Cascadia derbies providing bigger scenes every year.

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http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/08/soccer-progressive-bastion-170822120946532.html

US Soccer: Not a progressive bastion

Football is known as a 'progressive' sport in the US, yet the federation's national anthem protest ban is anything but.

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http://www.kansas.com/news/business/article169006682.html

Manfred says Tampa Bay must pick up pace on new stadium

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred wants Tampa Bay to work a little quicker on getting the Rays a new ballpark.

Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg has been working for nearly a decade to get a new stadium for the club and signed a three-year agreement with the City of St. Petersburg early in 2016 to search for a site in the Tampa Bay area. Manfred wants that search to pick up some steam.

"I think it's fair to say we want the process to take on a better pace moving forward," Manfred said Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, home of the Rays since their first season in 1998.

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http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/sports/article.html/content/news/articles/bhsn/2017/8/23/mlb_commissioner_ray.html

MLB Commissioner: Rays need to pick up pace in stadium search

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http://www.tampabay.com/news/top-5-at-noon-obama-backs-kriseman-for-mayor-is-john-travolta-moving-to/2335144

Top 5 at noon: Obama backs Kriseman for mayor; is John Travolta moving to Clearwater?; and more

IS JOHN TRAVOLTA MOVING TO CLEARWATER? PROPERTY RECORDS OFFER HINTS

Is John Travolta, one of Scientology's most celebrated members, inching closer to his religion's international base in Clearwater? On July 10, a waterfront home in the Old Clearwater Bay neighborhood sold for $3 million to an investment trust held by Ellen Bannon, the actor's sister. Bannon's investment trust is also listed as the owner of Travolta's eight-bedroom mansion in Ocala with two airplane hangars, a tennis court and horse barn, according to property records. The 6,162-square-foot pad overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway sits directly next door to two houses owned by actor and Scientologist Kirstie Alley.

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http://www.cltampa.com/news-views/politics/article/20973727/karl-nurse-raises-ethics-question-re-bakers-unwillingness-to-recuse-himself-from-employer-bill-edwards-if-elected

Karl Nurse raises ethics question re: Baker's unwillingness to recuse himself from dealings with Bill Edwards if elected

Even if there is no impropriety there, he argues, even the perception of shady dealings can erode public trust.

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http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2017/08/24/fast-growing-usl-shatters-league-attendance-record-three-months-go/

Fast growing USL shatters league attendance record with three months to go

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/826398

Thank You, Fans, For Record Achievement

Relentless passion and loyalty has lifted league to new heights

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http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2017/08/23/nashville-soccer-club-usl-first-tennessee-park-sounds-work/591909001/

Renderings show how pro soccer will work at the Nashville Sounds' First Tennessee Park

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http://fox17.com/news/local/nashville-soccer-club-will-call-first-tennessee-park-home-for-inaugural-season

Nashville Soccer Club will call First Tennessee Park home for inaugural season