Rowdies reveal new home and road kits (twitter.com)

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/85p9ec/rowdies_reveal_new_home_and_road_kits/

Rowdies reveal new home and road kits (twitter.com)

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https://twitter.com/tampabayrowdies/status/975883565450788864?s=21

Tampa Bay Rowdies

‏Verified account

@TampaBayRowdies

That new 🔥

7:55 PM - 19 Mar 2018

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/85kf67/roll_call_kickoff_event/

ROLL CALL - Kickoff Event! (imgur.com)

https://imgur.com/TWe5YYL

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https://www.palatinate.org.uk/why-beckhams-miami-move-is-about-much-more-than-the-money/

Why Beckham’s Miami move is about much more than the money

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http://lastwordonsoccer.com/2018/03/19/the-last-call-at-rfk-experience/

The Last Call at RFK Experience: Remembering RFK Stadium

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https://www.burgundywave.com/2018/3/19/17130894/why-parity-in-mls-makes-american-soccer-so-compelling

Why parity in MLS makes American soccer so compelling

Parity leads to a level of competitiveness we don’t see in other leagues.

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https://www.mystatesman.com/sports/soccer/economists-weigh-community-benefits-package-for-mls-stadium-site/EImBdJVQvOtHzQTJOIU1HK/

Economists weigh in on community benefits package for MLS stadium site

Craig Depken II has reviewed dozens of benefits packages making the case for professional sports stadiums, but he said he has never seen anything quite like the letter Precourt Sports Ventures sent to the Austin City Council last week.

“I’ve never seen a pitch that has so much charity or philanthropic attitudes,” said Depken, an economics professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

PSV, the Anthony Precourt-led group that owns Columbus Crew SC, called the letter its “Commitment to the Community.” It estimated a direct benefit to exceed $326 million over the next 25 years in exchange for a yet-to-be-built Major League Soccer stadium at McKalla Place, a city-owned tract in North Austin.

Richard Suttle, a lobbyist for PSV and MLS, said the benefits package put before the City Council is not to be confused with other economic benefits an MLS club would bring to Austin, such as money spent by out-of-town visitors attending games.

“A community benefit tied specifically to having a soccer team is something that is unique to having MLS come here,” Suttle said. “If we were bringing a factory, that provides economic benefit to us all, but would provide no community benefit in the world of soccer. An MLS team brings unique and specific benefits for a large part of our community, and that’s the soccer community.”

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2018/03/19/mls-response-no-comment-yet-league-has-not-received-copy-of-nasl-complaint/

MLS RESPONSE: No comment yet — league has not received copy of NASL complaint

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https://www.law360.com/sports/articles/1023641/nasl-adds-major-league-soccer-to-antitrust-suit

NASL Adds Major League Soccer To Antitrust Suit

Law360 (March 19, 2018, 6:36 PM EDT) -- The North American Soccer League on Friday added Major League Soccer to a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation that claims the two are conspiring to keep it from competing as a top professional league, pushing forward with antitrust claims despite losing out on a preliminary injunction and being forced to cancel its latest season.

The NASL filed an amended complaint Friday in a New York federal court adding MLS to its lawsuit over the federation’s standards for professional leagues, alleging the federation and MLS want...

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https://therealdeal.com/miami/2018/03/19/miami-commission-to-vote-on-developer-incentives-overtown-apartment-complex-and-two-mixed-use-projects/

Miami commission to vote on developer incentives, Overtown apartment complex and two mixed-use projects

Incentives geared to spur developers to build more apartments catering to working class residents

Miami commissioners on Thursday will consider new rules that would award developer incentives to save historic properties as part of a jam-packed zoning agenda that includes approval requests for an Overtown apartment complex adjacent to David Beckham’s soccer stadium site and two mixed-use projects near the Douglas Road Metrorail Station and on the Miami River.

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2018/03/19/a-new-challenge-ex-cosmos-menjivar-signs-with-penn-fc/

A NEW CHALLENGE: Ex-Cosmos Menjivar signs with Penn FC

Following his collegiate career, Menjivar spent time with amateur side Cal FC in 2012, before signing with the Atlanta Silverbacks of the NASL in 2013. Following his run with the Silverbacks, he enjoyed a brief stint with the San Antonio Scorpions in 2014, before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2015, and then signing with the NASL expansion team Rayo OKC in 2016.

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http://www.technicianonline.com/sports/article_bc0c6ba8-2bd6-11e8-aae7-83f8298c05a9.html

NCFC returns to USL as NASL lawsuit stalls

The North Carolina Football Club hosted the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a USL regular season match at Sahlen's Stadium at Wake Med Soccer Park on Saturday, March 17.

Their home opener this past Saturday ended in a 3-1 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. NCFC was able to wipe away the one-goal deficit it gave up on a turnover in the first half with a Steven Miller tally. Minutes later, an ill-advised challenge put the ball on the spot for the Rowdies, which Georgi Hristov converted to give his team a 2-1 lead at the half. The second frame staged a battle up and down the field before Jack Blake settled the game for Tampa Bay with a spectacular long-range finish in the final minutes of play.

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https://uk.blastingnews.com/opinion/2018/03/we-dont-appear-to-have-hit-peak-beard-yet-002439943.html

We don't appear to have hit 'Peak Beard' yet

Beards: Will this trend ever die out and the clean shaven look return to the mainstream?

Have we reached 'Peak Beard'?

Some writers have pointed out that that the beard trend should be disappearing now. But that does not seem to be the case right now as pointed out in this article. Some columnists like Amanda Platell write about the end of the beard because they hate beards period.

Beards definitely do suit some men more than others, for example, men with grey scruffy beards please don't bother. They look like they have been spent a night sleeping outside. People like Richard Strawbridge from Channel 4's 'Escape to the Chateaux' are an example of this. Whereas David Beckham sporting a full growth of fuzz or just designer stubble is suited to this look.

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https://www.onwardstate.com/2018/03/19/penn-state-mens-soccers-cameron-steele-signs-hometown-pro-team/

Penn State Men’s Soccer’s Cameron Steele Signs With Hometown Pro Team

The team, which just moved over to the USL after seven years in the North American Soccer League and hopes for inclusion in upcoming rounds of Major League Soccer expansion, kicked off its season with a loss over the weekend to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. NCFC will be back in action, possibly with Steele in the 18-man game-day roster, Saturday at 3 p.m. in Louisville.

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http://carycitizen.com/2018/03/19/north-carolina-fc-in-first-home-game-as-usl-members/

North Carolina FC in First Home Game as USL Members

Cary, NC – North Carolina FC played their first game at their home stadium in Cary as a United Soccer League (USL) team. While it was an exciting debut, it was still disappointing as NCFC lost against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Goal Post Disappointment

NCFC took on Tampa Bay at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday, March 17, 2018 in their debut match since moving from the NASL to the USL. It is a new league but fans saw the same aggressive play style from NCFC. NCFC made two close calls in the opening minutes but the Rowdies scored the first goal in the 23rd minute.

Determined to keep up the pressure, NCFC’s Steven Miller hit a low shot that made it into the Tampa Bay goal, tying the game in the 38th minute. But that balance did not last long as Tampa Bay earned a penalty kick and Tampa Bay’s Georgi Hristov made it a 2-1 game.

NCFC continued to attack the goal but kept hitting the posts. In just the first half, there were three shot attempts that hit the post, with several others blocked by Rowdies’ goalie Cody Mizell. Later on, Miller had a one-on-one opportunity against Mizell in the 62nd minute but the shot went wide.

If it wasn’t bad enough that NCFC could not tie the game back up, Tampa Bay stacked another point up in the 90th minute after a final goal from Jack Blake, ending the game 3-1. This is the first time NCFC has lost a home opener since 2011, though the team went by the Carolina RailHawks back then.

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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/899115?referrer_id=2349190

Eastern Conf. Notebook – Nashville Getting Past Learning Curve

NCFC encouraged despite defeat; Bethlehem looks to build on strong start

NEWCOMERS NCFC TAKE ENCOURAGEMENT: Despite falling to a disappointing loss in the first USL game in club history, North Carolina FC left Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday in a somewhat upbeat mood. There were a lot of positives for NCFC to take out of the match despite a difficult 3-1 loss to a Tampa Bay Rowdies side that is sure to challenge for supremacy in the USL's Eastern Conference.

“Overall, I was pleased with a lot of stuff we produced today. Obviously disappointed with the result and how that worked out, but I thought, you know, particularly for the start of the game, the first 20-25 minutes, I thought we were very good,” said NCFC Head Coach Colin Clarke. “I thought we could have scored two or three goals. And those moments, those big moments, I think a few of them went against us. From what I hear, the penalty wasn’t inside the box. We had chances to equalize, so some big moments we didn’t do well in or went against us, and that’s the game.”

The fatal flaw, for Clarke was not the lack of possession, North Carolina led that statistic with 55.6 percent, or creating chances, NCFC outshot the Rowdies 14-11, it was just the lack of clinical finishing, and it cost his team dearly.

Burke isn't getting ahead of himself, there’s still much more soccer to be played, and in the next two weeks have strong tests with a visit to the Tampa Bay Rowdies this Saturday before the club returns home to host Nashville SC on March 31.

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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/899110?referrer_id=2349190

11 Things – Bright Light City

Vegas lights it up, Rangers keep their chill on record-setting opening weekend in USL

6. ROWDY ROAD SHOW: The Tampa Bay Rowdies struggled mightily on the road in 2017, earning only three victories away from Al Lang Stadium, but if Saturday’s 3-1 win against North Carolina FC is an indicator of what’s to come, then that is going to change fast. The Rowdies never trailed against their old rivals in the first meeting between the clubs in the USL as a solid display in goal by Cody Mizell in his return to the club and fine goals by Leo Fernandes and Jack Blake that bracketed a penalty kick by Georgi Hristov saw the visitors leave Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park with a win. The Rowdies entered the season viewed as one of the preseason favorites in the Eastern Conference, and their opening display did nothing to disabuse anyone of that notion.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/85mlxr/usl_d3_league_executives_to_visit_lakeland/

USL D3 League Executives to Visit Lakeland (usld3.com)

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https://www.usld3.com/news_article/show/899223

League Executives to Visit Lakeland

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https://ussoccerplayers.com/2018/03/soccer-history-philadelphia-german-americans.html

Soccer History: Philadelphia German Americans

By Clemente Lisi – NEW YORK, NY (Mar 19, 2018) US Soccer Players – The City of Brotherly Love has long been a hotbed for soccer. The Philadelphia German Americans, a member of the American Soccer League, would come to represent the city for decades. They’re one of many teams to emerge from Pennsylvania nearly a century ago that helped lay the foundation for the growth of the game in this country.

The German Americans – a club that would later be rebranded the Philadelphia Americans and eventually the Uhrik Truckers – officially entered the American Soccer League in 1933. This was the second incarnation of the ASL, a largely a semi-pro league featuring ethnic social clubs from across the East Coast. The club, however, had been founded in 1924 by the Philadelphia German Rifle Club as First German SC. The team was often called the German Americans with the club eventually taking on the name.

The German Americans quickly left their mark on the game. In May 1936, the team defeated the St Louis Shamrocks in the US Open Cup final. In capturing the trophy, the club became both the first amateur outfit to win the Open Cup, as well as the first team from Philadelphia, to do so. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the German Americans had “played soulful soccer throughout and rightfully deserve the grand final victory.”

Ed Farnsworth, writing for The Philly Soccer Page, recounted that the German Americans had faced a formidable Shamrocks squad that featured star striker Billy Gonsalves. The German Americans tied the first game 2-2 and won the second game 3-0.

“That evening, at their clubhouse near the field where they had become national champions, the German Americans held their 12th anniversary dinner,” Farnsworth wrote. “During the dinner, team captain Francis Ryan was presented with the Dewar Challenge Trophy by USFA president Joseph E. Barriskill.”

Elmer Schroeder coached the German Americans from 1932-37. A lawyer, Schroeder primarily functioned as an administer. He was so successful at it that he was named vice president of the US Football Association, the precursor to US Soccer, and managed the US team at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam. That team, famous for its 11-2 loss to Argentina, would redeem itself just two years later when it reached the semifinals of the 1930 World Cup. Schroeder would go on to wear many hats during the decade. In his role as vice president, Schroeder traveled with the US team to Uruguay for that inaugural World Cup. He would eventually become USFA president in 1933, the first American-born official to hold that post. He also coached the US at the 1934 World Cup in Italy. Schroeder was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951.

The German Americans, meanwhile, became a powerhouse during the ‘30s. The team went from local success to a national one in a span of a few years. The club captured the National Amateur Cup (at the time a competitor to the US Open Cup) in 1933, defeating Pittsburgh-based McKnight Beverage 5-1. A year later, it defeated Pittsburgh’s Heidelberg SC to claim the trophy for the second straight time.

On the heels of those wins, many players from the German Americans went on to make up the backbone of the US National Team. Five players – Bill Fielder, Peter Pietras, Francis “Hun” Ryan, Al Harker, and Herman Rapp — were all member of the 1934 US team that qualified for the World Cup that year in Italy. The German Americans had come to dominate the National Team, which also included the team’s trainer Francis Cavanaugh. The USMNT, who had defeated Mexico in Rome 4-2 to qualify for the World Cup, were knocked out of the first round following a 7-1 defeat to eventual champions Italy.

It was this type of international experience that helped put the German Americans ahead of many amateur teams at the time. The club also played friendlies versus foreign teams. In 1933, the team hosted Chile’s Audas SC, losing by the lopsided score of 8-3. A year later, it hosted Czechoslovakia’s SK Kladno, losing 2-1. In 1935, the team lost to a group of Scottish All-Stars 3-0. Although the German Americans were an amateur outfit, Schroeder entered them in the ASL in its reboot season of 1933-34. The team did not do well, compiling a 5-2-6 record and finished last.

The 1934-35 season, with a core of World Cup vets in its ranks, the team went from worst to first, completing a turnaround to be crowned ASL champions after compiling an 18-1-3 record. Schroeder and Cavanaugh led the US team that took part in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. As a result, nine players from the German Americans were put on the US roster that lost to eventual gold-medalist Italy 1-0.

After Schroeder retired in 1938, the German American remained an ASL power. Under Emil Schillinger, the team finished the 1938-39 season second in the American Division before going on to lose the championship game to the Kearny Scots.

In 1942, a year after the United States entered World War II, the club dropped “German” from its name and just called itself the Philadelphia Americans. It was that same year that the team won its second ASL title, ending the Kearny Scots five-year run. The Philadelphia Americans would go on to win four more ASL titles: 1944, 1947, 1948, and 1952. At the same time, the Philadelphia Nationals, which featured US star Walter Bahr, would win the league title four times – in 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1953 – to make the city the most successful in the country.

Trucking magnate Tony Uhrik bought the Philadelphia Americans prior to the 1953-54 ASL season. Uhrik operated a trucking route between Philadelphia and New York and renamed the club Uhrik Truckers. The team would go on to win the league championship in 1954 and 1955, the same year it reached the US Open Cup semifinals.

In 1955, a team of Philadelphia All-Stars – including players from the Uhrik Truckers and Nationals that featured both Bahr and Oliver – lost to German club Nurenburg FC 8-5. Bahr, a member of the US team that had upset England at the 1950 World Cup, joined the Truckers a year later, helping them to the ASL crown in 1956. The title was the team’s eighth and final ASL title.

It was a time when players would make $35 a game, some even working from Uhrik’s trucking company, according to Len Oliver. The Scottish-born half back, who played for the Truckers from 1955-57, said in a 2013 interview with The Philly Soccer Page that playing with Bahr was something he’d never forget.

“Walter Bahr was indeed one of our heroes growing up in Philly youth soccer,” he recalled. “He was a great mentor, always upbeat, and I learned from his behavior both on the field and off.”

The club folded following the 1964-65 season. The club may be long gone, but never forgotten for its ability to achieve success through various eras of this country’s rich soccer past.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/85ohqs/mike_smyth_of_the_province_further_details_fifas/

Mike Smyth of The Province further details FIFA's demands of Vancouver & B.C. in exchange for two or three WC games. (theprovince.com)

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http://theprovince.com/opinion/columnists/mike-smyth-no-soccer-for-you-inside-the-governments-fight-with-fifa

Mike Smyth: No soccer for you! Inside the government's fight with FIFA

Columnist Mike Smyth writes about the B.C. government's challenge to FIFA that caused Vancouver to be dropped as a potential World Cup host city.

The opportunity to host World Cup soccer games was a dream scenario for Vancouver fans who hoped “the beautiful game” would visit our beautiful city in 2026.

But when B.C. Place officials sat down to analyze the contract terms demanded by FIFA — the corruption-plagued world governing body for soccer — the dream turned into a financial nightmare.

Now I can tell you some inside details of the proposed deal, which unravelled last week after the B.C. government demanded clarity on costs and renegotiation of key points.

B.C. Place is owned by the provincial government and managed by the B.C. Pavilion Corp., a Crown agency known as Pavco.

A “risk analysis” document prepared by Pavco officials outlined an astonishing series of non-negotiable contract terms from FIFA that would have burned taxpayers to a crisp.

They included a requirement that B.C. Place install not just one temporary natural-grass playing surface on top of the stadium’s existing artificial turf (installed just three years ago at a cost of $1.3 million).

The contract demanded a second “contingency pitch” just in case something went wrong with the first grass field and a new one had to be installed on short notice.

FIFA not only demanded two grass fields for B.C. Place, they also demanded two electricity supplies to the stadium in case of a power failure.

A “second separate source of power supply for the stadium” would be “entirely and wholly the responsibility of the stadium and host city,” the risk assessment said.

“Pavco flagged that for us right at the beginning — they have a single power source,” Tourism Minister Lisa Beare told me.

The cost of a backup power supply — be it gas-powered generators or a separate B.C. Hydro line — was listed as “unknown” in the assessment.

Then there were the security costs, notorious for going over-budget. A prime example: Security for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was originally budgeted at $175 million and ended up costing over $1 billion.

“That was a huge concern for us,” Beare said. “We couldn’t get any firm requirements or cost estimates.”

Stoking the fears of the government was the 2014 World Cup experience of Brazil, which spent over $900 million on security, including a massive video-surveillance system and training on potential chemical and radiological terror attacks.

Keep in mind Vancouver was only in line to get two or three soccer games as part of a unified bid to host the World Cup by Canada, the United States and Mexico.

But, even though the number of games was small, FIFA still demanded “exclusive use” of B.C. Place for up to two months, requiring all other events to be cancelled or postponed.

During the “exclusive use period,” FIFA insisted on a “clean stadium clause” banning all non-authorized advertising and commercial activity — and not just within the confines of B.C. Place itself.

The ban included “prohibition of any promotional, public-relations, religious, political or commercial advertising of any kind in, on, above, around or about the stadium without prior written approval by FIFA,” the assessment said.

“When they were using words like ‘around’ and ‘about’ the stadium, we sought clarity on that and the bid committee could not provide it,” Beare said.

“It would have made us responsible for activities that happened outside the stadium,” she added, saying the government was concerned about policing the activities of businesses near B.C. Place.

If you’re wondering whether all these costs would have been offset by a share of World Cup ticket sales or TV rights — forget it.

“An exceptionally broad and almost universal ownership of commercial rights with respect to the competition” would remain exclusively with FIFA, the assessment said, including “media rights, marketing rights and ticketing.”

As B.C. taxpayers absorbed all the costs — and FIFA scooped all the World Cup profits — FIFA also demanded special treatment under B.C. taxation and labour laws.

“The FIFA World Cup represents an event of national importance and public interest, which justifies the granting of a tax exemption,” said a FIFA document entitled “Overview of Government Guarantees.”

The tax exemption would also apply to FIFA service providers, contractors “and certain designated individuals.” The same document also required the government to grant FIFA “exemption from labour law” and allow “unrestricted import and export of all foreign currencies.”

As if that’s not enough, FIFA also wanted the right to change the terms of the agreement after it was signed, with any cost increases borne by taxpayers.

In response to all these contract demands and uncosted liabilities, the B.C. government sent a letter to the three-country Unified Bid Committee.

The letter said B.C. would support the bid on three conditions: Production of a detailed business plan showing all projected costs, federal-government responsibility for security and an indemnity to protect B.C. taxpayers from any cost overruns.

The conditions were not met, and Vancouver was dropped as a potential host city.

“We would have loved to have hosted these World Cup games and we tried hard to make it happen,” Beare said. “But we were unable to get the security we needed for taxpayers.”

The opposition Liberals slammed the governing NDP for failing to deliver.

“The government pulled the rug out from under soccer fans and the tourism industry,” said Liberal MLA Jas Johal.

But others applauded the B.C. government — and the cities of Chicago, Phoenix and Minneapolis, which also rejected the contract demands — for standing up to FIFA.

“It’s a wise decision,” said Andrew Jennings, the British reporter credited with exposing FIFA corruption that led to U.S. charges of wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering in 2015. “More and more governments are saying ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ to FIFA. The era of the shakedown is over.”

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/85le04/will_mls_attendance_trend_down_in_2018/

Attendance Will MLS attendance trend down in 2018? (soccerstadiumdigest.com)

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https://soccerstadiumdigest.com/2018-mls-attendance/

2018 MLS Attendance

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/85nzyi/uscanadamexico_2026_world_cup_bid_plays_nice_in/

U.S.-Canada-Mexico 2026 World Cup bid plays nice in public, but knows the real game is different | J. Tannenwald (philly.com)

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http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/soccer/477319483.html

U.S.-Canada-Mexico 2026 World Cup bid plays nice in public, but knows the real game is different

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/85ldpz/mls_attendance_target_tracker_201803/

Attendance MLS Attendance Target Tracker: 2018.03 (self.MLS)

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/85j9bg/fc_cincinnati_how_newport_and_oakley_stack_up_for/

FC Cincinnati: How Newport and Oakley stack up for soccer stadium (cincinnati.com)

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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/03/19/fc-cincinnati-newport-oakley-soccer-stadium/435872002/

FC Cincinnati: How sites in Newport and Oakley stack up for a new soccer stadium