The mayor and the billionaire: A tweet raises hopes - and questions - about MLS in Sacramento

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https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article235162407.html

The mayor and the billionaire: A tweet raises hopes - and questions - about MLS in Sacramento

Sacramento Republic FC released on April 3, 2019, new renderings for the club’s proposed Major League Soccer stadium in the downtown railyard.

Long-suffering Sacramento soccer fans are starved for any hints that Sacramento’s now five-year-long effort to win a Major League Soccer franchise may be coming to a successful conclusion.

It’s no surprise then that a tweet by Mayor Darrell Steinberg on Monday showing him standing, soccer ball in hand, between Ron Burkle and Matt Alvarez immediately launched nearly a 100 twitter hearts in response. Alvarez wore a Republic FC scarf.

“Great seeing Ron Burkle and Matt Alvarez this morning!” the mayor tweeted. But what was this meeting about?

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https://www.courant.com/soccer-usl-san-diego-landon-donovan-warren-smith-usd-torero-stadium-2020-story.html

Second-division USL team in San Diego prepares to start in 2020

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https://www.thetravel.com/florida-scariest-creepiest-ghost-tours-united-states/

The 10 Scariest Ghost Tours In Florida

It may be hard to hear, but America's Sunshine State is also riddled with ghosts. One city in particular, St. Augustine, is riddled with ghost tours and haunted houses. As one of the oldest cities in America, there are tall tales of ghost sightings and eerie things going on since the city's founding in the 1500s. So, once the weather gets cooler and fall festivities fill the air, take a trip down to Florida to see all the spooky tours taking place.

RELATED: 10 Of The Most Haunted Places To Visit In Florida

With Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party taking over Disney World from late August through October, many tourists are making the trip down to Florida for the ultimate Halloween vacation.If Mickey and his buddies aren't spooky enough for you, you can turn to these 10 ghost tours around Florida that are top-rated.

10 SECRETS OF ST. AUGUSTINE GHOST TOURS

9 KEY WEST GHOST AND GRAVESTONE TOUR

8 AMERICAN GHOST ADVENTURES: ORLANDO

7 SHERIFF'S GHOST WALK: ST. AUGUSTINE

6 THE OFFICIAL YBOR CITY GHOST TOUR: TAMPA

Have you ever heard of Ybor City before? Well, if you're visiting the Tampa area, Ybor is right outside. Once you've made it to this charming (and eerie) town, the Ybor City Ghost Tour will take you on a 120-minute tour that includes stories creepy enough to be their own movies.

RELATED: Disney Parks: 10 Haunted Mansion Legends You Didn’t Know Existed

You'll learn about Ybor's former residents who've done some shady things, leading them to haunt the streets of Ybor years later. Watch out as you pass through a haunted house or two along the way!

5 AFTERLIFE TOURS: ST. AGUSTINE

4 GHOST & MYSTERIES TOUR: KEY WEST

3 TRUE TOURS: FORT MYERS

2 A GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER: ST. AUGUSTINE

1 AMELIA ISLAND GHOST TOURS

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https://www.tampabay.com/arts-entertainment/2019/09/17/how-to-do-halloween-at-these-tampa-bay-and-orlando-theme-parks/

How to do Halloween at these Tampa Bay and Orlando theme parks

Halloween Horror Nights, Howl-O-Scream, Disney’s Not-So-Scary, Scream-A-Geddon and more: A complete guide to spooky fun.

To celebrate the 20th year of Howl-O-Scream, Busch Gardens is bringing back icons, the characters that matched the theming of each event. That includes, from left, Dr. Livingsdoom, the event's first icon in 2000 who was in the Haunted Jungle Trail, Death Jockey, Trickster, Voodoo Queen and the Butcher. Howl-O-Scream opens Friday. [Busch Gardens]

You barely get your first whiff of pumpkin spice before the smell of blood and smoke overtake it. We just can’t seem to get enough of Halloween haunts.

Once again, scares are starting earlier and...

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https://www.sporttechie.com/mls-atlanta-united-fc-youth-academy-playermaker-wearable/

Why Atlanta United’s Youth Academy Has Turned to PlayerMaker Wearable: ‘Technical Mastery for a Young Player Is Everything’

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7472077/Wayne-Rooney-believes-American-players-MLS-UNDERPAID.html

'I feel they deserve to get more money': Wayne Rooney believes that American players in the MLS are UNDERPAID and former Manchester United and England striker has urged the league to change salary cap

Wayne Rooney feels American players in Major League Soccer are underpaid

The DC United striker wants the league to do more to remunerate the players

Rooney is in his final season in the MLS before leaving to join Derby County

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https://gamerant.com/fifa-20-soccer-football-league/

FIFA 20 Needs All Of These Leagues

With FIFA 20 set to launch in just under two weeks, there's plenty of new gameplay additions for fans to get excited about: Volta will bring back the flair-filled gameplay of FIFA Street, career mode is finally getting a much-needed overhaul, and EA Sports is continuing to grow its catalog of authentic leagues with the addition of the top Romanian league. The game now features over thirty leagues from around the world, but we couldn't help but think there are a few more that ought to have been included in FIFA 20.

Without further ado, let's take a look at a few leagues that deserve to be in FIFA 20:

5 CANADIAN PREMIER LEAGUE

North of the border, a big moment in North American sporting history took place earlier this year: the Canadian Premier League kicked its first ball. The newly-formed professional league launched with seven professional teams from coast-to-coast across Canada, marking the only time in recent sporting history that a professional top flight football league has launched as part of such a large-scale initiative.

RELATED:

FIFA Volta Will Launch Without Microtransactions

The league is set up in a way that will be familiar to fans of Liga MX, with a split-season format representing an apertura and clausura that caps off with playoffs between the winners of both seasons. The burgeoning league hasn't taken long to make an impact, with its Calgary-based spring season winners already causing an upset in the Canadian Championship over an MLS team, and its Hamilton-based club making it to the Round of 16 in the CONCACAF League. Suffice to say, the league has shown a good level of quality in its first few months of action.

Given that a large portion of the FIFA franchise is developed by EA Vancouver, it only makes sense that the developers ought to engage in the growth of the game in their own backyard. With Canada set to help host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, it's not unrealistic to think that the Canadian Premier League will find its way to the FIFA franchise in the near future - though it'd be neat to see the CPL included during its inaugural season. It's not too late for a DLC update, is it?

4 UAE PRO-LEAGUE

3 INDIAN SUPER LEAGUE

2 UNITED SOCCER LEAGUE

While most football fans will think of Major League Soccer when it comes to football in the USA, the country's second-tier league hosts some 36 teams split across two conferences. There are plenty of second divisions already in FIFA 20, with the likes of England, Germany, France, and Italy all having their second divisions included in the upcoming game.

Here's the catch about the USL: 15 of those 36 teams are official affiliates of MLS clubs, which means many of those are 'B Teams' of clubs in the US top flight division. This will make the league less attractive to some, but all-in-all it adds an explosion of clubs in North America. These clubs managed to pull in some 2.8 million spectators to stadiums around the country last year, with many more fans tuning in to watch matches online. Suffice to say, there's definitely a lot of interest in US second division football.

While there's no promotion or relegation between the USL and Major League Soccer, it's inclusion would still have another huge benefit in FIFA 20: it would allow for a much fuller version of the US Open Cup to play out, and that'd make Career Mode with an MLS (or, er, USL) team much more interesting. Plus, there'd be plenty of sensible options to send MLS players out on loan to: as things currently stand, a Career Mode MLS experience often involves loaning out youngsters to other MLS teams, and that's just something that doesn't happen in real life. With the authentic-looking game mode getting a renewed focus from EA Sports, what better time than now to make the US-based football experience more authentic than ever?

1 BRASILEIRAO SERIE A

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https://www.wirenewsfax.com/moving-lionel-messi-to-the-united-states-the-new-club-of-david-beckham-talks-to-his-father-about-the-transfer

Moving Lionel Messi to the united states? The new club of David Beckham, talks to his father about the transfer

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https://www.law360.com/articles/1199438/ex-soccer-exec-asks-again-to-claw-back-copy-of-feds-deal

Ex-Soccer Exec Asks Again To Claw Back Copy Of Feds Deal

Law360

The U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer are working to rid themselves of a suit brought by the NASL that accuses them of working ...

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https://www.cltampa.com/food-drink/food-features/article/21087334/ybor-citys-stone-soup-company-lives-up-to-its-name-with-80000-donations

Ybor City’s Stone Soup Company lives up to its name with 80,000 donations

It comes after 10 years of a quiet buy-one-give-one campaign.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/d5m4wv/skyway_casuals_wallpaper/

Skyway Casuals wallpaper.

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https://www.floridatrend.com/article/27866/ybor-city-development-corporations-more-in-ybor-campaign-wins-prestigious-award

Ybor City Development Corporation's ‘More in Ybor' Campaign Wins Prestigious Award

The Ybor City Development Corporation (YCDC), in partnership with the City of Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency and HCP Associates, won the 2019 Florida Redevelopment Association (FRA) Award in the promotion category for the ‘More in Ybor’ campaign.

The ‘More in Ybor’ campaign was launched in part due to the long-held perception that Ybor was solely ‘Tampa’s Entertainment District.’ The multi-faceted campaign, aimed at developers, entrepreneurs, corporate executives and potential residents, was intended to shift this perception by sharing notable successes in economic development. For example, Ybor now has drawn corporate headquarters, a boutique hotel, high-end residences and several tech-related businesses.

The ‘More in Ybor’ campaign also showcased the district’s long-time residents, as well as business owners that have lived and worked in Ybor for a lifetime. It focused on capturing residents’ and business owners’ admiration of the district, which would entice business operators to consider relocating or starting a business in Ybor.

Overall, a redesigned website, new economic development brochure, daily social media posts, photo contests, a quarterly newsletter and the historic district’s testimonial video series, views of Ybor are positively shifting.

“We are thrilled to be selected as a Florida state award winner. Ybor’s recognition throughout the state as a revitalized walkable district thriving with business activity and unparalleled features is incredibly rewarding. Our communication efforts to showcase this obviously is working,” said YCDC Chair Grant Mehlich.

The FRA Awards are ceremoniously presented at the association’s annual conference to recognize remarkable work in a variety of categories. Entries are examined for effectiveness and completeness, including the narrative and supplemental material. Judges selected by the FRA represent various organizations and sectors from around the state.

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https://www.tampabay.com/news/hillsborough/2019/09/17/hyde-park-to-tampa-leave-our-brick-streets-alone/

Hyde Park to Tampa: Leave our brick streets alone

The neighborhood association wants the city to promise via an ordinance to not remove their community’s historic street bricks.

Old Augusta bricks pave the road on West Bay Street in the Spanishtown Creek section of Hyde Park.

Hyde Park and Ybor City are both historic districts teeming with bars, restaurants and vintage structures.

Both also have leaders pushing for their main thoroughfares to be lined with bricks, as each...

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https://insidersport.com/2019/09/17/usl-looks-to-follow-lead-of-mls-with-sports-betting-sponsorships/

USL looks to follow lead of MLS with sports betting sponsorships

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https://www.wingsherald.com/a-us-soccer-team-throws-10000-at-fans-from-a-helicopter-viral-las-vegas-nevada-soccer-football-club-united-states/

A US Soccer Team Throws $10,000 at Fans From a Helicopter

Las Vegas Lights FC, a soccer team of the second division of the United States, threw $10,000 to their fans from a helicopter during the halftime of a game last Saturday.

The team pre-selected 200 of their fans to remain on the pitch while Pink Scarf, the mascot of Las Vegas Lights, threw bills of different denominations from the aircraft that flew over Chasman Field in Nevada.

This event known as cash drop, is in the process of becoming a tradition for this team, since a similar dynamic was organized last year. On that occasion, the board decided to throw 5,000 dollars.

Unfortunately for fans, last weekend his team fell 3-0 at home against El Paso Locomotive FC. Currently, Las Vegas Lights occupy the fourteenth position among the 18 teams that make up the Western Conference of the USL Championship.

Watch the scenario unfold in the video down below!

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https://www.lmtonline.com/sports/article/Promotion-and-relegation-in-American-soccer-14444579.php

Promotion and relegation in American soccer?

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https://www.espn.com/soccer/concacaf-leagues-cup/story/3944473/could-mlsliga-mx-actually-merge-in-the-future-mlb-might-provide-the-blueprint

Could MLS, Liga MX actually merge in the future? MLB might provide the blueprint

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https://theathletic.com/1217663/2019/09/17/qa-with-new-chicago-fire-owner-joe-mansueto-i-love-our-fan-base-but-we-need-more-of-them/

Q&A with new Chicago Fire owner Joe Mansueto: ‘I love our fan base…but we need more of them.’

The Joe Mansueto era of Fire ownership began this past weekend with a 4-0 victory over FC Dallas in Bridgeview. The team’s new majority owner made his fortune with Morningstar, a Chicago-based investment research firm, and this news comes just over a year after he purchased a 49 percent stake of the team from Andrew Hauptman.

This past Friday, the team announced that Mansueto was purchasing the remaining 51 percent of the organization and assuming full ownership effective immediately. Mansueto sat down with The Athletic on Monday afternoon to discuss the team’s impending move to Soldier Field, the history and future of the club, and his vision for reviving a team that has languished for much of the last decade.

What drew you to soccer?

When I was growing up in northwest Indiana, there was no soccer option. It was football, basketball, baseball. I got involved in soccer through my kids. I’ve got three kids and when they were younger they...

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https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/soccer/leagues-cup-final-comes-to-sam-boyd-stadium-on-wednesday-1850404/

Leagues Cup Final comes to Sam Boyd Stadium on Wednesday

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https://buffalonews.com/2019/09/17/fc-buffalo-to-weigh-options-for-npsls-new-spring-fall-season/

FC Buffalo to weigh options for NPSL's new spring/fall season

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https://www.espn.com/soccer/soccer-transfers/story/3944637/tottenhams-lloris-open-to-playing-in-mls

Tottenham's Lloris open to playing in MLS

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http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/mls-var-sponsorship-inventory-sale

MLS ‘actively selling’ VAR sponsorship inventory

Carter Ladd tells SBJ league has “a couple of ongoing conversations” regarding potential deal.

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https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/soccer/2019/09/17/racine-native-jesse-marsch-makes-soccer-history-champions-league/2351499001/

Wisconsinite makes history as first American-born soccer manager at group stage of Champions League

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https://loyalty360.org/content-gallery/daily-news/an-mls-stadium-enlists-extreme-network-for-enhance

An MLS Stadium Enlists Extreme Network for Enhanced Gameday Experience

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https://sports.yahoo.com/rooney-lambasts-mls-over-domestic-124819032.html

Rooney lambasts MLS over domestic salaries

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/09/17/mls-announces-multi-year-partnership-bodyarmor-sports-drink

MLS announces multi-year partnership with BODYARMOR sports drink

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https://www.sportbusiness.com/news/bodyarmor-becomes-mlss-official-sports-drink-partner/

BodyArmor becomes MLS’s official sports drink partner

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https://the18.com/soccer-learning/which-sports-drink-is-the-best-has-most-electrolytes

MLS Partners With BodyArmor — Is It The Best Sports Drink Out There Today?

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https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article235172572.html

Want Inter Miami season tickets? Here’s what they will cost

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https://jitneybooks.com/miami-dolphins-have-done-south-florida-dirty/

Miami Dolphins Have Done South Florida Dirty

Like clockwork, South Florida’s pathetic excuse for a professional football team, the Miami Dolphins will probably have a losing season.

Anyone with a sliver of sports knowledge could’ve seen this coming.

They brought  in two quarterbacks that haven’t really impressed in journeyman and part time caveman impersonator Ryan Fitzpatrick and former UCLA QB1 Josh Rosen. They traded away all of their above-average talents with Kenny Stills, Laremy Tunsil and Cameron Wake all leaving. “Tanking for Tua” as ‘Dolfans call it, is unacceptable in the “win now” culture of South Floridan sports.

The decline of the Miami Dolphins has been a long time coming.
From the glory days of Dan Marino to losing by 59 points on the first game of the season and rumors of players like Minkah Fitzpatrick actively seeking trades, it’ll take a long time before the Dolphins are out of meme territory.

With the Miami Marlins and Florida Panthers being similarly poor, all of South Florida’s hopes and dreams now rest on the two teams with bright futures: Inter Miami and the Miami Heat.

The Miami Heat has always been a franchise that hates to lose. Club president Pat Riley has even said as much. In a 2018 press conference he stated the Heat organization has “no interest in tanking.” Even when the Heat are perceived to be in “losing upward,” the franchise still makes an effort to be competitive. They only missed the playoffs 11 times in the 31 years of the franchise’s history.

One can say that this winning mentality is bleeding into another Miami sports team that is set to kick off in 2020.

Club Internacional de Futbol Miami otherwise known as ‘Inter Miami’ is South Florida’s first-ever true professional soccer club. Founded in January of 2018, the club has seen the blueprint laid down by the Miami Heat and knew that it was imperative that Inter Miami has a winning culture surrounding the team.

We’ve already seen that come to fruition with links to high profile, world-class players like Edinson Cavani, Gareth Bale, and Lionel Messi. Owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham make sure to hear the concerns of each and every fan, which is more than what the Miami Dolphins have ever done.

We can only hope that the upcoming NBA season and the 2020 MLS season will inject some life into this lifeless sports town.

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https://statehornet.com/2019/09/mls-sacramento-state-socccer/

With MLS team potentially incoming, Sac State’s soccer athletes have pro-level dreams

Hornets have deep links with Sac Republic FC

Sacramento State freshman defender Abraham Rosales shields the ball away from Gabe Gissie of Sacramento Republic FC during a friendly match at Hornet Field on Wednesday, March 1.

Sacramento State’s men’s soccer team lost two of their last three games, but they may have a major boost to their long-term prospects after recent developments with a local professional club.

The Sacramento Bee was first to report the deal between Major League Soccer and the Sacramento Republic Football Club to add the local team to the biggest professional league for soccer in the United States.

The Sac Republic, which currently plays in the United Soccer League, has been in the process of bidding for a spot in the expanding MLS for over five years now.

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http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/mls-bodyarmor-official-sports-drink-sponsorship-campeones-cup-leagues-cup

MLS names BodyArmor as official sports drink

Deal covers the Campeones Cup and Leagues Cup competitions.

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https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/USL-San-Diego-Announces-Details-on-2020-Debut-560550261.html

USL San Diego Announces Details on 2020 Debut

The newest professional team in town will begin its first season in March 2020.

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http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2019/09/18/foreign-legion-rooney-calls-higher-pay-local-mls-players/

Foreign legion: Rooney calls for higher pay for local MLS players