FOX Sports Personality Rob Stone to Host 2018 Rowdies Season Kickoff Party (rowdiessoccer.com)

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/84x863/fox_sports_personality_rob_stone_to_host_2018/

FOX Sports Personality Rob Stone to Host 2018 Rowdies Season Kickoff Party (rowdiessoccer.com)

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https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/898332

FOX Sports Personality Rob Stone to Host 2018 Rowdies Season Kickoff Party

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/84y7rk/new_third_kit_for_this_season/

New third kit for this season (twitter.com)

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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/974714505379721216?s=19

Tampa Bay Rowdies

‏Verified account

@TampaBayRowdies

Introducing our 2018 third kit😍

We'll be wearing these on Saturday vs @NorthCarolinaFC.

Introducing the Rowdies Third Kit

Powered by SnappyTV

11:30 AM - 16 Mar 2018

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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/975427288039919616

Tampa Bay Rowdies

‏Verified account

@TampaBayRowdies

.@WestHamUtd supporters Hanna and Chris drove over two hours to our match on Saturday to be able to introduce their 4-month old baby, Liam, to Joe Cole.

Thanks for making the trip!

10:42 AM - 18 Mar 2018

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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/975449179299500032

Tampa Bay Rowdies

‏Verified account

@TampaBayRowdies

We’ve made it safely to @FlyTPA. We can also confirm the three points made it  back as well.

12:09 PM - 18 Mar 2018

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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/975520332520943616

Tampa Bay Rowdies

‏Verified account

@TampaBayRowdies

Need something to watch tonight? The Rowdies 2018 Season Preview will be re-airing on @thistv at 8pm!

4:52 PM - 18 Mar 2018

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/84xcwy/campbell_on_offseason_tweaks_ahead_of_rowdies/

Campbell On Off-season Tweaks Ahead of Rowdies’ Second USL Season (theunsubs.com)

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/03/16/campbell-on-off-season-tweaks-ahead-of-rowdies-second-usl-season/3504

Campbell On Off-season Tweaks Ahead of Rowdies’ Second USL Season

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/84phmv/rowdies_sign_midfielder_jack_blake_to_permanent/

Official Rowdies Sign Midfielder Jack Blake to Permanent Deal (rowdiessoccer.com)

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https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/898113

Rowdies Sign Midfielder Jack Blake to Permanent Deal

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/84npr1/episode_152_dans_on_fire_the_unused_substitutes/

Episode 152 – Dan’s on Fire – The Unused Substitutes (theunsubs.com)

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/03/14/episode-152-dans-on-fire/3500

Episode 152 – Dan’s on Fire

The 2018 season kicks off this weekend and the guys are back to break down this weekend’s opponent: North Carolina FC! Pat O’Brien from Garage Soccer calls in to talk about subbuteo and the tournament they’re hosting at MacDinton’s on March 31st, plus Jake chats with Neill Collins about the upcoming season.

In this episode:

    Rowdies 5:2 USF
    Pat O’Brien from Garage Soccer
    2018 Open Cup Setup
    NCFC Preview
    Where’s the buzz?
    Neill Collins chat

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

Tampa Bay Rowdies Highlights vs. North Carolina FC

Tampa Bay Rowdies

Published on Mar 17, 2018

Tampa Bay Rowdies Highlights vs. North Carolina FC, 03/17/2018

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/856w5f/postmatch_thread_north_carolina_fc_vs_tampa_bay/

Post-Match Thread POST-MATCH THREAD: North Carolina FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies [3/17] (self.TampaBayRowdies)

North Carolina FC 1, Tampa Bay Rowdies 3

Match Center Link

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https://www.uslsoccer.com/northcarolinafc-tampabayrowdies-971220

North Carolina FC vs Tampa Bay Rowdies

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/859b5s/rowdie_takeaways_ncfc_v_tbr/

Rowdie Takeaways: NCFC v TBR (self.TampaBayRowdies)

-Goalkeeping brilliance by the young Cody Mizell. He was left on an island several times during the match and came only conceded one goal.

-The Rowdies have a wicked counterattack. As evidenced by Fernandes' goal that was a little pool shot in the corner pocket, but beautifully set up by a turnover and Hristov flicked through ball. Blake's magnificent goal came off the counter-attack as well.

-Great passing and movement off ball on offense. This could've been a 4-5 goal game for the Rowdies with the quality of the passes and touches from the midfield to the attacking third.

-Can't complain about being lucky. The Rowdies were fortunate to earn a PK after Najem got hit just outside the box.

-Some early season holes on defense as expected. There was definitely some ball watching and communication appeared to be lacking at times. Can't rely on Mizell to save every 1-on-1 from 6 yards away.

-Jack Blake rewards his signing with a rocket goal. This kid has some serious talent.

-HUGE WIN ON THE ROAD. NCFC kept the Rowdies' hands full, especially Bekker who was terrorizing the Rowdies defense. I wrote about the Rowdies struggles over the past few years winning on the road. It's unnerving at these large stadiums the amount of open space for guys like Collins and Gorskie to cover. Coming away with a win and only conceding one goal is monumental for the team's confidence.

-No Morrell (who was not listed as a sub), no Flemmings, and Graf was only featured in the dying minutes. I mention this because these three guys are my favorite players to watch on the team. Guenzatti was the first sub and he's been in really good form so no arguments there. Just a curious story to follow will be the playing time for these three talented players. I'm personally not sold on Hristov in the striker position. I'd like to see Graf as striker and Hristov on the wing.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/85avhx/clarke_likes_ncfcs_chances_but_luck_of_irish_with/

Clarke likes NCFC's chances, but luck of Irish with Rowdies in 3-1 loss :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com)

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http://www.wralsportsfan.com/new-league-new-season-but-north-carolina-fc-falls-3-1-to-tampa/17424467/

Clarke likes NCFC's chances, but luck of Irish with Rowdies in 3-1 loss

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/85bjy0/rowdies_top_north_carolina_fc_on_usl_debut/

Rowdies top North Carolina FC on USL Debut (soccernsweettea.com)

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https://soccernsweettea.com/north-carolina-fc-stumbles-in-usl-opener-245ad5cda8a3

North Carolina FC stumbles in USL opener

NCFC’s much-anticipated home opener ends in a 3–1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

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https://flbusinessdaily.com/stories/511363875-st-peterburg-area-chamber-of-commerce-rowdies-lunch-presented-by-florida-print-solutions-inc-to-be-held-march-20

ST. PETERBURG AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Rowdies lunch presented by Florida Print Solutions, Inc. to be held March 20

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2018/03/16/they-take-a-mulligan-ex-cosmos-defender-signs-with-timbers-usl-affiliate/

THEY TAKE A MULLIGAN: Ex-Cosmos defender signs with Timbers’ USL affiliate

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2018/03/15/closed-out-of-open-cup-commisso-files-grievance-with-ussf-claiming-cosmos-jacksonville-miami-belong-in-competition/

CLOSED OUT OF OPEN CUP: Commisso files grievance with USSF, claiming Cosmos, Jacksonville, Miami belong in competition

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https://theimpactnews.com/columnists/tales-of-an-american-redhead/2018/03/14/cosmos/

The Curious Case of the New York Cosmos: The First Act

Before America had Major League Soccer and Real Madrid created the Galácticos, New York was where all the soccer stars aligned.

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2018/03/17/amended-complaint-nasl-adds-mls-as-a-defendant-in-its-antitrust-lawsuit-vs-ussf/

AMENDED COMPLAINT: NASL adds MLS as a defendant in its antitrust lawsuit vs. USSF

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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/898147?referrer_id=2333971

Blake Signs Permanent Deal with Rowdies

Joins club from Armada after impressive preseason in Tampa Bay

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https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nashvillesc/2018/03/14/nashville-sc-schedule-all-dates-and-times-2018-soccer-season/396395002/

Nashville SC schedule: All the dates and times for the 2018 soccer season

Saturday, June 9 at Tampa Bay Rowdies (6:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, Sept. 18: vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies (7:30 p.m.)

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http://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20180315/lhs-cafeteria-worker-once-played-professional-soccer

LHS cafeteria worker once played professional soccer

Libertyville High School students know Manny Rojas as the friendly cafeteria worker, now in his 10th year at LHS. What they may not know is that Manny had a long career as a professional soccer player in his home country of Chile, as well as here in the USA.

Rojas was born in 1954 in Santiago, Chile. A very active child, the only sport he had the opportunity to play growing up was soccer.

Rojas showed great potential in the sport at an early age. At age 12 he joined a junior professional team. He was training with the Chilean National Team at age 16. By age 17, he was playing professionally with the Chilean First Division club Palestino.

Rojas was a member of the Chilean National Team from 1976 to 1982, highlighted by his selection to the Chilean team that played in the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. He was awarded the Chilean National Sportsmanship Award in 1978 and 1981.

For the 1983 season, Rojas was loaned to the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League. He scored nine goals in 29 games. When the season was over, he was to go back to his Chilean pro team. But by that time he knew the USA was where he and his wife Maria wanted to be.

Rojas signed with the Golden Bay Earthquakes. After he had some good games against the Chicago Sting, the Sting decided they had to have Rojas. He came to Chicago in a 1984 midseason trade.

The Sting went on to win the 1984 NASL Championship. Although Rojas only had one goal during his shortened regular season time with the Sting, he scored the winning goal in a 2-1 first game finals win over the Toronto Blizzard (a best of three series).

With the score tied 2-2 late in the second game, Rojas assisted Pato Margetic on the winning goal in clinching the championship.

Rojas stayed with the Sting until the team folded after the 1988 season. He played with a couple of teams after the Sting, including the Chicago Power indoor team in the American Indoor Soccer Association.

His time with the Power included the 1991 season when the Power won the league championship, a season where Rojas was a playing assistant coach.

Rojas got into youth coaching when his professional career was over. He spent two years in the LHS Soccer program and six years with the Vernon Hills High School program. He is currently coaching with the Trevian Youth Soccer program in Winnetka.

Rojas' son David and daughter Daniella both became involved with soccer, first playing for Buffalo Grove High School, then several years for Northern Illinois University.

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http://www.wralsportsfan.com/this-is-us-l-north-carolina-fc-opens-2018-with-new-league-new-faces/17416569/

This is UsL: North Carolina FC opens 2018 with new league, new faces

Moreover, as North Carolina FC hosts its season opener Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the Carolina-clad competitors will look markedly different than during their NASL playoffs loss last November. The team returns only seven players from the 2017 roster, and one of those—18-year-old Nelson Blanco—didn’t make a single appearance last season. Meanwhile, the 2018 edition of North Carolina FC features no fewer than 12 new players.

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https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/5822183/joe-cole-spotted-west-ham-training-warm-weather-miami-hammers/

COLE IN ONE Joe Cole spotted at West Ham’s warm-weather training camp in Miami as Hammers look to get back on track

England international, who now plays for Tampa Bay Rowdies, took the chance to catch up with Patrice Evra and David Moyes

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https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/77150/usl-kicks-off-2018-season-with-record-33-teams.html

USL kicks off 2018 season with record 33 teams

Tampa Bay Rowdies (14-7-11). Signed 2017 NASL Young Player of the Year Jack Blake.

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http://www.tampabay.com/sports/rowdies/2018/03/16/a-good-problem-to-have-scoring-options-aplenty-for-rowdies/

A good problem to have: scoring options aplenty for Rowdies

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http://www.goal.com/en-tza/news/freddy-adu-signs-with-usl-side-las-vegas-lights/1ba98szz5ltr41hi3irvutubvj

Adu signs with USL side Las Vegas Lights

Capped 17 times by the U.S. national team from 2006 to 2011, Adu most recently played for the NASL's Tampa Bay Rowdies from 2015 to 2016.

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http://newsok.com/article/5587428

No place like home: Former U.S. Grant and Edmond Memorial player to make debut with Energy FC

He earned a scholarship to the University of Tulsa where he played four years before being drafted by the Chicago Fire. After a 15-month stint there, Chavez played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers for two years before spending the last three with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The midfielder played in 54 matches for the Rowdies, logging 3,250 minutes with one goal and four assists.

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http://expressnewsline.com/2018/03/16/alabama-edges-virginia-tech-86-83.html

Alabama edges Virginia Tech, 86-83

Scoring wasn't a problem for the Tampa Bay Rowdies previous year, but as the new United Soccer League season commences, they're still set on improving.The offensive options are abundant, if to the detriment of coach Stuart Campbell.

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http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/joe-cole-joins-west-ham-training-in-miami-4224017

Joe Cole joins West Ham training in Miami

Cole kicked off his career with West Ham's youth academy, and he now plays for US side Tampa Bay Rowdies.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/857iwj/rowdies_too_clinical_for_ncfc/

Rowdies too clinical for NCFC (uslsoccer.com)

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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/898718?referrer_id=2364194-news-archive

Rowdies Too Clinical For NCFC

Hristov notches goal and assist as Tampa Bay earns road victory

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http://www.wralsportsfan.com/new-league-new-season-but-north-carolina-fc-falls-3-1-to-tampa/17424467/

Clarke likes NCFC's chances, but luck of Irish with Rowdies in 3-1 loss

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http://www.tampabay.com/sports/2018/03/17/rowdies-open-usl-season-with-win-at-north-carolina/

Rowdies open USL season with win at North Carolina

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http://wvxu.org/post/fc-cincinnati-doubles-offer-cps-hear-fc-president-today-cincinnati-edition#stream/0

FC Cincinnati Doubles Offer to CPS: Hear From FC President Today On Cincinnati Edition

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http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180313/crew-sc-owners-present-commitment-to-community-letter-to-austin

Crew SC owners present ‘Commitment to the Community’ letter to…

Precourt Sports Ventures, which owns Crew SC, continued to build its case Tuesday for studying a site in Austin, Texas, for a Major League Soccer stadium, releasing a four-page “Commitment to the Community” letter detailing the benefits of an MLS team.

The letter, addressed to Austin city council members and Mayor Steve Adler, comes days after Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo drafted a resolution that would authorize the city manager to analyze McKalla Place, a 24-acre tract in north Austin, and identify community stakeholders.

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http://wvxu.org/post/cps-rejects-fc-cincinnati-offer-saying-proposal-doesnt-meet-legitimate-expectations#stream/0

CPS Rejects FC Cincinnati Offer, Saying Proposal Doesn't Meet "Legitimate Expectations"

Cincinnati Public Schools has rejected a soccer stadium offer from FC Cincinnati. In a letter Monday evening after a school board meeting, the district's attorney, Daniel Hoying, said the club's proposal doesn't meet the board of education's "legitimate expectations for an agreement."

FC Cincinnati offered to build a new stadium for CPS in exchange for the land where Stargel Stadium currently stands. In a memo dated March 10, it also pledged to enter into an education benefits agreement worth $20 million over 10 years. The club promised to pay $100,000 in property taxes to the district during two years of construction, $250,000 during the first five years of stadium occupancy, and $500,000 during the next five years.

After that, the club pledged to pay a sliding scale, based on its profits.

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http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/technology/sd-fi-stadium-campaigns-20180313-story.html

SDSU West will wait until June to push stadium project

The group backing the initiative endorsed by San Diego State University to redevelop the former Chargers stadium site said Tuesday it will wait three more months before rolling out its complete lobbying effort to win over city voters.

That’s because ballots won’t be cast on the fate of the two competing proposals — one by SDSU West and the other from SoccerCity — until Nov 6.

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https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/2018/03/13/soccer-gets-a-new-championship-to-crown-north-america-s-best

Soccer Gets a New Championship to Crown North America's Best

(Bloomberg) -- North America’s two biggest soccer leagues are partnering on a new championship, the Campeones Cup, to crown the continent’s top club team and nurture a budding rivalry.

The joint venture between Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga MX is part of a wider alliance between the two leagues aimed at building excitement around the region’s club scene, which lags behind that of Europe. The Campeones Cup is also a new opportunity to sell tickets, sponsorships and media rights.

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https://www.thestar.com/sports/tfc/2018/03/13/toronto-fc-advances-on-away-goals-despite-second-leg-loss-to-tigres.html

Toronto FC advances on away goals despite second-leg loss to Tigres

Giovinco scored once and forced an own goal as the reigning MLS champions secured one of the most impressive victories in CONCACAF Champions League history Tuesday night in the Monterrey stadium nicknamed “The Volcano”

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http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/soccer/philadelphia-union-youth-academy-richie-graham-jay-sugarman-don-garber-merritt-paulson-20180314.html

Don Garber sees 'real ambition' in Union academy, but wants to see it 'pay off'

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http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/mls-liga-mx-join-north-american-super-cup

MLS and Liga MX join forces for North American ‘super cup’

North American and Mexican soccer leagues partner to grow the sport.

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http://lastwordonsoccer.com/2018/03/13/atlanta-united-fc-breaks-record/

Atlanta United FC Breaks Record for Attendance

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https://wersm.com/sorry-facebook-mls-will-now-be-live-on-twitter/

Victory for Twitter as the company just won the right to livestream 25 MLS games per season in the U.S. for the next three years (which had been livestreamed on Facebook last season.)

Facebook may have signed a deal with the Major League Baseball, it just lost the right to livestream soccer games in the U.S. to rival Twitter. The deal is for the next three years and covers live matches, highlights, and features.

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https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sounders/prideful-chivas-might-be-hurting-own-cause-in-champions-league-and-beyond/

Prideful Chivas might be hurting own cause in Champions League and beyond

Chivas will try to avoid elimination in the Champions League quarterfinals against the Sounders on Wednesday night. The popular club from Guadalajara allows only Mexican players, a policy that is hurting its legacy on a competitive global soccer scale.

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http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/owner-of-mls-team-says-stadium-in-north-austin-could-bring-in-236m/1040641199

Owner of MLS team says stadium in north Austin could bring in $326M

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http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/mls/toronto-fc-tigres-uanl-recap-1.4575058

TFC advance to Champions League semifinals despite loss to Tigres

Toronto fall 3-2 in CONCACAF 2nd leg but advance on away goals

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http://www.hillcountrynews.com/stories/precourt-sports-ventures-estimates-326-million-in-community-benefits-from-mckalla-place-stadium,76837

PSV zeroes in on McKalla Place for MLS stadium, outlines $326 million in economic benefits from move to Central Texas

In a Tuesday letter to the Austin City Council, Precourt Sports Ventures affirmed intent to move the Columbus Crew to Austin, focusing on a site in Northwest Austin near the Domain.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/84fx07/lakeland_tropics_one_of_twenty_pdl_teams_set_to/

Lakeland Tropics one of twenty PDL teams set to complete in 2018 US Open Cup (uslpdl.com)

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https://www.uslpdl.com/news_article/show/896899

20 PDL Teams Set to Compete in 2018 U.S. Open Cup

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/844l0b/kartik_krishnaiyer_mls_on_espn_atlanta_vs_dc/

[Kartik Krishnaiyer] MLS on ESPN: Atlanta vs DC outdrew all Premier League matches on NBCSN this past weekend. Seems the flow of ads during College Basketball Championship Week worked for MLS as did the lead in from the SEC Championship between Kentucky and Tennessee. (twitter.com)

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https://twitter.com/kkfla737/status/973566035688349698

Kartik Krishnaiyer

@kkfla737

#MLS on ESPN #ATLvDC outdrew all Premier League matches on NBCSN this past weekend. Seems the flow of ads during College Basketball Championship Week worked for MLS as did the lead in from the SEC Championship between Kentucky and Tennessee.

7:26 AM - 13 Mar 2018 from Coral Springs, FL

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https://thesefootballtimes.co/2018/03/19/how-detroit-city-fc-brought-together-their-crash-affected-community/

How Detroit City FC brought together their Crash-affected community

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https://ussoccerplayers.com/2018/03/mls-week-3-dc-at-the-soccerplex.html

MLS week 3: DC at the SoccerPlex

The MLS week 3 roundup starts in an odd location for an MLS regular season game. With DC United's new stadium under construction, they drew 2-2 with Houston in front of 5,128 at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Houston took a two-goal lead with Alberth Elis scoring in the 30th and assisting on Mauro Manotas's goal a minute later. Darren Mattocks pulled a goal back in the 50th minute with Luciano Acosta equalizing seven minutes into stoppage time.

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2018/03/18/a-perfect-scenario-why-wingert-signed-with-cosmos-b/

‘A PERFECT SCENARIO:’ Why Wingert signed with Cosmos B

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/84mu4y/fifa_demands_2026_world_cup_bidders_guarantee_a/

FIFA demands 2026 World Cup bidders guarantee a tax holiday, copyright protection and exemption from labour laws (Relevant to Chicago and Vancouver Pulling Out) (thebreaker.news)

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http://thebreaker.news/news/exclusive-fifa-demands/

Exclusive: FIFA demands 2026 World Cup bidders guarantee a tax holiday, copyright protection and exemption from labour laws

NDP Premier John Horgan wasn’t joking when he said FIFA wants a blank cheque from governments bidding to host 2026 World Cup games.

The corruption-tainted world soccer governing body will get a United States-led bid that includes cities in Mexico and Canada, but not Vancouver, host of the 2015 Women’s World Cup final.

Talks broke down between the United Bid Committee and the British Columbia government, ahead of the March 16 deadline. Horgan balked at FIFA’s expensive wish list, from a sweetheart lease of B.C. Place Stadium to onerous security costs.

Vancouver was in the running to host approximately three games in the early stages of the expanded 48-nation tournament. Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, Toronto’s BMO Field and Montreal’s Olympic Stadium remain candidate venues.

Chicago, where the 1994 World Cup kicked-off, also withdrew from the United Bid. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office cited cost uncertainty for taxpayers and the unwillingness of FIFA to negotiate. Losing the Windy City is especially shocking, because it is the hometown of the United States Soccer Federation.

theBreaker has obtained a copy of FIFA’s requirements for governments bidding for 2026. The Swiss-based organization, still reeling from the FBI’s 2015 crackdown on FIFA’s massive bribery and kickbacks, requires host governments agree to grant it huge tax breaks for an entire decade and allow it to import and export unlimited amounts of foreign currency. FIFA also requires host taxpayers pick up the full bill for safety and security and assume liability should there be any security incident of any size.

FIFA will decide between the CONCACAF bid and one from Morocco on June 13 at its congress in Russia. From that day until the end of 2028, FIFA will demand that the winning bidder grant it a vast tax holiday.

The general tax exemption, the FIFA bid manual states, “must comprise all taxes that may be applicable in the host country/host countries. The sole exception to the general tax exemption is taxation on the sale of tickets to third parties (i.e. tickets not used by FIFA, the 2026 FWC [organizing] entity, the 2026 FWC subsidiaries (if applicable) or any other FIFA subsidiary for its own purposes), but limited to VAT, sales tax or the like at a unified rate of a maximum of 10%. No other taxes may be charged on any revenues or profits generated through the sale of tickets.”

The hosting agreement also includes a clause guaranteeing the “unrestricted import and export of all foreign currencies to and from the host country/host countries by means of bank transfer, as well as the unrestricted exchange and conversion of all foreign currencies into local currency, U.S. dollars, Euros or Swiss francs, is unrestricted, not subject to any taxes in the host country, and in line with the conditions prevailing on the international foreign exchange market.”

The guarantee, however, “will by no means limit or restrict the applicability of laws and regulations in the host country/host countries to prevent money laundering.”

Security operations, to be paid by host governments, will extend from stadiums to team training facilities, official hotels, media centres, the FIFA Fan Site, airports, train stations and bus stations. Host governments will also assume liability for safety and security incidents.

FIFA also requires special laws and enforcement against counterfeiting, trademark violation, ambush marketing and “the prohibition of the secondary ticket market in relation to the competition.”

For its workforce, FIFA wants a visa-free environment where work permits are issued “unconditionally and without any restriction or discrimination of any kind.”

“It is also requested to grant exemptions from labour law and other legislation for companies and personnel directly involved with the competition, provided that these exemptions do not undermine or compromise the government’s commitment to respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights.”

FIFA’s annual report for 2016, the most-recent published, revealed that it had US$1.27 billion in investments and it spent more than US$50.4 million on legal costs after the transnational soccer corruption scandal peaked with FBI raids in 2015. It also revealed scandal-plagued president Sepp Blatter’s pay and perks for the first time: $3.76 million.

Blatter cancelled his trip to Vancouver in 2015, for fear of arrest. Canadian taxpayers spent at least $27 million to subsidize the $90 million Women’s World Cup.

Blatter was banned for eight years in late 2015 over his corruption. In 2016, Gianni Infantino became the new president.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/84ojm6/satire_an_army_of_child_slaves_to_build_stadiums/

[Satire] "An Army Of Child Slaves To Build Stadiums" Is Just One Of FIFA's Mandates For World Cup Hosts (thenutmegnews.com)

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https://www.thenutmegnews.com/current/2018/3/15/an-army-of-child-slaves-to-build-stadiums-is-just-one-of-fifas-mandates-for-world-cup-hosts

"An Army Of Child Slaves To Build Stadiums" Is Just One Of FIFA's Mandates For World Cup Hosts

The international money laundering cartel known as FIFA announced on Thursday that one of their mandates for hosting a future World Cup is to provide, "an army of child slaves to build stadiums."

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/84ncw9/phoenixs_mls_expansion_bid_unveils_new_stadium/

Phoenix's MLS Expansion Bid Unveils New Stadium Renderings (si.com)

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https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/03/15/phoenix-rising-mls-expansion-stadium-renderings?utm_campaign=si-soccer&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&xid=socialflow_twitter_si

Phoenix's MLS Expansion Bid Unveils New Stadium Renderings

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http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/2018/03/18/match-report-bethlehem-steel-4-richmond-kickers-1/

Match Report: Bethlehem Steel 4 – Richmond Kickers 1

Next, Bethlehem travels to St. Petersburg to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Steel defense will play without Union homegrowns Mark McKenzie and Matt Real, both of whom have been called into Tab Ramos’s USYNT U-20 camp in Spain until March 28. A.J. Paterson is expected to step in for McKenzie and Prosper Chiluya for Real next Saturday night in Florida.  The Rowdies will provide a test, especially since it is their home opener.