A Glimmer of Hope

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https://www.businessobserverfl.com/section/detail/a-glimmer-of-hope/

A Glimmer of Hope

In late November, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and their outspoken owner, area property magnate Bill Edwards, found out they would not be one of the contenders for Major League Soccer’s next round of expansion.

Insiders close to Edwards and the team, however, believe the Rowdies’ odds of clinching a future expansion slot remain better than average.

MLS wants to expand from 24 to 28 teams in the coming years, and it plans to hold two rounds of expansion to meet that goal. In early December, Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville and Sacramento were announced as the four finalists of the present round. Of those, Nashville and one other, yet to be announced, will begin play in 2020 — growing the league to 26 teams.

That leaves two additional, post-2020 expansion slots, meaning the Rowdies’ bid isn’t dead. Far from it, if you ask Greg Holden, vice president of investment firm Manning & Napier. A Business Observer 40 under 40 winner last year, Holden is also co-chair of the Rowdies Council, a volunteer group that builds support for the St. Petersburg-based team among the Tampa business community.

Holden says it’s telling that MLS has been slow to announce the second team to join the league alongside Nashville. “Things change quickly in the world of professional sports and stadium finance,” he says. “It was only a few months ago that St. Louis and San Diego were considered the favorites for this first round of expansion and referendum woes veered them both off course.”

In addition to a privately financed, $80 million plan to more than double the capacity of Al Lang Stadium, home of the Rowdies, Edwards’ bid also boasts a team increasingly supported by enthusiastic fans. Led by British football legend Joe Cole, in 2017 the Rowdies made a deep playoff run and set a new attendance record despite having one of the highest average ticket prices in the United Soccer League.

“This is important,” says Holden, “as other clubs vying for MLS entrance with higher average attendance have much lower average ticket prices, raising questions of how many of those fans would convert.”

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http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article194653114.html

Beckham’s Miami soccer team has been a dream for years. The reality may be days away.

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http://www.goal.com/en/news/david-beckhams-miami-mls-venture-owners-team-name-everything-you-/l2xokkiehv5d1szx8sinm75wz

David Beckham's Miami MLS venture: Owners, team name & everything you need to know

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https://www.prosoccerusa.com/expansion/miami/david-beckhams-miami-mls-expansion-team-may-finally-play-2020-report-says/

David Beckham’s Miami MLS expansion team may finally play in 2020, report says

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http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/baybuzz/2018/01/15/former-st-petersburg-mayor-rick-baker-leaves-the-edwards-group/

Former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker leaves the Edwards Group

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7qkeru/rowdies_resign_defender_tamika_mkandawire/

Rowdies Re-sign Defender Tamika Mkandawire (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/875830?referrer_id=2909153

Rowdies Re-sign Defender Tamika Mkandawire

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7qjz7v/rick_baker_resigning_as_president_of_the_edwards/

Rick Baker resigning as president of The Edwards Group (floridapolitics.com)

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http://floridapolitics.com/archives/253582-rick-baker-resign-edwards-group-president

Rick Baker resigning as president of The Edwards Group

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7q00xc/rowdies_open_the_season_march_17_at_north/

Rowdies open the season March 17 at North Carolina FC; home opener March 24 vs. Bethlehem Steel FC (uslsoccer.com)

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/875213?referrer_id=

USL Sets Course for 2018 with Home Openers

New season to open with 14-game slate weekend of March 16-18

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7py0jl/clearwaters_kyle_curinga_returns_to_play_for/

Clearwater’s Kyle Curinga Returns to Play for Rowdies [OC] (theunsubs.com)

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/01/12/home-again-clearwaters-curinga-returns-to-play-for-rowdies/3406

Home Again: Clearwater’s Curinga Returns to Play for Rowdies

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7py45r/season_ticket_members_receive_free_tickets_to_jan/

Season Ticket Members Receive FREE Tickets to Jan 20 Florida Cup Match - Atletico Nacional vs. Legia Warsaw (i.imgur.com)

https://i.imgur.com/XvAozx0.png

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7px5ib/rowdies_add_brazilian_defender_ivan_magalh%C3%A3es/

Rowdies Add Brazilian Defender Ivan Magalhães (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/875053

Rowdies Add Brazilian Defender Ivan Magalhães

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7pony2/rowdies_continue_to_build_roster_with_signing_of/

Rowdies Continue to Build Roster with Signing of Defender David Najem (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/874405?referrer_id=2824806

Rowdies Continue to Build Roster with Signing of Defender David Najem

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7pomfa/sky_sports_punditry_or_coaching_joe_cole_gives/

Sky Sports: Punditry or coaching? Joe Cole gives his views on life after football (skysports.com)

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http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11197310/watch-punditry-or-coaching-joe-cole-gives-his-views-on-life-after-football

WATCH: Punditry or coaching? Joe Cole gives his views on life after football

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7pjd7f/promising_goalkeeper_matias_reynares_joins/

Promising Goalkeeper Matias Reynares Joins Rowdies Ahead of 2018 Season (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/874320

Promising Goalkeeper Matias Reynares Joins Rowdies Ahead of 2018 Season

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https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/76399/tim-hanley-mlss-longest-serving-coach-on-mls-th.html

Tim Hanley, MLS's longest-serving coach, on MLS then and now and his specialty, American goalkeepers

Tim Hanley (far right) with the old NASL's Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Your playing career included goalkeeping at Foothill College in Northern California, with the San Jose Earthquakes in the old-NASL when your teammates included George Best, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and stints in Scotland and Switzerland. How much did that experience help you in guiding American goalkeepers during a very different era of American soccer?

The goalkeeper coach is a relatively new position in soccer. I was 19 years old at my first club, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and was mentored by the starting goalkeeper, Winston DuBose, a fantastic goalkeeper. In San Jose, it was my teammate goalkeepers, Bob Rigby and Bill Irwin. We worked on our own sharing ideas, technique, exercises. When I began coaching goalkeepers, this playing experience and sort of self-taught foundation allowed me to really understand each of my keepers, their qualities, and exactly what each needed to improve.

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http://wfla.com/2018/01/12/tampa-bay-rowdies-to-host-bethlehem-steel-in-2018-usl-home-opener/

Tampa Bay Rowdies to host Bethlehem Steel in 2018 USL home opener

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/875213

USL Sets Course for 2018 with Home Openers

New season to open with 14-game slate weekend of March 16-18

In the Eastern Conference a pair of familiar foes will meet at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park as North Carolina FC makes its USL debut against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and for a third successive year the Charleston Battery will host FC Cincinnati at MUSC Health Stadium on the opening Saturday of the season.

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https://www.thedailystampede.com/2018/1/12/16887232/first-usf-bulls-mens-soccer-preseason-game-announced-philadelphia-union-marcus-epps-mls

First USF Men’s Soccer Preseason Game Announced, Will Play Philadelphia Union in Clearwater

Former Bull Marcus Epps is coming home.

As reported by Brotherly Game, the Philadelphia Union are coming to Tampa for preseason training as part of the Suncoast Invitational put on by the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The matchup is especially intriguing for USF soccer fans as former midfield standout Marcus Epps comes back to the Bay Are

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http://wfla.com/2018/01/10/rowdies-set-to-play-against-mls-clubs-in-st-petersburg/

MLS clubs heading to Pinellas for games against Rowdies, preseason training sessions

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https://www.brotherlygame.com/2018/1/10/16873672/philadelphia-union-2018-preseason-schedule-tampa-bay-rowdies

Philadelphia Union announce preseason schedule

The blue and gold will face division rivals, a pair of college teams and the Tampa Bay Rowdies in preseason

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https://kaplanherald.com/2018/01/16/beckhams-miami-soccer-group-has-been-a-dream-for-years-the-fact-could-also-be-days-away/

Beckham’s Miami soccer group has been a dream for years. The fact could also be days away.