Rowdies’ first USL schedule is set with 16 home matches

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http://saintpetersblog.com/rowdies-first-usl-schedule-set-16-home-matches/

Rowdies’ first USL schedule is set with 16 home matches

Gary Shelton

If the Tampa Bay Rowdies are to contend this year in the USL, they will have the opportunity to get hot.

The Rowdies of coach Stuart Cambell play three games in a row three times during the year, including the first three of the season against Orlando B, Toronto FC II and the Ottawa Fury.

Later in the season, the Rowdies have a three-game set against Charlston, Pittsburgh and Harrison City. The Rowdies close out their home schedule against Charlotte, Bethlehem and the New York Red Bulls II.

In all, the Rowdies will play 32 games, playing each team home and away for 28 of the games. The other four will be games against the Charleston Battery and Ottawa Fury FC, plus an extra visit to Orlando City B and a trip to Texas to play San Antonio FC.

All 16 home matches will start at 7:30. Season tickets can be purchased by calling (727)-222-2000. Single game tickets will go on sale later.

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https://www.facebook.com/TampaBayRowdies/videos/10155722943728835/

Tampa Bay Rowdies

Yesterday, we officially submitted our #MLS2StPete bid to Major League Soccer (MLS). Thank you WFLA News Channel 8, Bay News 9, 10News WTSP, ABC Action News - WFTS - Tampa Bay & FOX 13 News - Tampa Bay for the support!

SHARE this to show your support for #MLS2StPete!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4dEZm_-JGo

Tampa Bay Rowdies Drop Off MLS Expansion Application

Published on Jan 31, 2017

Take a look at the highlights from yesterday's trip to New York City, where Bill Edwards submitted an official expansion application to join Major League Soccer (MLS).

Edwards handed off the application to MLS President & Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott, who thanks the Rowdies delegation for making the trip to the league offices.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGD6qjGza6g

North Carolina FC Makes Bid For MLS Franchise

Published on Dec 6, 2016

Announcing the arrival of a "New State of Soccer" North Carolina FC (né Carolina Railhawks) says it will put forth an "aggressive public campaign" in pursuit of both an MLS and a NWSL franchise. This includes a new stadium somewhere in the Triangle. But what we like best is that the team is embracing the state's full name: North Carolina.

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http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/baybuzz/usl-execs-support-rowdies-mls-bid-think-tampa-bay-will-remain-second-tier/2311481

USL execs support Rowdies' MLS bid, think Tampa Bay will remain second-tier for now

Charlie Frago, Times Staff Writer

Tuesday, January 31, 2017 9:59am

Bill Edwards, former Mayor Rick Baker and a swarm of Ralph’s Mob, the fervent fans of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, delivered the team’s Major League Soccer application Monday to league executives in New York.

Considering the Rowdies haven’t played their first game in their current league, the newly-ordained second-tier United Soccer League, how do USL officials feel about being a stepping stone before the Rowdies have even placed a toe in the league?

Surprisingly good.

“We’re all behind the Rowdies. It’s great for the city. I think that’s the way it should work,” said USL CEO Alec Papadakis in an interview in the leagues’ hip, open-space headquarters on Tampa’s Westshore Boulevard earlier this month.

Edwards left the faltering North American Soccer League for the USL after last season, saying he wanted more stability and greater competition.

The 30-team USL takes pride in vaulting teams like the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers ,Vancouver White Caps and Orlando SC to the MLS. Currently, 10 MLS second or reserve teams play in the league.

The Rowdies will benefit from the USL’s growth and new TV deal with ESPN, Papadakis said.

Adding Tampa Bay to the league also fits within the USL’s strategy of expanding into the Southeast. Papadakis said.

League executives say they aren’t worried about a lawsuit against Edwards and his mortgage business, MIC that could stick him with a judgment totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. They praised Edwards for his hands-on leadership style and the investments he’s made and promised to make at the waterfront Al Lang Stadium.

“The Rowdies are a flagship team for our league. Bill has made an impressive investment,” said USL president Jake Edwards.

As for how long the Rowdies will stick around in the USL, Papadakis thinks they’re unlikely to make the first expansion round to be announced later this year.

His predictions?  Sacramento and St. Louis.

However, Papadakis’ picks came before a last-minute rush by San Diego officials to submit an expansion bid before the league’s deadline today.

And who accepted it Monday? MLS Commissioner Don Garber on the flight deck of the USS Midway museum.

Papadakis thinks the Rowdies are a good bet for the second round of expansion and will join the MLS within the next few years. 

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2017/01/31/bill-edwards-claims-lawsuit-against-him-is-non-factor-on-mls-bid/2552

Bill Edwards Claims Lawsuit Against Him is Non-Factor on MLS Bid

by JAKE NUTTING

Monday’s trip to Major League Soccer headquarters in Manhattan achieved its goals for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The team handed over its formal application to join the league and generated some publicity in the process.

Not all coverage related to the Rowdies was favorable, though.

As the Rowdies were in the air on their way to New York City, the Tampa Bay Times was posting a story on the ongoing lawsuit filed in Georgia against team Owner Bill Edwards in which plaintiffs are requesting the courts freeze his assets or order him to post bond.

First filed in 2006 but only unsealed in 2011, the suit from whistle blowers Victor E. Bibby and Brian J. Donnelly accused Edwards’ company Mortage Investors Corp. (MIC) — along with seven other lending institutions — of charging illegal fees on loans to veterans over a ten-year period. Six of the lenders accused settled for a combined total of $172 million in 2012, leaving MIC and Wells Fargo as the only remaining defendants after their request for a dismissal were denied. A judge granted the plaintiffs request to separate MIC from the original case that same year.

Edwards was quick to point out the coincidental timing of the story from the Tampa Bay Times and the Rowdies handing over their MLS application on the same day. After a decade of back and fourth in court, the St. Petersburg bigwig showed no sign of concern that the latest development in the case will negatively impact his bid.

“It’s been going since 2006, they filed a lawsuit against anybody that did veteran loans,” Edwards said just a few moments after turning in the team’s application. “…[MIC] was one of the best veteran lenders in the United States, even according to the Veterans Administration. So we’re not going to let someone tell us otherwise after 25 years of servicing nothing but veterans. I’m a veteran myself, and we employed a lot of veterans. One veteran isn’t going to take it to another veteran and hurt them.”

The court has yet to take action on the plaintiffs motion for Edwards to post bond that came at the start of the new year. The plaintiffs claim the move is necessary following Edwards’ alleged “looting” of MIC assets as protection from a potential judgement in the case. Edwards and his attorneys have maintained that those claims are baseless.

Edwards was awarded a victory in court last summer when the judge dismissed all claims against him personally in the case. However, the plaintiffs are still seeking to hold Edwards individually liable after being granted permission last fall to pursue a false claims case through the “pierce-the-veil theory.” The theory applies to certain situations when an individual is essentially the same as a corporation due to the large influence they wield within it.

Proving “pierce-the-veil” cases are usually difficult, as they require evidence that funds were diverted from a corporation to directly benefit an individual. On top of that, the plaintiffs must prove every fraudulent claim individually in a false claims case. The plaintiffs allege that Edwards overcharged $182 million in illegal fees.

If the threat of a sizable judgement and the potential of having his assets frozen is looming over Edwards’ head, he isn’t letting it show.

“It’s a non-issue case, it’s just something they’re making a lot of noise about,” he said. “At the end of the day, there’s no proof and there’s no truth to any of it. Now they’re just trying to figure out how to get it from me because they don’t have a case. They’re just trying to get press.”

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http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/baybuzz/cross-bay-bromance-mayors-tout-regionalism-cooperation--yes-even-on/2311547

Cross-bay bromance: Mayors tout regionalism, cooperation—yes, even on baseball

Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer

Tuesday, January 31, 2017 3:18pm

Two or three decades ago, the politics of the Tampa Bay area was parochial enough that the idea of bringing the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater together for a lunch would not have been quite so plausible, and the discussion might have been more strained than cordial.

But Clearwater’s George Cretekos, St. Petersburg’s Rick Kriseman and Tampa’s Bob Buckhorn have already met for working lunches of their own over the past couple of years, so it wasn’t out of their comfort zone Tuesday to open their latest to 175 members of the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club.

“Some would say we have a bromance,” Kriseman said. They said officials and residents on both sides of the bay ought to celebrate the victories of their neighbor communities, and need to look for opportunities to team up.

“We have been friends for a lot of years,” Buckhorn said during the Tiger Bay lunch at the St. Petersburg Marriott Clearwater on Roosevelt Boulevard. “What you are seeing in that friendship is the growth of this area as a region, not as separate entities. … Those bridges, for the three of us, will never be barriers. They will always be conduits to cooperation.”

So, baseball.

Kriseman said Major League Baseball had a reason for putting the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg in the first place, and the city has only gotten bigger and better since then. He said the city has public land, has a new vision for that land and has funding sources it can tap “without raising taxes.”

“I remain confident that there’s no better place for the Rays than at the Trop site,” Kriseman said. “But, because they are a regional asset, I will do what I can to help them succeed no matter where they are as long as they’re in the Tampa Bay region.”

Buckhorn said he is glad Kriseman “was able to structure a deal, and I thank the council members for allowing that to occur, that allows the Rays to look at Hillsborough and Pinellas County to come to that decision, so they can’t say at the end of the day that they didn’t get a chance to explore their options.

“We will give it our best shot,” Buckhorn said. “If the decision by the Rays is that they prefer to remain in Pinellas County, then I’ll be the first one to stand up and say, ‘Thank you for the opportunity to compete. We will do whatever we can to help you be successful.’ ”

On President Donald Trump’s moves on immigration, all three were asked whether they would support the idea of being a “sanctuary city” — an unofficial term for communities that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement authorities to identify and hold unlawful immigrants — especially since the economies of their cities rely on construction and tourism industries powered largely by immigrant labor.

In response, all three discussed the importance of recognizing the diversity within each of their communities.

“We need to remember that also in Clearwater, we have more Mexican-Americans than we have African-Americans,” Cretekos said. “But we’re not a sanctuary city, and I don’t have the authority to declare ourselves as one. We’re not going to build a wall or suggest that we build a wall, and we will welcome those who are legal in the United States. We will protect them. We will work with them.”

“What the president did was inherently wrong,” said Buckhorn, who noted that Tampa was settled largely by Spanish, Cuban and Italian immigrants who came to roll cigars. “I think it was a religious litmus test. I think it goes against the values of who we are as America and what we stand for as Americans. … We need a realistic immigrant policy. We need to screen those people who would do us harm and prevent them from coming, but you do not put a religious test on the ability to come to America.

“... For my community,” Buckhorn said, “sanctuary city is just a semantic term. It’s not a legal term. But I can tell you this: Our police department is not the immigration police. We are not going to pursue people for immigration (matters) unless they are involved in the commission of a crime, and then we will deal with it.”

“Our police officers are not screening to see if people have their papers,” Kriseman said. “Practically, it is the sheriff that actually makes decisions on who is jailed and who is turned over, not the St. Pete police. From a philosophical standpoint, we welcome everyone. It is what makes our city the special place that it is, and we will continue to do that.”

On transportation, all three said that building roads alone won’t solve the problem. They talked about the need for a lot of different options — ferries, trolleys, the expansion of ride-sharing, the addition of bike lanes and bike-sharing services, the use of tolled roads and lanes dedicated to high occupancy vehicles, and, yes, rail, which Buckhorn said has been demonized.

“Some people think rail is a UN plot,” he said.

Cretekos said “we lost” when the Greenlight Pinellas and the Go Hillsborough plans were rejected, and it's embarrassing that a region the size of the bay area doesn't have an alternative way to get from the airport to the beaches or the cities' downtowns.

Kriseman said it also would help if the Legislature would pass bills that have been proposed the last couple of years to allow cities to hold their own sales tax referendums to raise money for transportation. Current Florida law requires those referendums to be countywide.

“If we can pass it in our cities, then we can design plans that would benefit our cities and link all of our cities together,” he said. “So that’s one of the things that we’re hoping to see in this session.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/jan/31/mls-expansion-funding-stadiums-soccer

MLS expansion: why cities are deciding stadiums are 'welfare for millionaires'

This week marks the deadline for the next round of MLS expansion bids. But many cities are questioning whether clubs should use public funds

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http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/34382980/mayor-barry-to-meet-with-mls-commissioner-tuesday

Mayor Barry to meet with MLS commissioner Tuesday

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -

As Nashville businessmen John Ingram and Bill Hagerty prepare to make an official bid for a Major League Soccer franchise, other local business leaders are reacting to the prospect of a new pro sports team in the Music City.

Ingram, Hagerty and Mayor Megan Barry will meet with MLS commissioner Don Garber Tuesday in New York to make the official bid for an expansion team.

Nashville is one of 10 cities vying for four open spots. Commissioner Garber plans to announce two of the expansion cities later this year.

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http://www.goal.com/en-au/news/4031/north-america/2017/01/31/32148182/media-microscope-seeking-flexibility-mls-moves-away-from

Media Microscope: Seeking flexibility, MLS moves away from national TV windows

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http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2017/01/31/kavanaugh-optimistic-as-sc-stl-applies-for-mls.html

Kavanaugh optimistic as SC STL applies for MLS expansion team

Officials with SC STL, the aspiring Major League Soccer ownership group in St. Louis, plan on submitting their application for an MLS expansion franchise by Tuesday morning, said Jim Kavanaugh, vice chairman of SC STL.

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http://www.theindychannel.com/sports/indy-eleven-seeks-to-become-member-of-major-league-soccer

Indy Eleven enters bid for to become Major League Soccer member in 2020

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http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/story/34386901/new-indy-eleven-seeking-spot-in-major-league-soccer

Indy Eleven Seeking Spot in Major League Soccer

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http://www.wcpo.com/sports/fc-cincinnati/fc-cincinnati-submits-bid-to-join-major-league-soccer

FC Cincinnati submits application to join Major League Soccer

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http://www.kcra.com/article/sacramento-submits-bid-to-become-home-of-mls-team/8658324

Sacramento submits bid to become home of MLS team

MLS commissioner: Sacramento is 'front-runner' for soccer team

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http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article129800209.html

Hewlett Packard CEO Whitman joins Sacramento Republic’s bid for Major League Soccer berth

Adding Silicon Valley executive Meg Whitman to its ownership group, Sacramento Republic FC prepared to formally submit its bid to Major League Soccer for an expansion team Tuesday.

Team officials said adding Whitman, the Hewlett Packard Enterprise chief executive and unsuccessful candidate for California governor, is expected to fortify Republic FC’s expansion effort in an ever-growing competition that now includes as many as 11 other cities. Whitman is investing in Republic FC with her husband, Stanford University professor Griff Harsh.

In a letter to fellow owners, Republic FC managing partner Kevin Nagle said Whitman and Harsh “believe in the future of MLS, and they have great respect for what our community has been able to accomplish in this effort to date.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article129800209.html#storylink=cpy

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http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2017/01/31/indy-elevens-mls-bid-pricey-proposition/97278806/

Indy Eleven's MLS bid won't come easily — or cheaply

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http://www.ibj.com/articles/62288-indy-eleven-name-investors-for-mls-bid-identifies-stadium-site

Indy Eleven name investors for MLS bid, identify stadium site

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http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2017/01/31/triangle-bid-for-mls-includes-stadium-with.html

Triangle bid for MLS includes stadium with translucent roof

The Triangle’s bid for Major League Soccer, which is due Tuesday, includes renderings of a 22,000-seat stadium with a translucent roof that expansion bid leader Steve Malik describes as “breathtaking.”

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http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3050420/2017-mls-all-star-game-set-for-soldier-field-in-chicago

2017 MLS All-Star Game to be played at Soldier Field in Chicago

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http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/01/31/chicagos-soldier-field-unveiled-location-2017-mls-all-star-game

Chicago's Soldier Field unveiled as location for 2017 MLS All-Star Game

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http://www.kpbs.org/news/2017/jan/30/mls-to-consider-san-diego/

San Diego Launches MLS Bid

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http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/soldier-field-picked-to-host-mls-all-star-game/

Soldier Field picked to host MLS All-Star Game

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http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article129835629.html

Chicago's Soldier Field will host MLS All-Star Game

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/soccer/ct-soldier-field-mls-all-star-game-20170131-story.html

Soldier Field to host Major League Soccer's All-Star Game on Aug. 2

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http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/soccer/article/Spurs-Sports-Entertainment-submits-application-10897884.php

Spurs Sports & Entertainment submits application for MLS expansion process

Spurs Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns and operates the NBA's Spurs, D-League's Spurs, WNBA's Stars, AHL's Rampage and USL's San Antonio FC, has submitted its application for Major League Soccer's expansion process.

"We want to thank Bexar County, the City of San Antonio, our corporate partners and all of our supporters for their collaboration," SS&E said Tuesday in a statement. "We are a unified community and remain convinced an MLS franchise would be a huge asset to San Antonio and great addition to the league."

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http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/232858972-story

Gilbert, Gores apply for Major League Soccer expansion team

DETROIT (WJBK) - Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert announced today that they have submitted an official application to Major League Soccer (MLS) to bring an expansion franchise to downtown Detroit. The league recently announced plans to grow to 28 teams and identified Detroit as market of great interest.

Gores and Gilbert, both graduates of Michigan State University with substantial sports, business and investment holdings in the region, issued a joint statement: “We’ve completed an important first step in bringing Major League Soccer to Detroit, and together, we have the experience needed to make a new team successful.  We know firsthand the power that sports can play in uniting communities. Our hope is this team will play an important role in the continued revitalization of the city.”

Major League Soccer has experienced a period of unprecedented growth during the last 12 years.  MLS commissioner Don Garber visited Detroit last April and received an initial briefing on the Gores/Gilbert expansion plan prior to the January 31, 2017 application deadline. MLS officials expect to announce two expansion teams (#25 and #26) later this year followed by two additional teams (#27 and #28).

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http://fox4kc.com/2017/01/31/st-louis-ownership-groups-officially-files-to-bring-second-mls-team-to-missouri/

Sports ownership group officially files to bring MLS team to St. Louis

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/on-the-pitch/os-sp-orlando-city-b-2017-usl-schedule-20170131-story.html

Orlando City B 2017 USL schedule released

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http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2017/01/31/usl-releases-full-fc-cincinnati-schedule/97287494/

USL releases full FC Cincinnati schedule

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http://www.sportingkc.com/post/2017/01/31/swope-park-rangers-announces-2017-united-soccer-league-schedule

Swope Park Rangers announces 2017 United Soccer League schedule

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http://www.mcall.com/sports/soccer/mc-bethlehem-steel-soccer-schedule-2016-20170131-story.html

Bethlehem Steel USL 2017 schedule unveiled

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http://www.rhinossoccer.com/news_article/show/751873?referrer_id=2442447

Rhinos Announce 2017 USL Schedule

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http://www.bigdsoccer.com/2017/1/31/14458100/usl-oklahoma-city-energy-fc-2017-schedule

USL release Oklahoma City Energy FC 2017 Schedule

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http://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/1/31/14422362/npsl-2017-expansion-tracker

NPSL 2017 Expansion Tracker

Keeping track of the madness so you don’t have to

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http://midfieldpress.com/2017/01/31/napa-valley-1839-fc-a-fertile-ground-for-soccer-growth/

Napa Valley 1839 FC: A Fertile Ground for Soccer Growth

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http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/mls-all-star-game-set-for-soldier-field-in-chicago-this-summer-013117

MLS All-Star Game set for Soldier Field in Chicago this summer

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http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2017/01/30/indy-eleven-apply-mls-expansion/97271092/

Indy Eleven to apply for MLS expansion

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http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/cosmos2.php?article_id=46975

PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

BigAppleSoccer.com honors Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese

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https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170131/downtown/mls-major-league-soccer-all-star-game-soldier-field

Major League Soccer All-Star Game To Be Held At Soldier Field

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http://wkrn.com/2017/01/31/nashville-makes-bid-for-major-league-soccer/

Nashville makes bid for Major League Soccer

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http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article129907189.html

Marcus Smith submits Charlotte's bid for Major League Soccer team

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http://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/soccer/louisville-city-fc/2017/01/31/loucity-releases-2017-schedule/97291668/

LouCity releases 2017 schedule

Louisville City FC will open and close the 2017 United Soccer League season at home.

The USL announced on Tuesday afternoon the 2017 regular season schedule, which sees all 32 teams in the league play 16 home and 16 road games. The league expanded to 32 teams and added two more games this offseason after the additions of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Ottawa Fury and Reno 1868, along with the subtraction of the Wilmington Hammerheads.

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http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2017/01/31/mls-expansion-deadline-12-teams-cities

MLS receives 12 applications by expansion submission deadline

NEW YORK (AP) — Dropped by the NFL, St. Louis and San Diego are among bidders from 12 areas applying for four Major League Soccer expansion teams.

Two of the teams, which have $150 million expansion fees, will start play in 2020. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday that having stadium financing in place is a condition for selection.

"In the past, we weren't in a position to demand that every new market came in with all their I's dotted and T's crossed," Garber said during a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "Now we're at a point where there are so many cities looking for so few market opportunities that we can do the right thing by everyone and ensure that every aspect of their expansion plan is fully in place."

The expansion committee, led by New England's Jonathan Kraft, will start to review applications in February. MLS will pare the field in the next few months and plans to announce its two selections by the end of the year. The percentage of government stadium financing will depend on the city.

"Every market is different," Garber said.

Others to submit bids were groups from Charlotte, North Carolina; Cincinnati; Detroit; Indianapolis; Nashville, Tennessee; Phoenix; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Sacramento, California; San Antonio; and Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida.

Launched with 10 teams in 1996, MLS has 22 this year following the addition of Atlanta and Minnesota. A second Los Angeles team is slated to open next year and David Beckham has rights to start a Miami team—but has been unable to finalize a stadium plan. The league said in December it plans to expand to 28 teams but has not put a timetable on the final two.

The NFL's Rams left California and moved to St. Louis for the 1995 season, then shifted after the 2015 season to Los Angeles, where a new stadium in Inglewood is under construction. The Chargers had been in San Diego since starting play in 1961 but said on Jan. 12 they are moving to Los Angeles for next season and also will settle at the new stadium in Inglewood.

"Clearly, both in San Diego and St. Louis there's a void left by the NFL," Garber said, explaining the loss of the NFL might increase MLS interest in the corporate community. "Those folks that were sitting on the fence as it relates to supporting soccer now might be more inclined to do."

St. Louis' owners would include Paul Edgerley, a senior adviser at Baine Capital and a minority owner of the NBA's Boston Celtics; Terry Matlack, a managing director of Tortoise Capital; Jim Kavanaugh, owner of St. Louis' team in the second-tier United Soccer League; and former Anheuser-Busch president Dave Peacock.

San Diego's investors would include Padres controlling owner Peter Seidler; Freestyle Partners' Michael Stone; former Qualcomm president Steve Altman; Bridgewest Group co-founders Massih and Masood Tayebi; and media executive Carlos Rodriguez.

Others bidders include:

—Charlotte: Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith

—Cincinnati: American Financial Group CEO Carl Lindner III, who owns the USL's Cincinnati team

—Detroit: Pistons owner Tom Gores and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert

—Indianapolis: Keystone Construction CEO Ersal Ozdemir, National Bank of Indianapolis chairman Mickey Maurer, Heritage CEO Jeff Laborsky, Elwood Staffing CEO Mark Elwood and Mohr Auto Group owner Andy Mohr

—Nashville: Ingram Industries chairman John Ingram and former Tennessee Commissioner of Economic Development Bill Haggerty

—Phoenix: Berke Bakay, owner of the USL's Phoenix Rising

—Raleigh/Durham: Steve Malik, owner of North Carolina's team in the second-tier North American Soccer League

—Sacramento: San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, former Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman and Kevin Nagle, owner of the USL's Sacramento Republic

—San Antonio: Spurs Sports & Entertainment

—Tampa/St. Petersburg: Bill Edwards, owner of the USL's Tampa Bay Rowdies

Among Nielsen's Designated Markets measuring audience, the biggest absences in MLS among the bidders are Tampa/St. Petersburg (11), Phoenix (12), Detroit (13), Sacramento (20) and St. Louis (21).

"Market size is only one factor that needs to be considered," Garber said. "When you look at some of our most successful cities, they happen to be in smaller markets, many that have less competition."

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.timeout.com/chicago/blog/soldier-field-will-host-the-2017-major-league-soccer-all-star-game-013117

Soldier Field will host the 2017 Major League Soccer All-Star Game

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http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/gallery/mls-expansion-28-teams-cities-teams-013117

Here are the 12 cities officially in the running for an MLS expansion team

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http://www.sltrib.com/sports/4883071-155/soccer-mls-commissioner-receives-application-for

Soccer: MLS commissioner receives application for San Diego team

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http://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2017/01/31/orlando-city-b-reveals-2017-usl-regular-season-schedule

Orlando City B Reveals 2017 USL Regular Season Schedule

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http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20170131/NEWS/170139958/gores-gilbert-formally-submit-bid-for-mls-expansion-team-in-detroit

Gores, Gilbert formally submit bid for MLS expansion team in Detroit

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http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/mls/mls-expansion-12-applications-1.3961035

12 cities apply for MLS expansion

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http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2017/01/31/mls-expansion-which-cities-have-edge/97308862/

MLS expansion: Which cities have the edge?

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http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/phoenix-rising-football-club-officially-submits-expansion-application-to-major-league-soccer-300400158.html

Phoenix Rising Football Club Officially Submits Expansion Application to Major League Soccer

Phoenix joins 11 cities in officially submitting bids to join Major League Soccer

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http://www.kens5.com/sports/sa-officially-competing-against-11-other-cities-for-mls-expansion/395217839

S.A. officially competing against 11 other cities for MLS expansion

SAN ANTONIO - It's the most popular sport in the world, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars for cities in the top tier. That's just one reason why Major League Soccer looks so appealing for many cities in the United States. MLS has openings for four new cities, and Tuesday was the deadline to submit bids.

Spurs Sports & Entertainment released a video Tuesday, the same day it officially submitted its application to join Major League Soccer. The video is likely just one piece of the bid that MLS officials will see to judge whether or not San Antonio is MLS ready.

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https://www.soccernation.com/all-aboard-the-midway-mls-commissioner-don-garber-mayor-kevin-faulconer-and-landon-donovan-speak-to-soccer-nation/

All Aboard The Midway: MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, and Landon Donovan speak to SoccerNation

Less than 24 hours after the United States took on Serbia in a friendly at Qualcomm Stadium, the collective soccer society of San Diego ventured downtown.

It was to be a symbolic day aboard the USS Midway, the massive naval ship that is seen as an iconic staple of the city and its deep military ties.

It was to be the moment when the official bid for an MLS expansion franchise would be handed over from the now well known prospective ownership group, FS Investors, to the league commissioner himself, Don Garber.

After an hour long event that was somewhere between a ceremony and a pep rally, and after the symbolic handoff was made, I had a chance to speak with three of the higher profile attendees.

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https://www.ktrs.com/sc-stl-formally-filed-for-mls-team/

SC STL Formally Filed For MLS Team

KTRS | St Louis News and Talk Radio | The Big 550 AM

On Tuesday, the St. Louis group behind the push for a Major League Soccer stadium downtown – SC STL – has formally applied for an MLS team.

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http://deadspin.com/sacramentos-mls-bid-possibly-derailed-by-last-second-ow-1791856813

Sacramento's MLS Bid Possibly Derailed By Last-Second Ownership Coup

Patrick Redford

Of the 12 cities that formally applied to be part of the next round of MLS expansion today, Sacramento has perhaps the strongest case. Or at least they did, until its team’s owner made a bid that possibly excluded the city’s highly successful team.

Sacramento has had a stadium deal in place since last year and city leaders have behaved as if joining MLS by 2020 was a guarantee. Sacramento is one of the top 20 TV markets in the country, but it only has one professional sports team—and the NBA’s Kings wouldn’t significantly overlap or compete with an MLS team for attendees. Sacrament’s strongest aspect is its existing, popular Sacramento Republic FC—which currently plays in the second-division USL. SRFC averaged over 11,000 fans per home game and sold out all but one of them. That’s incredible in a league that averages just over 3,000 per game. The city embraced its team and it seemed that acceptance into MLS would only be a matter of time—as the top North American soccer league’s path to expansion has, of late, been to promote financially-high-performing USL clubs.

But something fishy is going on, and Sacramento Republic might be left in the lurch.

This morning, SRFC managing partner Kevin Nagle changed his Twitter handle from @srfc_kevin to @KevinNagleMLS and removed all references to the Republic from his Twitter bio. The team’s official Twitter account hasn’t tweeted all day about the bid and there’s nothing about it on their website, which is ominous given that today is perhaps the most important day in franchise history.

Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg congratulated Nagle for formally applying for expansion, but as you’ll note, he never mentions the name of the team in his address.

When Sacramento handed in their bid to MLS brass this morning, it wasn’t club founder/president Warren Smith or VP Joe Wagoner who handed in the bid. It was Kunal Merchant—the former PR flack of Kevin Johnson, Sacramento’s disgraced former mayor who declined to seek re-election and got pied in the face on his way out the door. The bid Merchant handed to MLS was suspiciously absent of any SRFC iconography, and as SI’s Brian Straus notes, SRFC never sent any sort of press release on the matter. For what it’s worth, Merchant also changed his Twitter bio affiliation with the team from “Sacramento Republic FC” to simply “Sacramento MLS.”

It appears that Nagle has led a coup of sorts, taking advantage of SRFC’s buildup of fans and goodwill to push a stadium deal through, only to dump the team and its other owners—including the founders, who would have stood to profit off the deal. He’s bringing in new partners, like dumbass 49ers owner Jed York, and, as of this morning, eBay billionaire and failed gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman. What Sacramento’s apparent new team lacks in connection to the city’s beloved existing team it makes up for in soulless financial heft. Local reporter Evan Ream is reporting that Nagle and the rest of the team’s owners had been drifting apart for some time, and that Sacramento Republic was not part of the bid this morning.

Nagle himself was not an original partner. He bought the team in 2014 as it started to look increasingly likely that they were headed for MLS. He helped push through a deal for a $226 million stadium that would be built with private money on land owned by the city of Sacramento (with the help of $46 million in infrastructural improvements). Much of that deal took place when Johnson was still mayor; as it happens, Nagle is one of the largest donors to Kevin Johnson’s St. Hope charter school and a former member of St. Hope’s board of directors.

MLS will announce two of the four expansion teams later this year, and there’s a good chance that Sacramento will still get a team, despite an ownership group who pushed out founders, got in bed with a notorious disgraced politician, and ignored what fans cared about.

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http://www.wistv.com/story/34393427/smith-submits-bid-to-bring-major-league-soccer-to-charlotte

Smith submits bid to bring Major League Soccer to Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -

The head of Speedway Motorsports has officially entered a bid in an effort to bring Major League Soccer to Charlotte.

Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc., has been working with city and county leaders, along with community stakeholders in the effort to bring an MLS expansion team to the area.

The deadline to enter a bid was Tuesday.

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http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/phoenix-rising-football-club-officially-submits-expansion-application-to-major-league-soccer-300400158.html

Phoenix Rising Football Club Officially Submits Expansion Application to Major League Soccer