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Monday, December 5, 2016

Source: NASL Down to Four Teams, Future Bleak

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http://fiftyfive.one/2016/12/source-nasl-four-teams-future-bleak/

Source: NASL Down to Four Teams, Future Bleak

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http://www.empireofsoccer.com/the-end-cosmos-terminate-all-player-contracts-56098/

The End: Cosmos terminate all player contracts

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http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2016/12/5/13777952/new-york-cosmos-out-of-business-nasl-usa-soccer-second-division-usl

The New York Cosmos are closing up shop, and they’re taking NASL with them

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http://playingfor90.com/2016/12/04/nasls-troubles-show-far-north-american-soccer-still-go/

NASL’s troubles show how far North American soccer still has to go

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http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/cosmos2.php?article_id=46588

Source: Cosmos have ceased operations as they negotiate with NYC company to buy the team; players released

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http://www.fccincinnati.com/news_article/show/728823?referrer_id=2584136

Garber in Cincinnati: The Day in Pictures

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http://www.themaneland.com/2016/12/5/13829180/orlando-city-s-impact-on-the-growth-of-san-antonio-fc

Orlando City’s Impact on the Growth of San Antonio FC

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http://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/fox-sports-to-ring-the-nasdaq-stock-market-opening-bell-20161205-00629

FOX Sports to Ring The Nasdaq Stock Market Opening Bell

FOX Sports, the umbrella entity representing 21st Century FOX's wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets, will visit the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square to celebrate the company's first-ever MLS Cup broadcast.

In honor of the occasion, former MLS and U.S. Men's National Team player and FOX Sports soccer analyst Alexi Lalas and lead soccer announcerJohn Strong, will ring the Opening Bell.

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http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2016/12/05/30203922/mls-cup-sells-out-in-three-minutes

MLS Cup sells out in three minutes

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http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/mls/mls-cup-final-tfc-toronto-sounders-1.3882491

MLS Cup final sells out in 3 minutes

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http://www.torontosun.com/2016/12/05/toronto-fcs-mls-cup-match-sells-out-in-minutes

Toronto FC's MLS Cup match sells out in minutes

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http://www.grbj.com/articles/86757-grand-action-considers-stadium-hotel-and-devos-place-expansion

Grand Action considers stadium, hotel and DeVos Place expansion

With the United Soccer League, or USL — a third-tier professional men’s soccer league, which launched in 2011, promising to grow from 29 teams to 40 teams by 2020 — the study also suggests Grand Rapids would be a great fit for one of those additional teams.

Grand Rapids is a viable market for a franchise, ranking 20th among existing USL markets due to its DMA population, and USL representatives have previously said the city is “an ideal market for potential expansion for their league.”

Once in a Lifetime was enough

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http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/12/04/fc-cincinnati-say-they-passed-tuesdays-mls-audition-flying-colors

FC Cincinnati say they passed Tuesday's MLS audition "with flying colors"

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http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3012042/mls-chief-mark-abbott-backs-st-louis-ownership-group-for-expansion-team

MLS chief Mark Abbott backs St. Louis ownership group for expansion team

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http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/columns/cuttone.php?article_id=46589

December 4, 2016

CUTTONE'S CONCEPTS

Once in a Lifetime was enough

by Charles Cuttone

Executive Editor

For the second time in my lifetime I am watching the New York Cosmos die a slow agonizing death. Once in a lifetime was enough.

It's not like this incarnation of the Cosmos was really a continuation of the first. Some of us wanted it to be. In some ways they were like the original Cosmos. Dominant on the field, winning three league titles in four years, and coming very close to a fourth.

But the team's ownership took a huge gamble, and lost.

After buying the rights to the name, the team's owners headed by Seamus O'Brien decided to forego paying Major League Soccer's expansion fee, planning instead to invest in the club. While they did sign a few big names in Raul and Marcos Senna, those players, while former World Cup winners, never quite captured the imagination as Pelé, Beckenbauer and the rest did so many years ago. Especially not with the Cosmos playing in a sub-par stadium in a second division league.

Plans for a 30,000-seat stadium at Belmont Park got mired in Albany politics. Or maybe got mired in not being able to write the check to get it built. If the team's ownership could not hold on and sustain losses for more than four years, one has to wonder whether the dollars were ever there to begin with, not only to enter MLS, but to build the stadium and compete at the first division level.

There are those in the twittersphere who will blame the demise of the team, and perhaps eventually soon of the North American Soccer League, on the lack of promotion/relegation, saying the sport is too much a business.

To them I say, wake up. It’s a business everywhere. But the structure overseas has been in place since the leagues there started. MLS's owners have invested hundreds of millions of dollars. Three of those owners, Phil Anschutz, the Hunt Family and the Kraft family, carried the league and kept it from going out of business. The league's original group of investors lost more than $100 million. There was nothing to be promoted or relegated to.

No, the Cosmos are on the brink of extinction because the business model didn't work and their ownership could not sustain it. Getting promoted to MLS after winning a championship or three would not have changed matters. In fact it might have made them worse. MLS has higher salaries, higher travel costs, bigger front offices and larger budgets. Yes, there are more and larger revenue streams, but most teams are, according to the league, still operating at a loss.

Back in the 1970's, despite the big crowds and fanfare and the big names, the Cosmos were a money loser. A loss-leader for Warner Communications. Perhaps this is what Sela Sport, which also owns the floundering One World Sports cable TV network, had in mind. But losses mount up, and having the Cosmos and the NASL as a flagship for a TV network didn’t work.

There are rumors that a group is interested in buying the Cosmos and saving them. Maybe it will happen maybe it won't. I've been there before. When the Cosmos were on the brink in 1984 after Giorgio Chinaglia had assumed ownership of the team from Warner, I was involved in putting a group together to try and save the team. Chinaglia had demands the investors were unwilling to meet. The deal never happened and the team folded.

Once in a lifetime was enough.

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Al Lang Stadium Renovation Talks Back at the Forefront

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http://soccerstadiumdigest.com/2016/12/al-lang-stadium-renovation-talks-back-at-the-forefront/

Al Lang Stadium Renovation Talks Back at the Forefront

By Zach Spedden on December 1, 2016 in USL

As the Tampa Bay Rowdies prepare for a “historic announcement,” many are wondering if Al Lang Stadium renovations are back on the table.

Recent reddit conversations.

Recent reddit conversations.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/5gao59/al_lang_stadium_renovation_talks_back_at_the/

Al Lang Stadium Renovation Talks Back at the Forefront (from Populous - stadium architecture company)

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/5g8ksf/can_this_possibly_live_up_to_the_hype/

Can this possibly live up to the hype?

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/5fwavt/romano_how_complicated_can_building_a_soccer/

Romano: How complicated can building a soccer stadium be? Don't ask

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/5fih6p/the_lower_division_soccer_is_going_crazy_lets/

The "Lower Division Soccer is Going Crazy, Let's Just Hide Here in Our Own Corner of the Internet" Thread (self.TampaBayRowdies)

phat7deuce

For real though...rumors abound...Cosmos gearing down or shutting down, USL to D2 status looking more solid per Empire of Soccer, mergers, meetings next week, announcement dates...it's crazy out there guys.

Let's just stay in here, where it's nice and cozy...

marcusethomas

I think the biggest take from all this drama is that the heat on Bill Edwards from many Rowdies fans really needs to be turned down. Of course you may not like his style and he's made a few very public mistakes (particularly with how he handled the firings of Rongen/Quraishi, even if you buy that letting them go was right, it was handled extremely poorly,) but overall, he's been ahead of the curve on many issues. He privately did whatever it took to keep the Strikers afloat through the end of the season and only went public when they went deadbeat on him. He clearly was very committed to keeping the NASL running, but was also aware that he couldn't possibly do enough and jumped ship seemingly at a perfect time. The Rowdies took a bunch of heat when they left for the USL, but only a month later, it looks clairvoyant.

From this Rowdies fan, THANK YOU, BILL!

edit: Ok, maybe this is a little too far. I'll leave it as is, but I do think that he at least has the Rowdies on the right course despite turbulent waters and we should appreciate him for that.

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Very Interesting Speculation about the Big Announcement

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/5et8mx/very_interesting_speculation_about_the_big/

Romano: How complicated can building a soccer stadium be? Don't ask

This is a good summary of the pieces of the puzzle that Bill Edwards has to put together to get the Tampa Bay Rowdies into MLS. One correction: there is no "territorial fee" issue with Orlando City; Don Garber addressed that issue on October 26th. If MLS wants the Rowdies, they're in. Orlando City's territorial rights will be adjusted accordingly. If there is any compensation for Orlando City due to this, it is an internal MLS matter which won't affect the Rowdies.

If the December 6th announcement is that the Rowdies are in as the 24th MLS team, then all of these pieces of the puzzle suddenly fit together very nicely. Even more so if David Beckham is involved as a Rowdies investor. As long as the Rowdies owners are paying for the stadium, a St. Pete referendum on the lease should pass. The Rowdies just need somewhere to play in 2018 and 2019 while a SSS is being built on the Al Lang site; I am hoping Bill Edwards has secured Raymond James Stadium for that purpose.

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http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/romano-how-complicated-can-building-a-soccer-stadium-be-dont-ask/2304681

Romano: How complicated can building a soccer stadium be? Don't ask

John Romano

Thursday, December 1, 2016 5:30am

For now, talk of a renovated stadium for the Rowdies is mostly a rumor in Tampa Bay.

The question is whether it will soon become a referendum in St. Petersburg.

Weeks after the minor-league franchise confirmed it was moving to the United Soccer League next season, the Rowdies have promised a "historic" announcement next week.

One popular assumption is the team will unveil plans to renovate and expand Al Lang Stadium, which is something owner Bill Edwards has been discussing — and showing artists' renderings of — for months.

But a revamped stadium is only one of several interrelated moves.

And that's where you come in.

The Rowdies can't reasonably justify spending piles of money on a stadium without a couple of assurances:

1. A long-term lease at Al Lang.

2. A future in the more prestigious Major League Soccer.

The lease can happen only with the approval of St. Petersburg voters via a referendum. While the renovation will not expand the footprint of the site (the way a proposed Rays stadium would have in 2008), the city still requires voter approval on long-term, waterfront deals.

And moving up to MLS will almost certainly require Edwards paying a territorial fee to the Orlando City SC team, which owns the MLS rights for this market. That kind of investment means Edwards will probably want a greater demonstration of fan support from the Tampa Bay business community.

So is it reasonable to expect all of these pieces to come together?

Yes, but the details are going to matter.

When Edwards was first talking about a stadium expansion earlier this year, he was lobbying Pinellas County commissioners to devote funds from resort tax revenues. A good chunk of the resort tax money is being held aside for a potential Rays stadium, and Dunedin will probably be looking for funds to upgrade the Blue Jays' spring training stadium, but it's possible the Rowdies could get a slice of that pie.

It's also possible that Edwards will announce the renovation will be done mostly with private money, which would certainly increase the chances of a referendum passing.

That referendum would also be significantly more popular if voters knew the Rowdies were on their way to upgrading to MLS.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said he has not had recent conversations with Edwards about stadium renovations, but encourages trying for the larger league.

"Soccer is a great sport, and we love having the Rowdies here," Kriseman said. "If they have an opportunity to be an MLS franchise, I would think residents would embrace that idea."

That's what makes the issue complicated:

None of the components seem to work on their own.

Getting to MLS will be an expensive proposition for Edwards, which means he's going to need more fans. Renovating the stadium could help with fans, but that's going to take at least a 20-year lease, which is going to require the referendum.

Simple, right?

All you have to do is trust Edwards to bring MLS to town, Edwards has to trust you to buy more tickets and eventually pass the referendum, and MLS has to trust that it's a good idea to add another franchise 100 miles away from Orlando.

What could possibly go wrong?

Misc.

Misc.

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http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/five-mls-players-who-could-crack-next-years-fft100

Five MLS players who could crack next year's FFT100

No MLS players broke into this year's #FFT100, but Paul Tenorio has five who should get consideration in years to come.

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http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vikings-threaten-lawsuit-over-possible-minnesota-united-soccer-games-at-u-s-bank-stadium/404268726/

Vikings threaten lawsuit over possible Minnesota United soccer games at U.S. Bank Stadium

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http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20161129/NEWS01/161129953

Hartford getting a professional soccer team

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http://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2016/12/2/13813306/american-soccer-s-tone-deaf-approach-to-latino-inclusion-is-hitting-critical-mass

American soccer’s tone-deaf approach to Latino inclusion is hitting critical mass

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http://equalizersoccer.com/2016/11/30/carolina-railhawks-expected-to-address-nwsl-bid-next-week/

Carolina RailHawks expected to address NWSL bid next week

Canada

Links

Monday, December 5, 2016

Sunday, December 4, 2016