[Lee Godfrey on Twitter] A very reliable source tells me Bill Edwards not looking for a ownership group for MLS bid. The team is for sale. The price tag: $25 million. (twitter.com)

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/83k7gw/lee_godfrey_on_twitter_a_very_reliable_source/

[Lee Godfrey on Twitter] A very reliable source tells me Bill Edwards not looking for a ownership group for MLS bid. The team is for sale. The price tag: $25 million. (twitter.com)

This is consistent with the Sports Business Journal piece and the rumblings that have been going around.

$25M is a lot of cash...I’m guessing that the garage and building that the Rowdies Den used to be in (McNulty Station building) might be part of the transaction to make the price go that high...

I thought that Edwards already sold that building? Even if he hadn't sold it, there's no reason why that property would be linked to the Rowdies sale.

What rumblings? Who is Lee Godfrey and why would he be likely to be familiar with a reliable source who actually knows what is going on?

Why would anyone want to buy the Rowdies just to keep them in USL? It seems to me that interest in the Rowdies and interest in MLS are petty closely linked. A minor league team in a major league market is always going to be a very hard case, especially a soccer team.

Bill Edwards was willing to spend $80 million for Al Lang expansion, plus $150 million for an MLS expansion fee. That's for a long term investment he was never going to live long enough to see a return on. $25 million would recoup what he's spent on the Rowdies so far and give him a profit but it's a small profit compared to what he was willing to spend to get into MLS.

I'm having a hard time imagining potential buyers of the Rowdies who would not also want to take the Rowdies to MLS, so it may be the case that drawing a distinction between "looking for ownership group for MLS bid" and "selling the team" is a distinction without a difference and entirely depends on who "buys" the team and under what conditions.

Edwards only leased out the Rowdies Den space, AFAIK...they're splitting it into two restaurants - Ford's Garage and a new British Pub (can't remember what the name is). Edwards (per Edwards) bought the parking garage to increase the available parking to Rowdies STH...it is the overflow lot if you buy a parking pass from the team (you can park in either the Al Lang lot or the garage). I don't know which of his subsidiaries purchased the building. But he's saying the team is profitable and if it is, it would likely be due to all of the revenue streams available, including parking. (Separately, he's been trying to sell Sundial, too.) Wouldn't surprise me for him to include the garage with the Rowdies sale (and it would definitely bump the value and operational profitability of the team).

Lee Godfrey has been the color announcer for the Rowdies for the last three years and now works for USL Productions (used to work for Toronto FC). Edwards selling the team as a USL team is consistent with what we've been heard (this would be the fourth time I've heard a similar story and from pretty reputable sources).

I don't think selling it as a USL team is inconsistent with still trying to push for MLS...if we don't get in, someone is still going to have to run the team, and I don't think it will be Edwards or his family in the long-term. I think it's quite possible a new USL owner will still want to assemble a group (including Edwards as a minority) to push towards MLS.

He had said in the recent Times piece that he was only looking to construct an MLS Ownership Group, not sell the team. Sports Business Journal (which is reputable) reported that he was in fact shopping the team and Lee seems to back that up. And it does make sense with things we've heard behind-the-scenes. But like I said, I don't think that necessarily means MLS would be off the table - just that Edwards might consider stepping back, even from a USL Rowdies.

Plus IMO, this is a good thing all around. We need to have a different group if there's any chance at MLS. And Edwards own pending lawsuits still haven't been settled. Maybe that's still years off in the making, but it's certainly better to be part of a thoughtful, negotiated sale than part of asset shedding due to a lawsuit settlement (if it ever came down to that).

As a side note, this is the group (Park Lane) that he reportedly retained to help advise the sale.

Thanks. That definitely fills in a lot of gaps in my knowledge.

I frankly thought over a year ago that Edwards needed a much bigger ownership group to get to MLS and frankly I am shocked he didn't work something out last year.

The problem with the "Edwards is selling the team" narrative is that a lot of chicken littles use this to mean that we're going back to a fly-by-night team run on a shoe-string budget and we'll end up as Orlando City's de facto B team, or something.

That Park Lane link is hopeful in that it includes soccer, MLS, and other major league sports work. Definitely heavy hitters.

Yeah, I thought they were pretty impressive.

I'm with you...I don't think this needs to be a sky-is-falling kind of thing. A lot of big groups are investing in USL and the league itself seems to have some ambition. I think it would be in the best interest of the league to have one of their flagship clubs still be that and not just a release valve for an MLS team.

I'm still optimistic that this would be a good thing no matter what until I see some reason to think otherwise.

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https://twitter.com/levongodfrey/status/972607606417129472?s=21

Lee Godfrey 🇨🇦
‏
@levongodfrey

A very reliable source tells me Bill Edwards not looking for a ownership group for MLS bid. The team is for sale. The price tag: $25 million.

2:58 PM - 10 Mar 2018

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