Tampa Bay Rays finish with second-lowest home attendance for 2019

(Follow link for full article.)

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/307009-tampa-bay-rays-finish-with-second-lowest-home-attendance-for-2019

Tampa Bay Rays finish with second-lowest home attendance for 2019

The Rays finished with the lowest home attendance in the American League for the fifth consecutive year.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2019/09/30/hispanic-heritage-month-ybor-city-s-jos--mart--park

Hispanic Heritage Month: Ybor City's José Martí Park

YBOR CITY, Fla. — Cuba may be 90 miles from the Florida Keys, but residents of the Bay area don't have to travel that far to set foot on Cuban soil.

They just have to head to Ybor City.

RELATED STORIES:

Art Teacher Conducts Class in Spanish for Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month: Flamenco Dancer Keeping Tradition Alive in Orlando
Hispanic Heritage Month: Kissimmee Artist Creating 3-D Art Inspired by Puerto Rico
José Martí Park in Ybor is actually Cuban property, gifted to the country in 1956 by a local family just three years before the Communist revolution.

A statue of the park's namesake, the man known as the "Cuban liberator," is the centerpiece of the small park, which is surrounded by a wrought iron fence.

“For us, this is the real Cuba,” says veteran Orlando Rodriguez. “José Martí represents freedom, human rights and democracy.”

Rodriguez is the founder of the Cuban Historical and Cultural Center, the organization named guardian of the park by the city of Tampa in 1991.

While the city does much of the park's maintenance, they rely on volunteers like Orlando for upkeep.

It's a duty Rodriguez takes very seriously.

“The park become a symbol of freedom," Rodriguez explained. "It’s the only place that Cuba is free in the world,” Rodriguez said.

The park is located on East 8th Avenue in Ybor and is open to the public during the week from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. To learn more about José Martí Park and its caretakers, watch the video above.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://btsvancity.com/2019/09/30/new-inter-miami-cf-man-david-norman-jr-adjusting-well-on-loan-to-pacific-fc-after-surprise-trade-from-vancouver-whitecaps/

BTS, CANADIAN PREMIER LEAGUE, COLUMNS, MLS, OTHER SOCCER TALK, PACIFIC FC, WHITECAPS

New Inter Miami CF man David Norman Jr adjusting well to CPL on loan to Pacific FC after surprise trade from Vancouver Whitecaps

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city/norwich-city-loan-round-up-1-6297524

Loan Round-Up - Hectic weekend for Canaries out on loan

It was a hectic weekend for those Norwich City operators currently plying their trade elsewhere, with the Canaries talent getting plenty of minutes under their belts for their respective clubs this weekend whilst out on loan.

Across the Atlantic, defender Caleb Richards continues to get regular minutes for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Richards was involved for the entirety of their 2-2 draw against Louisville City. Richards continues to play on the left of a back three in the states.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/bundesliga-espn-plus-tv-rights-deal-usa-ott-streaming

Bundesliga heads to ESPN+ in long-term US rights deal

Six-year media partnership also sees games air on sports broadcasting giant’s linear channels.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.nashvillepost.com/sports/nashville-sc/article/21089585/nashville-sc-takes-over-top-spot-in-eastern-conference-standings

Nashville SC takes over top spot in Eastern Conference standings

Six teams in hunt for one of four home playoff games

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1053049

The 18 – Phoenix Rises from the Ashes, Again

IN A WEEK PACKED WITH COMEBACKS, PHOENIX SHOWED ITS STRONGEST TRAIT

9. If that seems like a narrow margin to decide the final team that at best will get to host a single playoff game this postseason, then the top of the Eastern Conference has given us an even tighter race after this past week’s action. And, again, a comeback had something to do with the set-up that sees five teams vying for the top seed in the postseason separated by just two points.

10. And of all the comebacks we saw on Saturday night, that of the Tampa Bay Rowdies on the road against Louisville City FC might have been the most unlikely. Trailing by a pair of goals and down a man after Jordan Doherty was sent off for his second caution of the game, it looked as though the Rowdies were going to be the odd team out in the top five at the end of the night.

11. But then, as he has regularly during the second half of the season, Malik Johnson became a difference-maker as he was brought down inside the penalty area to earn the visitors a chance to pull a goal back from the spot. (Johnson has completed 55 of 84 dribbles since August 1, 12 more than second-place Marcus Epps over that span, and been a menace to anyone trying to defend him one-on-one). Sebastian Guenzatti duly obliged with three minutes to go, but then two minutes later it got that much better for the visitors. Shawn Barry’s cross from the right was met at the near post by Lucky Mkosana – who had been sent to the Rowdies earlier this season by LouCity in a trade for Antoine Hoppenot – and the Zimbabwean forward headed home into the top-right corner to grab a point.

12. Given the Rowdies’ road history, the result was another sign that the club has turned a corner this season when it comes to getting results away from Al Lang Stadium. Tampa Bay is now 8-4-3 on the road this season, which is one more win than it recorded away from home over the past two regular seasons combined.

13. On the other hand, it was a devastating blow for Louisville’s chances at finishing in the top four. The defending champion might have clinched a playoff place with Saturday’s result, but after pregame talk of feeling overlooked during its now nine-game undefeated streak (6-0-3) this is going to likely lead to a far harder road to claim a third consecutive title. LouCity has lost its previous two road games in the postseason, now it looks like it’s going to have to accomplish that multiple times with a six-point gap to the fourth-place Rowdies with four games to go.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.fccincinnati.com/post/2019/09/30/loan-roundup-sept-30

Loan Roundup: Sept. 30

Ben Lundt

Position: Goalkeeper

Club: Louisville City FC

Result: 2-2 against Tampa Bay Rowdies

Lundt is injured and hasn’t played since June. Lundt, who recently turned 24, was in Cincinnati this week.

The USL Championships Eastern Conference standings:

1. Nashville SC (31 games played, 58 points)

2. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (30 games played, 58 points)

3. New York Red Bulls II (31 games played, 57 points)

4. Tampa Bay Rowdies (31 games played, 57 points)

5. Indy Eleven (30 games played, 56 points)

(Follow link for full article.)

https://thestreamable.com/news/espn-plus-snags-rights-to-bundesliga-matches-to-start-streaming-in-2020

ESPN+ Snags Rights to Bundesliga, Matches to Start Streaming in 2020

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/dbas1g/usl_power_ratings_sept_30_2019_oc/

USL power ratings: Sept. 30, 2019 [OC]

Tampa remains the strongest team in the East, but a shaky couple weeks drops the Rowdies' projected finish down to No. 3 in the East. A relatively simple Friday game against Loudoun has to be a win for the bounceback to be possible. A draw (or, God forbid, a loss) probably eliminates any chance of a top-two finish, and makes even top-four contingent upon a win over Indy.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://clubcountryusa.com/2019/09/30/usl-power-ratings-sept-30-2019/

USL power ratings: Sept. 30, 2019

Welcome to the USL power ratings! Don’t forget to follow the site on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for all the content on USL, US Soccer, and Nashville SC.

Table Power
This rating method combines points per game with the quality of opposition played (also measured in points per game). It’s blind to home/away splits as well as scoring margin. The goal is to project a final table based on the games already played.

USL East power ratings:

Pittsburgh Riverhounds (+1) – 66.09 projected points
Indy Eleven (-1) – 62.72 points
Tampa Bay Rowdies (+1) – 62.60 points
Nashville SC (+1) – 62.30 points
New York Red Bulls II (-2) – 61.83 points
Louisville City – 57.65 points
North Carolina FC (+1) – 53.01 points
Ottawa Fury (-1) – 51.92 points
Saint Louis FC – 46.65 points
Charleston Battery – 46.31 points
Birmingham Legion – 45.94 points
Memphis 901 – 38.35 points
Bethlehem Steel – 34.84 points
Atlanta United 2 – 33.62 points
Charlotte Independence – 32.51 points
Loudoun United – 30.68 points
Swope Park Rangers – 25.95 points
Hartford Athletic – 24.52 points

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/dbdcu7/match_32_the_numbers_game/

MATCH 32 & the Numbers Game

Alright Mobsters and Pirates! We're down to the final few matches and the numbers don't look good... In fact, they are brutal. What say ye: Where will the Rowdies finish and how many points will it take? Even to secure a home match?

I'm feeling like we need to win all 3 just to stay top 4. That would give us 66!

I have the Hounds finishing on top. The gilded Lillies have 4 matches left over our 3, and not a sound opponent in sight. It's theirs for the taking.... Prediction: 70

Likewise for the11, except for our Al Lang matchup. Even with a loss here, they can still easily earn 9. I'm not sure whether our head to head puts us in front or behind. But it doesn't matter if they run it out. Possible: 68

The little Nash ramblers have a couple of tight matches left in their final 3 with King Louie and NC, but all are at home. Earning 6 leaves them with 64, but 9 earns: 67

The Babybulls will remain road warriors throughout this final stretch, with only NC in their way for a full 9 points. Differential would put them (ahead?) even with: 66

Silver lining: I doubt King Louie can back into a top 4 spot. Still possible if they earn a full 9 and TBR drops 2 (differential?) and someone else crashes. But they should be hungry to earn a home match on their tiny pitch. 9 gives them: 60

What a season! What a bounceback! COYR!! Finish strong! FIGHT AS ONE!!!!

There is still a TON at stake right now regarding Eastern Conference playoff positioning. I started mapping out possible scenarios, and in political election terms, it's still "too close to call".

Regarding the Rowdies I looked at the other teams in positions 1-7. This would be NSH, PIT, NY, IND, LOU, and NC. OTT is out of the picture for us since they sit on 45pts with 4 games left to play, giving them a max total points of 47. It would tie us on both points and win totals, but we would likely have the edge on them on goal differential in a worst case scenario.

As of right now, there are 20 games in total that have yet to be played that affects where the Rowdies might end up.

LDNvPIT (10/1)

OTTvIND (10/2)

LDNvTBR (10/4)

PITvATL (10/5)

NCvNY (10/5)

INDvMEM (10/5)

STLvLOU (10/5)

NSHvLOU (10/8)

NSHvNC (10/12)

STLvPIT (10/12)

TBRvIND (10/12)

LOUvSPR (10/12)

BHMvNY (10/16)

INDvSPR (10/16)

NSHvATL (10/19)

LDNvNY (10/19)

HFDvTBR (10/19)

MEMvLOU (10/19)

NCvSTL (10/19)

BHMvPIT (10/20)

Doing the quick math, 320 = 3,486,784,401 possible outcomes. We are still too far away and too close on points to be able to predict any scenarios with confidence. Honestly, I want to throw out what I think might happen, but the East is incredibly volatile and unpredictable. For all I know, I could see NCFC take all three of their games, and now they would be in the home playoff picture if they did.

I don't care where we finish, as long as we don't have to travel to Pitt or Louisville. I feel extremely confident we can win anywhere else. Those two are just house of horrors for us

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.gq.com.au/lifestyle/art-design/david-beckhams-new-50-million-miami-apartment-is-insane/image-gallery/cd4e49de04148539e8d31553411a7bcd

David Beckham's New $50 Million Miami Apartment Is Insane

A Zaha Hadid-designed marvel with the luxury of a seven-star resort.

It may seem like a bit of a cliche for rich British expats to descent on the sunlit Atlantic shores of Miami when they strike it rich, but David Beckham and his family seem intent on keeping the trend alive and well. As a major investor in the city's planned MLS team Inter Miami, the ex-footballer has established the Floridian city as something of a second base — something he clearly intends to make permanent by buying what could one of the city's most prized pieces of real estate.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/transfer-news/1179717/reports-manchester-united-handed-transfer-setback-attacking-target-mario-mandzukic-juventus-prepares-mls-switch/

Reports: Manchester United handed transfer setback as attacking target prepares for MLS switch

Reports suggest that Manchester United will no longer be able to sign Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic, as he is getting ready to join Major League Soccer (MLS) team Los Angeles FC.

The Sun reports that Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is quite interested to sign the Croatian veteran in the upcoming January transfer window, and thereby make amends for the sale of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan in August.

But according to Calciomercato, the 33-year-old is also a target for Los Angeles FC, who currently sits at the top of the Western Conference table in the MLS.