Rowdies first 3 games of 2020 announced

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/ekyq8t/rowdies_first_3_games_of_2020_announced/

Rowdies first 3 games of 2020 announced

Who's going to Miami? It's a Friday...but it's a Friday the 13th!

WE ALL GOIN TO MIAMI

(though seriously, we all need to go to Miami)

I'm totally going. It's the Friday before I go on Spring Break and I won't have any students, just have to have grades finished and entered & that won't be a problem.

MOB ON TOUUUURRR

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https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1075640

USL Championship Announces 2020 Home Openers

10TH SEASON TO KICK OFF MARCH 6 WITH 16 GAMES SLATED FOR OPENING WEEKEND

TAMPA, Fla. – The United Soccer League today announced the home openers for all 35 clubs in the USL Championship, with the league’s 10th anniversary season set to kick off on Friday, March 6.

The 2020 campaign opens with a Friday doubleheader that will feature three teams that reached the postseason in the Western Conference last season, with Orange County SC set to host El Paso Locomotive FC in the opening game at Championship Stadium in California before Tacoma Defiance takes on Reno 1868 FC at Cheney Stadium.

The first Saturday of the season contains plenty to watch for, too, with perennial playoff contenders North Carolina FC hosting Louisville City FC and the New York Red Bulls II hosting the Tampa Bay Rowdies. In the Western Conference, Real Monarchs SLC will open its title defense on the road against San Antonio FC, while two sides that reached the postseason in their inaugural seasons will kick off their second campaigns when Austin Bold FC hosts New Mexico United.

The weekend’s marquee matchup arrives late on Saturday night when expansion side San Diego Loyal SC, led by Landon Donovan, hosts Las Vegas Lights FC and Head Coach Eric Wynalda as the former U.S. Men’s National Team legends square off on the sidelines for the first time.

Other notable home openers include the first game at home for defending champion Real Monarchs SLC, which welcomes 2019 Regular Season Title-Winner Phoenix Rising FC to Zions Bank Stadium on Saturday, March 14, while Miami FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies will meet for the first time in the USL Championship on Friday, March 13 at Riccardo Silva Stadium.

Louisville City FC will be the visitor for two early 2019 Eastern Conference playoff rematches as it visits Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday, March 21 at Highmark Stadium and then takes on Indy Eleven on April 4 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The two-time champion will then open its new 11,700-seat Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday, April 11 as it plays host to Birmingham Legion FC, kicking off a new era for the club as it aims to reach the USL Championship Final for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season.

2020 USL CHAMPIONSHIP HOME OPENERS
March 6
Orange County SC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC
Tacoma Defiance vs. Reno 1868 FC

March 7
Austin Bold FC vs. New Mexico United
Memphis 901 FC vs. Indy Eleven
New York Red Bulls II vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
North Carolina FC vs. Louisville City FC
OKC Energy FC vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Philadelphia Union II vs. Loudoun United FC
Phoenix Rising FC vs. Portland Timbers 2
Sacramento Republic FC vs. FC Tulsa
Saint Louis FC vs. Miami FC
San Antonio FC vs. Real Monarchs SLC
San Diego Loyal SC vs. Las Vegas Lights FC

March 8
ATL UTD 2 vs. Charleston Battery
Rio Grande Valley FC vs. LA Galaxy II
Sporting Kansas City II vs. Charlotte Independence

March 13
LA Galaxy II vs. Austin Bold FC
Miami FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies

March 14
Charlotte Independence vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. San Antonio FC
El Paso Locomotive FC vs. Portland Timbers 2
FC Tulsa vs. New Mexico United
Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Sacramento Republic FC
Real Monarchs SLC vs. Phoenix Rising FC
Reno 1868 FC vs. OKC Energy FC

March 15
Birmingham Legion FC vs. Charleston Battery

March 21
Hartford Athletic vs. Charleston Battery
New Mexico United vs. El Paso Locomotive FC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Louisville City FC
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. North Carolina FC

March 22
Portland Timbers 2 vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC

March 28
Charleston Battery vs. Philadelphia Union II

April 4
Indy Eleven vs. Louisville City FC

April 11
Louisville City FC vs. Birmingham Legion FC

May 6
Loudoun United FC vs. Charlotte Independence

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https://www.ktrs.com/saint-louis-fc-names-steve-trittschuh-new-coach/

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Saint Louis FC announced the appointment of Steve Trittschuh as the club’s new head coach for the 2020 USL Championship season.

Trittschuh was born in Granite City, Illinois and attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where he was inducted into the SIUE Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011. He began his professional career for the St. Louis Steamers in 1987 and would represent the United States in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics before signing with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Trittschuh played for the U.S. Men’s National Team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup and then signed with Czechoslovakia club Sparta Prague where he made 13 appearances and scored one goal in a season culminating with a league championship. He would also become the first American to play in the European Cup, the predecessor to the UEFA Champions League. Stints with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, St. Louis Ambush, and Montreal Impact would follow before Trittschuh signed with the Colorado Rapids in 1996. He would make 98 appearances and score 11 goals for the club before finishing his playing career at the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001. In total, Trittschuh made 317 club appearances and scored 39 goals while also making 37 international appearances with two goals scored before starting a coaching career as an assistant with the Colorado Rapids in 2002.

“Steve’s experience as a player and coach in the USL Championship, MLS and the U.S. National Team is difficult to find,” added Barry. “He brings intensity, discipline and a commitment to success in everything he does. We are excited to see what he can do with our rebuilt roster in 2020.”

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https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/news/eintracht-frankfurt-hertha-berlin-live-line-ups-stats-klinsmann-trapp-silva-9130

BUNDESLIGA

Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Hertha Berlin: probable line-ups, match stats and LIVE blog!

Jurgen Klinsmann could hand a debut to new signing Santiago Ascacibar when Hertha Berlin face Bundesliga rivals Eintracht Frankfurt in the Florida Cup curtain-raiser at Tampa Bay Rowdies' Al Lang Stadium on Thursday (1am CET/12am GMT/7pm ET - 1day).

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https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/10683903/bale-beckham-real-madrid-miami/

OH MI, GARETH Real Madrid ‘find Gareth Bale transfer buyer’ with David Beckham’s Inter Miami leading race

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https://whoradio.iheart.com/content/2020-01-01-city-of-des-moines-bullish-on-plan-for-soccer-stadium/

City of Des Moines bullish on plan for soccer stadium

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https://theathletic.com/1513712/2020/01/06/why-there-arent-more-players-making-the-jump-from-usl-to-mls/

Why there aren’t more players making the jump from USL to MLS

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https://www.wncw.org/post/professional-soccer-coming-charlotte

Professional Soccer Coming to Charlotte

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https://ussoccerplayers.com/2020/01/inter-miami-surprises-by-hiring-diego-alonso.html

INTER MIAMI SURPRISES BY HIRING DIEGO ALONSO

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https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/mls-project-didn-t-get-missouri-s-approval-tax-credits-2019-what-about-2020#stream/0

MLS Project Didn’t Get Missouri’s Approval For Tax Credits In 2019, But What About 2020?

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http://www.thecharlottepost.com/news/2020/01/06/qcfc/charlotte-soccer-gala-celebrates-sport-s-homegrown-reach/

Charlotte Soccer Gala celebrates sport's homegrown reach

Charlotte MLS exec Tom Glick is keynoter

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https://patch.com/florida/stpete/installation-echelman-sculpture-st-pete-pier-underway

Installation Of Echelman Sculpture At St. Pete Pier Underway

Additionally, Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grill is now accepting applications for employment at its St. Pete Pier restaurant.

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2020/01/05/remembering-the-nasl-defunct-leagues-draft-certainly-had-its-moments/

REMEMBERING THE NASL: Defunct league’s draft certainly had its moments

Former MetroStars and Red Bulls GM and president Alexi Lalas (right), pictured by former head coach Mo Johnston, was drafted by the same NPSL team in consecutive seasons and did not sign with them both times.

This week FrontRowSoccer.com kicks off a special series before Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft. The first part is about a remembrance of a league that helped laid the groundwork for today’s MLS — the North American Soccer League.

The last North American Soccer League draft took place more than three decades ago, which is more than generation in the past.

Due to the process of Americanization of the league, in which teams originally were required to have at least one U.S. player — native or naturalized — in the lineup at all times, it certainly made for some, ahem, interesting drafts.

Here are some of the more tasty morsels of one of the more colorful periods in American soccer history.

The first man

Defender Alain Maca, son of Joe Maca, who played for the U.S. in its 1-0 upset of England in the 1950 World Cup, was the NASL’s first draft choice ever — on Feb. 9, 1972 — by the Miami Gatos, the forerunners of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. His NASL career was an undistinguished one, scoring one goal in 41 games over three seasons. Maca, a Brockport State graduate, also played two seasons in the American Soccer League. The Gatos, incidentally, took Maca over Kyle Rote and Shep Messing.

“It was flattering being drafted first,” Maca said years later. “It was a nice feeling at the time. I didn’t get rich from it. But I guess being No. 1 was my reward.”

In 1979, Maca had some advice for players: “If you seriously consider being a soccer player, forget college. You lose four years. When you’re 21 or 22, you should be ready to play. It took some players nearly five years to develop. Others never did.”

The first woman

The Chicago Sting selected Marilyn Lange, Playboy’s 1975 Playmate of the Year, in the fourth and final round of the 1976 draft. Lange, who played soccer in her native Hawaii, never played a minute for the Sting.

“I wouldn’t want to play against the guys the Sting play,” she said. “They’re too rough.”

Lost in the publicity for Lange was the fact the Tampa Bay Rowdies also selected a woman — B.J. Woodward of North Carolina in the fourth round.

The shadow

On Jan. 14, 1976, the Rochester Lancers (NASL) drafted Jim Pollihan, Dale Rothe, Terry Lippman and Steve Cacciatore in that order. A week later, the Los Angeles Skyhawks picked these players in the same order in the American Soccer League draft: Pollihan, Rothe, Lippman and Cacciatore. Hmmm, coincidence or a plot by then Skyhawks coach Ron Newman?

“That’s a compliment to the Lancers,” he said. “I always draft good ones . . . Let’s face it. They have a better chance to play here.”

The Lancers signed Pollihan, who enjoyed a long career in pro soccer (he wound up as the general manager of the Harrisburg Heat) and Lippman, while the fate of Rothe and Cacciatore was not known.

The trade

How much is a draft pick worth? Well, to the 1974 NASL champion Los Angeles Aztecs, it was worth seven players. That’s right, the Aztecs dealt away seven players from their championship team to the expansion San Antonio Thunder for the team’s first pick — second overall — in the 1975 draft and two future first-round draft choices. Aztecs coach Alex Perolli moved to the Thunder after that championship season.

Was it worth it?

UCLA forward Sergio Velasquez, the pick, had a rather disappointing career, scoring two goals and setting up four others over 21 games in three seasons with the Aztecs and Seattle Sounders. The Thunder finished at 6-16, and Perolli was eventually fired. Five players wound up on the Thunder roster. For the record, the seven players for which he was traded: goalkeeper Blas Sanchez, midfielders Luis Marotte and Pedro Martinez and forwards Peter Filotis and Yeprem Nersepian.

Cloak and dagger

The hottest player at the 1980 draft could have been forward Darryl Gee of Oakland Mills High School in Baltimore, who scored 52 goals in 31 games over his final two high school seasons. The University of Tampa brought Gee into town (ironically, the site of the draft) for a visit and hid him from the press. The New York Cosmos were so sure that no one would know about Gee and were ready to draft him early. But the Minnesota Kicks threw the Cosmos a curve and drafted Gee.

Before Project 40

Almost a generation before Project 40, NASL clubs were allowed to draft high school players, although only a handful of them ever made an impact. A total of 21 high school players were selected among the first 95 picks. In fact, the youngest player taken in the 1980 draft was David James, a defender from Richardson High School in suburban Dallas. He was 16 years and four months old on draft day in December 1979.

Some things never change

With all that wheeling and dealing of draft picks for the MLS SuperDraft, well, the league is following a tradition leftover from NASL days. For the 1980 draft, 13 of the 24 first-round picks were either dealt or sold before the draft. Fort Lauderdale originally owned the 18th selection in the first round. The team dealt it to the Aztecs, who traded it to the Tulsa Roughnecks, who sent it to the California Surf, which dealt it to the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Double coverage

OK, OK, it’s not the NASL, but rather the National Professional Soccer League. Yet, this item was too good to ignore. Former U.S. international and MLS defender and ex-MetroStars/Red Bulls president and general manager Alexi Lalas was drafted by the same NPSL team in consecutive seasons. The Detroit Rockers selected the Birmingham, Michigan, native in the 1992 amateur territorial draft. He didn’t sign, so the Rockers again drafted Lalas in the territorial round of the 1993 draft. He didn’t sign that time, either.

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https://www.foxsports.com.my/football/transfer-buzz/134783/reports-manchester-united-arsenal-among-clubs-interested-in-signing-mls-wonderkid/

Reports: Manchester United, Arsenal among clubs interested in signing MLS wonderkid

Reports from various sources have claimed that Premier League giants Manchester United and Arsenal are interested in signing Major League Soccer (MLS) club Atlanta United’s Ezequiel Barco.

According to Golazo, a source from the USA has claimed that Serie A sides Inter Milan and AS Roma, and Portuguese Primeira Liga club Sporting CP are also keeping tabs on the player.

Check out the tweet shared right below:

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https://theathletic.com/1513621/2020/01/06/sources-fc-cincinnati-to-sign-japan-international-yuya-kubo-as-a-designated-player/

Sources: FC Cincinnati to sign Japan international Yuya Kubo as a designated player