Rowdies return to to first in East

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https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rowdies/2019/05/19/rowdies-return-to-to-first-in-east/

Rowdies return to to first in East

A 2-0 win over New York Red Bulls II keeps Tampa Bay the only unbeaten team in USL Championship.

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2019/05/18/shooting-blanks-red-bull-ii-goes-down-to-2-0-defeat-at-tampa-bay/

SHOOTING BLANKS: Red Bull II goes down to 2-0 defeat at Tampa Bay

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http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3856010/beckhams-mls-club-gets-stadium-boost-in-court

Beckham's MLS club gets stadium boost in court

Inter Miami CF has scored another legal victory, one that could provide an alternative site for the team's plans to build a stadium in the city of Miami.

The Florida Supreme Court declined on Friday to hear an appeal from local property owner Bruce Matheson, who filed suit back in 2017 on the grounds that Miami-Dade's sale to David Beckham and his business partners of a 2.79-acre parcel of land in the city's Overtown section should have been opened up to competitive bidding. Matheson lost the initial trial in October of 2017, but he persisted with multiple appeals. He went to the Florida Supreme Court last year after the 3rd District Court of Appeals denied his attempt to halt the sale.

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https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2019/05/18/low-rays-attendance-has-ramifications-principal-owner-stuart-sternberg-says/

Low Rays attendance has ‘ramifications,’ principal owner Stuart Sternberg says

With decision on St. Petersburg stadium coming soon, he says the organization is doing all it can to boost attendance.

NEW YORK — Principal owner Stuart Sternberg is pleased with just about everything his Rays have done thus far, running through a list of positives and pleasant surprises as the team went into...

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https://www.tampabay.com/business/the-mayor-who-brought-spring-training-to-st-petersburg-lived-here-x2014-now-you-can-too-20190517/

The mayor who brought spring training to St. Petersburg lived here — now you can too

The onetime home of St. Petersburg Mayor Al Lang is on the market for $385,000

The former home of the late Al Lang, mayor of St. Petersburg, is for sale at 336 Lang Court N, St. Petersburg. The 1419-square-foot home is listed at $385,000. It was built in 1915.

ST. PETERSBURG — It's been a century since Al Lang was mayor of St. Petersburg but he's hardly been forgotten.

There's Al Lang Stadium, once synonymous with baseball spring training, now home to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Green Bench Brewing, Green Bench ...

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https://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/canaries-neil-adams-loans-rundown-1-6054728

The lowdown on Norwich City's loan brigade

Norwich City's loan contingent made a mark on a memorable season for the Canaries. Loan Manager Neil Adams delivers his end-of-term observations.

- CALEB RICHARDS - FC UNITED and TAMPA BAY ROWDIES

"Caleb is flying. We put him on loan at FC United of Manchester knowing he was better than that level but we felt he needed some games to prove to us he could do what we knew he could.

"It made sense to send him to the Rowdies with the link we now have with them. They've played eleven games and haven't lost one of them. He's played virtually every minute so far.

"The commentators have named him the 'Silent Assassin'. He's not one of the more vocal players and I presume he's started to put his foot in a bit. It's brilliant when you get a nickname like that after just eleven games, it shows you're having an impact."

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https://floridapolitics.com/archives/296656-daniel-endonino-files-against-amber-mariano

Daniel Endonino files against Amber Mariano

The race now features two millennials from Pasco.

Democrat Daniel Endonino plans to challenge state Rep. Amber Mariano, a Hudson Republican, as she runs for a third term.

“Looking forward to talking about the issues facing Florida and west Pasco County,” the 23-year Pasco resident wrote on Twitter.

Endonino’s entry into the House District 36 race will make for one of the most youthful debate stages in Florida.

Mariano, 23 years old, was the youngest state Representative ever elected when she first won office in 2016.

Endonino, at age 34, won’t take that record away, but he promises to bring a fresh perspective if elected.

“As a working-class resident of Port Richey, he knows what it’s like for the majority of people in his district to live and work here every day, and he is committed to defending those needs and values in Tallahassee,” a news release from his campaign said.

Endonino has served as the co-host of “The Unused Substitutes,” a podcast about the Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer program.

He will run on a platform centered on education, the environment and health care, according to his campaign release.

He suggested the state is failing to properly support public education and said districts like Pasco County suffer for it. He points to new rankings in U.S. News’ Public High School Rankings that show the area doesn’t have a school ranked above No. 300.

“He strongly disagrees with the recent legislative decision to fund vouchers and charter schools while diverting funding from public education,” the campaign news release said.

Similarly, he said the Florida Legislature has erred in refusing to support health care, and said he would vote to expand Medicaid.

He also appears to be shaping his campaign around a focus on water quality. Endonino pledged not to accept money from big corporations.

“He will not be bought by big energy companies like NextEra Energy and FPL,” the release said.

Sound environmental policies, he said, will help prevent disasters like the red tide blooms that affected much of Florida’s west coast this year.

“Dan grew up swimming in the waters of Hudson Beach every weekend. Now, due to pollution and bacteria, that is impossible,” the release said.

“Last year, Florida saw the devastating Red Tide bloom. Because this algae is always in our waters (at a low rate), we need to be vigilant about our run off, especially from large developments and sugar farms that prevent the natural filtering of overflow through the Everglades.”

Right now, Mariano and Endonino remain the only candidates in the race.

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https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2019/05/15/blues-legend-surprises-boston-fans

BLUES LEGEND SURPRISES BOSTON FANS

It’s not every evening you are in the pub - and ex-Chelsea star Joe Cole turns up to say hello!

The English midfielder, one of the Blues’ biggest home-grown favourites, was a surprise guest at a fan event in Boston on Tuesday evening.

Joe won a host of club trophies and personal awards in his seven years with the Londoners, including a trio of Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup. But he also knows the football scene in America as he finished his career with three seasons at the Tampa Bay Rowdies in Florida.

‘The Night Before Party’ has become a tradition when Chelsea tour the States. Twenty-four hours in advance of a match, the local supporters’ chapter organise a gathering at their home base for both their members, and for those who have travelled in.

This year it was the turn of the Boston Blues to put together the festivities at The Banshee, an Irish bar in the Bayside area of the city that is their headquarters. President Ben Horner and vice-president Shawn Doherty, who run the group, set up the get-together to welcome the out-of-town visitors from the extended Blue Family.

They said they have around 170 members in their club, and they regularly have dozens of Blues followers packing out the place for big contests. In addition, Boston is a big college town, so every season they get a new influx of students who rotate through their chapter for the three or four years they are at university.

So it is one of the biggest groups in the country, despite the fact that, in common with many cities Stateside, there are strict Sunday licencing laws: sometimes they are in the Banshee at 7am - but cannot be served a beer until 10am!

Joe Cole’s appearance was the highlight of the night, and he met fans, posed for selfies, and addressed the crowd to thank them for their support, while the Boston Blues also raffled off a bunch of prizes donated by club sponsors.

As luck would have it, the Boston Bruins ice-hockey team were competing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and every time they scored the locals in the rowdy crowd cheered. They won, and took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The Chelsea supporters got to meet Joe Cole, and the Boston Bruins fans saw their team win. Everyone left happy as they headed into the drizzly chilly Massachusetts night.

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https://sports.yahoo.com/mls-apos-left-behind-bigger-200000354.html

MLS's Left-Behind Bigger Markets Start to Feel the Urgency

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https://www.90min.com/posts/6368700-5-managers-who-could-take-over-an-mls-side-by-the-end-of-the-season

5 Managers Who Could Take Over an MLS Side by the End of the Season

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https://www.kens5.com/article/sports/should-san-antonio-get-another-pro-sports-team-city-to-study-situation/273-bc85caea-065d-45a2-a49f-479ec4c0d01b

Should San Antonio get another pro sports team? City to study situation

City officials told KENS 5 they would need to see the results of the survey before they would consider building another facility to attract a sports team.

KENS 5 discovered an advertisement posted by the city searching for a firm to take a look at how attractive San Antonio is to pro sports franchises. The last survey conducted was in 2011 and said the city should target a major league soccer team but that attempt failed.

RELATED: Judge Wolff: MLS process was unfair, unethical, and duplicitous

RELATED: San Antonio not named as finalist for MLS expansion

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https://www.goal.com/en-om/news/revolution-job-offers-arena-the-chance-to-revive-the-club/hz4pkm2be7y01m1qbg2cx5bk1

Revolution job offers Arena the chance to revive the club and his legacy

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https://media.sportbusiness.com/news/mycujoo-ott-adds-us-npsl-to-football-portfolio/

MyCujoo OTT adds NPSL to US football portfolio

Football streaming platform MyCujoo has acquired rights to the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of the US game.

The deal runs until January 2021 and provides MyCujoo with exclusive digital rights to over 400 matches for the duration of the agreement.

The NPSL is the highest tier of semi-professional/amateur football in the US and features 91 clubs competing across 13 conferences in four separate regions.

MyCujoo signed a similar deal with the United Premier Soccer League last year and also holds agreements with the United Women’s Soccer league and the Women’s Premier Soccer League.

MyCujoo chief executive Pedro Presa said: “The fact that we now own rights across North America in both the women’s and the men’s game gives us the scale to really start making our community model work in North America.”

Earlier this month, MyCujoo acquired worldwide digital rights to a range of Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) properties, including the top two tiers of women’s football and the men’s fourth division.

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2019/05/15/multi-year-deal-mycujoo-named-npsls-preferred-streaming-partner/

MULTI-YEAR DEAL: MyCujoo named NPSL’s preferred streaming partner

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https://expo.mlive.com/sports/g66l-2019/05/e72af1c3847201/alcohol-sales-high-expectations-and-what-else-to-know-about-afc-ann-arbor-in-2019.html

Alcohol sales, high expectations and what else to know about AFC Ann Arbor in 2019

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2019/05/15/soldiering-on-tuesday-roundup-florida-soccer-soldiers-pull-off-1st-major-cupset-of-open-cup/

SOLDIERING ON: Tuesday roundup: Florida Soccer Soldiers pull off 1st major cupset of Open Cup

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2019/05/16/some-famous-firsts-of-the-lancers-indoor-outdoor-and-lady-lancers/

SOME FAMOUS FIRSTS: Of the Lancers, indoor, outdoor and Lady Lancers

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https://www.foxnews.com/sports/revolution-hire-5-time-mls-cup-champ-bruce-arena-as-coach

Revolution hire 5-time MLS Cup champ Bruce Arena as coach

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbymcmahon/2019/05/15/it-may-cost-chicago-fire-over-60m-to-buyout-bridgeview-stadium-lease-but-its-really-an-investment/#6aed0b06676e

It May Cost Chicago Fire Over $60M To Buy Out Bridgeview Stadium Lease, But It Will Be Worth It

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https://www.concordmonitor.com/Revolution-hire-5-time-MLS-Cup-champ-Bruce-Arena-as-coach-25559330

Revolution hire 5-time MLS Cup champ Bruce Arena as coach

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http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/sports/ci_32633068/revs-hire-5-time-mls-cup-champ-arena

Revs hire 5-time MLS Cup champ Arena as coach

New England sitting in last place in East

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https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/beckhams-inter-miami-win-court-battle-over-potential-stadium/a8ig8w6m9ufk1moxuqsj4mgx3

Beckham’s Inter Miami win court battle over potential stadium site

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https://therealdeal.com/miami/2019/05/18/beckham-group-faces-deadline-to-keep-overtown-stadium-site-under-contract/

Beckham group faces deadline to keep Overtown stadium site under contract

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https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/9087973/rodney-marsh-maverick-fulham-qpr-man-city/

ROD THE SOD Fulham and QPR legend Rodney Marsh the ‘flashy sod’ who got himself in trouble as outspoken pundit

Marsh, who only won nine England caps, once had to shave his head and was then later sacked by Sky Sports over distasteful gag

ASK any fan to name a maverick and, inevitably, the name of Rodney Marsh will figure prominently in the responses.

Blessed with a rare talent on the ball and an eye for goal, Marsh starred for Fulham, Queens Park Rangers (where he won the 1967 League Cup) and Manchester City before moving to the United States to play for Tampa Bay Rowdies.

He made waves in the USA...

After leaving Man City in 1976, Marsh had a brief spell with Cork Hibernians - where he was paid £600 a game - before heading for America.

Marsh almost joined the Los Angeles Aztecs, where Elton John was the chairman, but decided on joining the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

After leaving England he said: "Football in England had become a grey game, played on grey days by grey people."

Another famous quip came when his new chairman said: "Rodney Marsh is known as the white Pele."

To which joked: "Pele is known as the black Rodney Marsh."

Marsh played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies from 1976-79 - and quipped that 'Pele is the black Rodney Marsh' after he was called the 'white Pele'

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/05/15/boehm-why-new-england-revolution-need-bruce-arena-and-vice-versa

Boehm: Why the New England Revolution need Bruce Arena, and vice versa

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https://www.wlrn.org/post/fort-lauderdale-mayor-soccer-stadium-food-halls-cuba-nostalgia-event

Fort Lauderdale Mayor On Soccer Stadium, Food Halls & 'Cuba Nostalgia' Event

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http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3856010/beckhams-mls-club-gets-stadium-boost-in-court

Beckham's MLS club gets stadium boost in court

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https://www.eightysixforever.com/2019/5/18/18630225/vancouver-whitecaps-have-the-worst-travel-in-mls

Enough with the Ridiculous Travel MLS

While the Vancouver Whitecaps experience the problem the most, the ridiculous scheduling the league has implemented is a serious roadblock in Major League Soccer.