What does the USL & NASL’s Division II status mean?

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http://www.wakingthered.com/2017/1/17/14299836/what-does-the-usl-nasl-division-ii-status-mean-ussf-reclassification-mls

What does the USL & NASL’s Division II status mean?

A look into the recent reclassification and how it affects Toronto FC, MLS and Canadian soccer.

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/746509

Florida Cup Preview: SC Corinthians Paulista vs. Vasco Da Gama

Brazilian sides square off in semifinals of 2017 Florida Cup Playoff in Orlando

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http://www.empireofsoccer.com/former-rowdies-midfielder-juan-guerra-joining-new-york-cosmos-57138/

Former Rowdies Midfielder Juan Guerra Joining New York Cosmos

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/746523

Major League Soccer Returns to Al Lang Stadium with Rowdies Suncoast Invitational Set for February

Montreal Impact return to Al Lang Stadium for 2-week training camp

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (January 17, 2017) — The second annual Rowdies Suncoast Invitational is set to return to the sunshine of St. Petersburg this February, with five Major League Soccer clubs set to compete alongside the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Al Lang Stadium will host five total matches in the tournament with a doubleheader on Saturday, February 18 and a tripleheader on Saturday, February 25. Along with the Rowdies, the Montreal Impact, D.C. United, Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire and Toronto FC will all play at Al Lang.

The tournament debuted last season to rave reviews from some of MLS’s biggest stars for the unique atmosphere and playing surface at the Rowdies’ home stadium.

Four of the five MLS teams in this year’s edition of the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational qualified for the 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, including the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Toronto FC and runner-up Montreal Impact.

Along with their participation in the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational, the Impact will have an extended visit to St. Petersburg for their preseason training camp. During their time in the Sunshine City, the Impact will call Al Lang Stadium home, using the field, locker room and gym facilities alongside the Rowdies.

Tickets range from $15 to $20 in the main stadium bowl to $30 for the Midfielder’s Club and Reserve sections. A ticket includes all matches on a specific day. 2017 Tampa Bay Rowdies season ticket members will receive a complimentary ticket to one of the two matchdays of their choice (2/18 or 2/25).

Tickets to the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational will be available at Ticketmaster.com and will go on sale at 9 A.M. on Thursday, January 19.

Match Schedule
Saturday, February 18 – Al Lang Stadium
Montreal Impact vs. D.C. United, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 22 – Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex
Philadelphia Union vs. Montreal Impact – 7 p.m.

Saturday, February 25 – Al Lang Stadium
Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire, 3 p.m.
Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay vs. Montreal Impact, 7:30 p.m.
*match schedule subject to change

The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced their #MLS2StPete campaign in December 2016, only to be named as one of the ten candidates in the running for an MLS franchise less than two weeks later. The campaign also includes a privately funded renovation and expansion plan to Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. For more information, visit MLS2StPete.com.

The best way to show that Tampa Bay is ready for a Major League Soccer franchise is to secure 2017 season tickets. For information on how to become a 2017 Season Ticket Member, call (727)222-2000 or click here.

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http://www.socceramerica.com/article/72002/nasls-rishi-sehgal-the-task-is-not-small.html

NASL's Rishi Sehgal: 'The task is not small'

The NASL finished its sixth season with 12 teams in November. Within a month, it was looking at a league with as few as six teams. But will go forward with eight teams in 2017 after it received provisional Division 2 sanctioning from U.S. Soccer on Jan. 5.

Interim commissioner Rishi Sehgal, the league's former director of business development and legal affairs, said in an interview with Soccer America that the turning point for the league was an owners' retreat held on a farm outside Atlanta in September at which they agreed on several short-term goals and began developing a vision for the league.

The two short-term goals were to end its relationship with Traffic and stabilize the league.

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https://twitter.com/WilliamsBob75/status/821395962082054144

Strikers still awaiting NASL front office approval for sale to PSG Academy Florida. Everything has been otherwise agreed

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http://www.wtsp.com/sports/soccer/rowdies-to-host-mls-teams-for-suncoast-invitational/386769503

Rowdies to host MLS teams for Suncoast Invitational

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http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2017/01/17/31634232/media-microscope-mls-newspaper-coverage

Media Microscope: Examining the state of MLS newspaper coverage

While some MLS teams receive a significant amount of newspaper coverage, some surprising clubs are being left behind.

Major League Soccer, perhaps more than any other major American professional sports league, relies on media coverage from non-traditional outlets.

While most newspapers still assign at least one full-time beat reporter to local NBA, NFL and MLB teams, many MLS markets do not have a local full-time newspaper beat writer, leaving blogs, national outlets and the official league and team websites to fill in the gaps.

A sad illustration of the league’s newspaper presence came last week when highly respected Seattle Sounders beat reporter Matt Pentz announced on Twitter that he was among a round of layoffs at The Seattle Times.

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http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/01/17/the-big-question-in-charlottes-mls-bid-is-it-worth.html

The big question in Charlotte's MLS bid: Is it worth it?

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https://phys.org/news/2017-01-european-soccer-increasingly-popular-usa.html

Study shows European soccer increasingly popular in the USA

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http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2017/01/herculez-gomez-joins-espn-soccer-studio-analyst/

Herculez Gomez Joins ESPN as Soccer Studio Analyst

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http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2017/01/17/herculez-gomez-announces-retirement-set-join-espn-soccer-studio-analyst

Herculez Gomez announces retirement, set to join ESPN as soccer studio analyst

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http://awfulannouncing.com/2017/herculez-gomez-joins-espn-announces-retirement-from-professional-soccer.html

Herculez Gomez joins ESPN, announces retirement from professional soccer

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http://saintpetersblog.com/bob-buckhorn-rick-kriseman-george-cretekos-offer-state-bay-address-tiger-bay/

Bob Buckhorn, Rick Kriseman and George Cretekos to offer “State of the Bay” address at Tiger Bay

The mayors of the three biggest cities representing the Tampa Bay area: Tampa’s Bob Buckhorn, St. Petersburg’s Rick Kriseman and Clearwater’s George Cretekos, will come together to address members of the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, January 31.

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http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tourism/as-st-petes-grand-prix-enters-its-13th-year-city-support-is-solid/2309914

As St. Pete's Grand Prix enters its 13th year, city support is solid

ST. PETERSBURG — As IndyCar officials and race promoters gathered Tuesday for their annual winter meeting at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club, their message was clear: The city has reached landmark status for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

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http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/2017/01/17/union-preseason-match-dates-announced/comment-page-1/

Union preseason match dates announced

Philadelphia Union announced on Tuesday it will be participating in the 2017 Rowdies Suncoast Invitational preseason tournament in St. Petersburg, Fl., Feb. 18-25.

Here’s the Union’s tournament schedule:

Saturday, February 18: vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies (Al Lang Stadium, 7:30 pm)
Wednesday, February 22: vs. Montreal Impact (Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex, 7:00 pm)
Saturday, February 25: vs. DC United (Al Lang Stadium, 5:00 pm)

Tickets to the games will be available through Ticketmaster.com and will go on sale on Thursday, January 19, at 9 am. Also participating in the tournament are Chicago Fire and Toronto FC (click here for the full tournament schedule).

In 2016, the Union played DC, Tampa Bay, and New York Red Bulls in the tournament, finishing with a 1-1-1 record. The Union also played three other preseason game in 2016, opening with Jacksonville Armada, as well as Chicago Fire and Toronto.

The Rowdies Suncoast Invitational will be the feature of the second phase of the Union’s preseason. Preseason training will begin on Monday, January 23 with a  camp in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania. After that, the team will depart for Clearwater, Fl. for training, January 31-February 10. The team will take a break February 11-13, before resuming training in Florida on February 14. The preseason camp will conclude on February 26.

Union Chief Business Officer Tim McDermott said in a statement, “The Rowdies Suncoast Invitational is a terrific opportunity for Earnie, Jim and the players to prepare for the 2017 MLS season against elite competition. We are excited for Union supporters to have the chance to see their team in game action as part of our preseason in Clearwater. The City of Clearwater continues to provide us with world class training facilities which help accelerate our development.”

If you are interested in information about preseason fan events in Florida, contact the Union at marketing@philadelphiaunion.com.

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http://www.phillysoccernews.com/teams/union2.php?article_id=16011

ROWDIE OPENER

Union set to meet Tampa Bay in preseason tournament

CHESTER, Pa. -- The Philadelphia Union will meet the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the opener of the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational Feb. 18, the team announced Tuesday.

The tournament will also feature the Montreal Impact, D.C. United, the Chicago Fire and Toronto FC.

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http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/cosmos2.php?article_id=46867

GOING FORWARD?

Report: Cosmos will sign Venezuelan int'l Guerra

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http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/medina-to-lead-napa-team-during-inaugural-season-in-national/article_96c401d3-255d-5be3-844a-98817c0ad1c2.html

Medina to lead Napa team during inaugural season in National Premier Soccer League

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http://www.thebluetestament.com/2017/1/17/14293494/sporting-kcs-rumored-4th-division-team-is-dead-usl-pdl-garden-city-kansas

Sporting KC’s Rumored 4th Division Team is Dead

SKC were rumored to be gaining a team in the USL Premier Development League.

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http://cincinnatisoccertalk.com/2017/01/17/playoffs-playoffs-nasl-is-already-thinking-about-division-2-playoffs/

PLAYOFFS, PLAYOFFS….. NASL is already thinking about Division 2 PLAYOFFS