This is a misleading headline: properly parsed, it actually means "Garber hints that he isn't going to be retiring as MLS commissioner any time soon".
Because the New England Revolution are very close to getting their own soccer specific stadium (SSS), always have been, and always will be.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/don-garber-hints-at-retirement-during-d-c-united-stadium-groundbreaking-022817
Don Garber hints at retirement during D.C. United stadium groundbreaking
WASHINGTON D.C. — For MLS Commissioner Don Garber, the groundbreaking for new D.C. United stadium Audi Field on Monday was a relief … and puts him one step closer to being able to walk away from the job with a legacy he feels good about.
On a cloudy, chilly day on Buzzard Point, the spot on D.C.’s southwest riverfront where United hopes to open its new stadium in summer 2018, hundreds of fans, media members, and city employees gathered to break ground on the site that will become Audi Field. Moments after putting shovel to dirt, Garber spoke about the club needing to finally get its own home.
“Our league needed one of its most historic — if not its most historic team — to be a frontrunner as opposed to being one of those teams that just couldn’t get it done,” Garber said.
“So we have one more to do in New England,” Garber said, smiling. “I think that’s the one where I might hang up the cleats, at that groundbreaking.”
Garber turns 60 this year, and has been serving as MLS Commissioner since 1999, a tenure of 18 years.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://wtar.com/don-garber-hints-at-retirement-during-d-c-united-stadium-groundbreaking/
Don Garber hints at retirement during D.C. United stadium groundbreaking
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.lagalaxy.com/post/2017/02/28/mls-commissioner-don-garber-speaks-cnbc-about-league-growth-ahead-2017-season
MLS Commissioner Don Garber speaks to CNBC about league growth ahead of 2017 season | INSIDER
CARSON, Calif. -- MLS Commissioner Don Garber spoke to CNBC about the league's growth ahead of the 2017 MLS Regular Season.
In an interview with the financial news network, Garber discussed his previously stated goals to have MLS be among the top leagues in the world. Garber also notes that he hopes that the league becomes a league for "a new America."
Check out the video above.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.thebentmusket.com/2017/2/28/14767544/fox-soccer-rob-stone-blasts-new-england-revolution-kraft-sirius-xm
FOX Soccer’s Rob Stone Blasts Revolution
Stone is mad as hell and just can’t take it anymore, he’s probably not alone.
Opening week of the MLS season is upon us and there is excitement all around the league. DC United is getting a new stadium, expansion sides Atlanta United and Minnesota United are joining the league and Rob Stone is putting the New England Revolution on full blast.
In an appearance on SiriusXM Radio, the Fox Soccer host didn’t hold back when discussing the Revs, in particular citing ownership for lack of commitment to the current MLS side while the NFL Patriots win Super Bowls. Below is a transcript of the rant that can also be found in the above link:
(Follow link for full article.)
https://buffalonews.com/2017/02/28/npsl-releases-fc-buffalos-2017-schedule/
NPSL releases FC Buffalo's 2017 schedule
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https://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2017/02/27/pros-peter-walton-reveals-four-new-points-emphasis-2017-mls-season
PRO's Peter Walton reveals four new points of emphasis for 2017 MLS season
MLS officials will focus on four new points of emphasis in the 2017 season, Professional Referee Organization general manager Peter Walton said in a conference call with reporters Friday.
Walton said that MLS referees have been instructed to pay closer attention to holding and pushing in the penalty area on set pieces, acts of visual dissent, deliberate delaying of restarts, and persistent infringement.
He also outlined the changes to the Laws of the Game that will take effect in MLS for the first time this season. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that decides on changes to the Laws of the Game, changed several of the sport’s rules last May.
The major changes include no longer automatically giving red cards for denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the penalty area, kickoffs now being permitted to be played in any direction, and players who were injured by a yellow or red card foul now being able to briefly receive treatment on the field without having to come off.
The amended rules were in effect at international tournaments last summer and are currently in place in European leagues that began their seasons in August, but were not put into effect in MLS in 2016, as the season had already begun by the time the changes were ratified.
A full rundown of the IFAB rule changes can be found here. Details on the new points of emphasis are below:
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/sports/soccer/atlanta-united-fc-major-league-soccer-team.html?_r=0
Atlanta Has Fan Clubs. Now It’s Going to Play Some M.L.S. Games, Too.
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http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3070576/major-league-soccer-encouraging-investment-in-homegrown-players
Major League Soccer encouraging investment in homegrown players
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http://sports.yahoo.com/news/major-league-soccers-eight-pressing-questions-going-into-the-2017-season-113703409.html
Major League Soccer's eight pressing questions going into the 2017 season
3. What does the next round of expansion look like?
The line for the two next teams goes out the door and around the block. With LAFC already announced as the 23rd franchise and the 24th still being held for David Beckham’s forever-stalled plans in Miami, there will be two more teams starting in a few years, and two more a while after that to take the league to 28 teams.
There are no fewer than 12 markets under consideration for those four spots – or five, should Miami fall through. Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Nashville, Phoenix, Raleigh/Durham, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis and Tampa/St. Petersburg. The process of the league sifting through the pile and trying to pick the right ones will be captivating.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/orlando-city-sc-new-stadium-mls-2017-preview
New stadium, new fortunes? What to expect from Orlando City in 2017
MLS' newest facility will arguably be the league's best. But what will the soccer be like from the home team?
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/19/blog/post/3071154/mls-embrace-of-young-dps-has-league-shedding-retirement-league-image
Embrace of young DPs has MLS shedding 'retirement league' image
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https://www.soundersfc.com/post/2017/02/28/major-league-soccer-increases-available-roster-spots-homegrown-players
Major League Soccer increases available roster spots to incentivize more Homegrown signings
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.freep.com/story/sports/2017/02/28/mls-expansion-committee-meeting-with-detroit/98554502/
MLS expansion committee could meet with Detroit in May or June
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mls-is-growing-in-teamsjust-not-profits-1488311645
The MLS Is Growing in Teams—Just Not Profits
Despite uneven attendance and middling TV ratings, investors view the soccer league as a long-term investment and are eager to get in on its expansion
(Follow link for full article.)
http://talksport.com/football/every-2017-mls-primary-jersey-ranked-worst-first-170301229501
Every 2017 MLS primary jersey ranked - from worst to first!
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/2017-mls-season-preview-stories-to-watch
Four under-the-radar stories to watch during the 2017 MLS season
Champions, contenders, big-picture growth. The headlines are the same this time of the season, but here are the other stories to watch as 2017 unfolds.
The ongoing evolution of MLS marketing
We’ve written about this before, but a certain balance is increasingly being tipped – and 2017 will see the conversation slant further still.
There’s “old MLS marketing” and newer MLS marketing. The “old” is focused more on selling games as “events” and creating soccer fans. You see it more in the older markets. The new way is about selling “love of the club,” about convincing young soccer fans to become local supporters, impassioned partisans who will march to matches even in the old mailman’s misery: rain, snow, gloom of night, etc.
Orlando’s new $155 million stadium has a standing section. It may not immediately match Dortmund’s famed Westfalenstadion for pep and punch, but what says “passionate supporters” like an area where folks stand and howl for two solid hours?
Atlanta is racing past 30,000 season tickets sold, and you can bet the majority aren’t families looking for something fun on a few Saturday nights. North of there, Minnesota United’s supporters group – the spectacularly named Dark Clouds – seem energized and active and primed to keep growing.
We know all about the teeming scenes around Seattle, Portland, Kansas City and MLS destinations that look increasingly Seattle- and Portland-esque. Committing to the conversion in overall marketing strategy will become more palatable as a bigger bulk of clubs demonstrate the “hows” and “whys” of it – along with those impressive, bottom line final results.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3071581/scheduling-issues-holding-up-vaunted-liga-mx-versus-mls-tournament
Scheduling issues holding up vaunted Liga MX, MLS tournament
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.soccerwire.com/notes/new-york-sc-joins-womens-premier-soccer-league/
New York SC joins Women’s Premier Soccer League
"He signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL in 2015, but after a
promising first season with the club, Adu was left on the bench in favor
of Joe Cole for the 2016 season."
Ah, no. That is not what happened.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.goal.com/en-ke/news/4539/transfer-zone/2017/02/28/33152102/source-former-prodigy-freddy-adu-receives-offers-from-poland-and-
Source: Former prodigy Freddy Adu receives offers from Poland and Asia
Ives Galarcep
Feb 28, 2017 17:52:30
Amid reports from Poland of an imminent move for the former U.S. international, a source tells Goal that Adu is also weighing offers from Asia.
Freddy Adu’s soccer odyssey appears set to take him abroad once again.
The former prodigy, fresh off an unsuccessful trial with the Portland Timbers, is weighing an offer from Polish second-division club Sandecja Nowy Sacz, a source close to Adu confirmed to Goal. Reports surfaced on Tuesday suggesting Adu is close to signing, but Goal's source says Adu only received the offer on Tuesday, and has not accepted it. He has yet to travel to Poland to finalize it, contrary to reports in Poland.
Martino leaving his mark on Atlanta
The club had released a statement on Monday indicating it held talks with Adu, but that it had balked at the financial demands.
Sources also tell Goal that Adu is also considering offers from Asia. Adu seriously considered a move to South Korea prior to his move to Brazilian side Bahia in 2013.
The former U.S. international, who began his professional career at age 14 with MLS side D.C. United, has struggled to find playing time at any level recently. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL in 2015, but after a promising first season with the club, Adu was left on the bench in favor of Joe Cole for the 2016 season. He left the Rowdies having just played 13 league matches for the club. Prior to that he found himself in Finland, where he played just five games for KuPS, and also had a brief spell with Serbian club FK Jagodina.
The last time Adu played with any regularity for a first-division team was in 2012, when he suited up for the Philadelphia Union after a brief resurgence that saw him play a part in the U.S. run to the 2011 Gold Cup final. He fell out of favor with the Union though, precipitating a departure after two seasons, with Adu leaving for Bahia.
Adu spent a few weeks on trial with the Timbers at the end of January, but the team elected not to sign him to a contract.
"It isn't easy getting into our squad when you look at players like (Darlington) Nagbe, (Diego) Valeri, (Fanendo) Adi, (Darren) Mattocks and (Sebastian) Blanco," Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson told Goal at the time. "It was always going to be tough for Freddy, however we felt he deserved the opportunity."
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/article135502003.html
MLS increases rosters from 28 to 30 for homegrown players
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2017/02/27/dc-united-stadium-groundbreaking-buzzard-point-audi-field
It finally happened: D.C. United breaks ground on new, own stadium
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampaspartans.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/releases/20170227fw78rr
UT Set to Host Tampa Bay Rowdies for 13th Annual Fitz Fest
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Peter Wilt Talks San Diego, Chicago & More NASL Expansion
(Follow link for full article.)
http://midfieldpress.com/2017/02/27/peter-wilt-talks-san-diego-chicago-more-nasl-expansion/
Peter Wilt Talks San Diego, Chicago & More NASL Expansion
by Chris Kivlehan - February 27, 2017
While the North American Soccer League contracted from 12 teams to 8 this past offseason, prospects for the league’s expansion have never looked better. Two roadblocks to growth are out of the way, with Traffic Sports no longer involved in the league and Division II status provisionally retained after a period of uncertainty. Serious expansion bids with the potential of joining for 2018 are afoot in Atlanta, Chicago, Orange County and two separate groups that want to bring NASL to San Diego (Albion SC is the other). Groups in markets such as Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Baltimore, Hartford and New Orleans among others have reportedly demonstrated interest in joining the league.
One of the driving forces developing potential expansion groups has been Club 9 Sports. Club 9 is a boutique investment bank and advisory firm for the Sports and Media industry that is working with professional soccer expansion bids in Orange County, San Diego and Chicago, among others. Club 9 is backed by several venture capitalists, and its team includes veteran soccer executives such as Peter Wilt (Chicago Fire/Indy Eleven), Jack Cummins (Chicago Red Stars) and Steve Livingstone (Jacksonville Armada). Club 9 assists expansion groups with finding investors necessary to fund a pro sports team as well as building their business plan to be successful with the team’s launch. They are working with groups interested in joining NASL.
Midfield Press was able to catch up with Peter Wilt to discuss several of the irons in the NASL expansion fire. See our feature on the Orange County NASL group for Part I of this interview.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2017/02/27/dc-united-stadium-groundbreaking-buzzard-point-audi-field
It finally happened: D.C. United breaks ground on new, own stadium
(Follow link for full article.)
https://therivardreport.com/ownership-key-to-san-antonio-fcs-pitch-for-major-league-soccer/
Ownership Key to San Antonio FC’s Pitch for Major League Soccer
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/19/blog/post/3070313/mls-making-strides-toward-becoming-destination-league-but-has-a-way-to-go
MLS making strides toward becoming destination league, but has a way to go
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/19/blog/post/3070066/minnesota-united-play-to-local-fan-base-while-kevin-molino-boosts-mls-hopes
Minnesota United play to local fan base while Kevin Molino boosts MLS hopes
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/4983374-155/mls-analysis-young-stars-invigorate-an
MLS preview: Young stars invigorate an unpredictable league growing in popularity
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.soundersfc.com/post/2017/02/27/pros-peter-walton-reveals-four-new-points-emphasis-2017-major-league-soccer-season
PRO's Peter Walton reveals four new points of emphasis for 2017 Major League Soccer season
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.soccernation.com/soccer-nation-sitdown-landon-donovan-part-1/
SoccerNation Sitdown: Landon Donovan – Part One
When it comes to American Soccer, you would be hard pressed to find a more recognizable name than Landon Donovan. The all-time leader in goals and assists for the United States Men’s National Team is also becoming a familiar face to residents of San Diego, with Donovan and his family recently moving to America’s Finest City.
In conjunction with the San Diego Sockers, the indoor stalwarts who are currently on a quest for their 15th championship in franchise history, Soccer Nation’s Nate Abaurrea had an in depth chat with Donovan this weekend, inside the Socker’s home of the Valley View Casino Center.
Part 1 of the conversation focuses on Donovan’s newfound love for San Diego and his unwavering support for Major League Soccer Expansion in America’s Finest City.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.christianpost.com/news/mls-transfer-rumors-chicharito-in-negotiations-over-possible-move-to-mls-175985/
MLS Transfer Rumors: Chicharito in Negotiations Over Possible Move to MLS
(Follow link for full article.)
http://media.weei.com/a/118550181/soccercast-chicharito-to-the-mls.htm
SoccerCast - Chicharito to the MLS?
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2017/02/27/33139872/dc-united-breaks-ground-on-audi-field
D.C. United breaks ground on Audi Field
MLS commissioner Don Garber and Mayor Muriel Bowser were among the guests as the club formally broke ground on its 20,000-seat venue.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2017/02/27/33140092/leaving-a-legacy-ex-barca-manager-martino-puts-his-stamp-on
Leaving a legacy: Ex-Barca manager Martino puts his stamp on Atlanta United's ambitions
Having managed the likes of Barcelona and Argentina, the 54-year-old sees the MLS expansion side as a chance to make his mark.
http://midfieldpress.com/2017/02/27/peter-wilt-talks-san-diego-chicago-more-nasl-expansion/
Peter Wilt Talks San Diego, Chicago & More NASL Expansion
by Chris Kivlehan - February 27, 2017
While the North American Soccer League contracted from 12 teams to 8 this past offseason, prospects for the league’s expansion have never looked better. Two roadblocks to growth are out of the way, with Traffic Sports no longer involved in the league and Division II status provisionally retained after a period of uncertainty. Serious expansion bids with the potential of joining for 2018 are afoot in Atlanta, Chicago, Orange County and two separate groups that want to bring NASL to San Diego (Albion SC is the other). Groups in markets such as Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Baltimore, Hartford and New Orleans among others have reportedly demonstrated interest in joining the league.
One of the driving forces developing potential expansion groups has been Club 9 Sports. Club 9 is a boutique investment bank and advisory firm for the Sports and Media industry that is working with professional soccer expansion bids in Orange County, San Diego and Chicago, among others. Club 9 is backed by several venture capitalists, and its team includes veteran soccer executives such as Peter Wilt (Chicago Fire/Indy Eleven), Jack Cummins (Chicago Red Stars) and Steve Livingstone (Jacksonville Armada). Club 9 assists expansion groups with finding investors necessary to fund a pro sports team as well as building their business plan to be successful with the team’s launch. They are working with groups interested in joining NASL.
Midfield Press was able to catch up with Peter Wilt to discuss several of the irons in the NASL expansion fire. See our feature on the Orange County NASL group for Part I of this interview.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2017/02/27/dc-united-stadium-groundbreaking-buzzard-point-audi-field
It finally happened: D.C. United breaks ground on new, own stadium
(Follow link for full article.)
https://therivardreport.com/ownership-key-to-san-antonio-fcs-pitch-for-major-league-soccer/
Ownership Key to San Antonio FC’s Pitch for Major League Soccer
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/19/blog/post/3070313/mls-making-strides-toward-becoming-destination-league-but-has-a-way-to-go
MLS making strides toward becoming destination league, but has a way to go
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/19/blog/post/3070066/minnesota-united-play-to-local-fan-base-while-kevin-molino-boosts-mls-hopes
Minnesota United play to local fan base while Kevin Molino boosts MLS hopes
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/4983374-155/mls-analysis-young-stars-invigorate-an
MLS preview: Young stars invigorate an unpredictable league growing in popularity
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.soundersfc.com/post/2017/02/27/pros-peter-walton-reveals-four-new-points-emphasis-2017-major-league-soccer-season
PRO's Peter Walton reveals four new points of emphasis for 2017 Major League Soccer season
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.soccernation.com/soccer-nation-sitdown-landon-donovan-part-1/
SoccerNation Sitdown: Landon Donovan – Part One
When it comes to American Soccer, you would be hard pressed to find a more recognizable name than Landon Donovan. The all-time leader in goals and assists for the United States Men’s National Team is also becoming a familiar face to residents of San Diego, with Donovan and his family recently moving to America’s Finest City.
In conjunction with the San Diego Sockers, the indoor stalwarts who are currently on a quest for their 15th championship in franchise history, Soccer Nation’s Nate Abaurrea had an in depth chat with Donovan this weekend, inside the Socker’s home of the Valley View Casino Center.
Part 1 of the conversation focuses on Donovan’s newfound love for San Diego and his unwavering support for Major League Soccer Expansion in America’s Finest City.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.christianpost.com/news/mls-transfer-rumors-chicharito-in-negotiations-over-possible-move-to-mls-175985/
MLS Transfer Rumors: Chicharito in Negotiations Over Possible Move to MLS
(Follow link for full article.)
http://media.weei.com/a/118550181/soccercast-chicharito-to-the-mls.htm
SoccerCast - Chicharito to the MLS?
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2017/02/27/33139872/dc-united-breaks-ground-on-audi-field
D.C. United breaks ground on Audi Field
MLS commissioner Don Garber and Mayor Muriel Bowser were among the guests as the club formally broke ground on its 20,000-seat venue.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2017/02/27/33140092/leaving-a-legacy-ex-barca-manager-martino-puts-his-stamp-on
Leaving a legacy: Ex-Barca manager Martino puts his stamp on Atlanta United's ambitions
Having managed the likes of Barcelona and Argentina, the 54-year-old sees the MLS expansion side as a chance to make his mark.
#MLS2STPETE: Understanding the Al Lang Stadium Referendum
(Follow link for full article.)
http://midfieldpress.com/2017/02/26/mls2stpete-understanding-the-al-lang-stadium-referendum/
#MLS2STPETE: Understanding the Al Lang Stadium Referendum
by Jason Bruzzichesi - February 26, 2017
City Council meetings are admittedly never very exciting. Much of the discussions revolve around parcels, ad-valorem taxes, zoning questions, program awareness, and the occasional personal complaint about something the city is doing to anger one of its residents. Very rarely do you see a great deal of outside discussion, or even significant input from the public.
However, when it comes to stadiums and expansion teams, this is where the sausage is really made. After about 30 minutes of public discussion, the St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously to go forward with language that set up a public vote, scheduled for May 2nd of this year, bringing the Tampa Bay Rowdies one step closer to joining MLS.
Prior to the council meeting, the language of the referendum was announced in the Council agenda as such:
“An Ordinance calling a referendum regarding an agreement, with a term not exceeding 25 years and subject to certain conditions, for Al Lang Field to be used for the primary purpose of providing a home field for the Tampa Bay Rowdies to compete in Major League Soccer; authorizing the City Council to approve such and agreement following approval of the referendum by a majority vote; providing the referendum ballot title and text; calling a Special Election for May 2, 2017, to hold the referendum; directing the City Clerk to provide notice of the Special Election; making findings; and providing an effective date.”
The referendum’s language came into question thanks to questions by councilmember Charlie Gerdes, who sought to strengthen language of the referendum from using the terms “subject to” to “under,” appending the language of “primary purpose” to include “but not sole,” and changing the word “field” to “facility.” While this sounds like procedural wrangling, the importance of the language on the referendum is important, because the St. Petersburg City Charter limits any new proposals to a maximum of 75 words. This led to an additional question about the publication of the language, which would have to be revised, despite that it had already been submitted to the local paper of record, the Tampa Bay Times. A brief recess ensued, and as city attorneys huddled with council members, the language was finalized, a staffer reached out to the Tampa Bay Times, and the finalized submitted language – which had not yet been approved by council – was sent to the paper. That change cost the city about $1000 in advertising space.
But… it didn’t.
What was not openly discussed was the cost of this referendum, should it go forward. Requiring a special election means that the city has to pay for the use of the Pinellas County Clerk of the Courts to administer, staff and tally all the votes – currently scheduled for May 2nd, 2017. This comes with a cost of $270,000, of which $254,000 would be due to the Clerk on March 3rd – or the day after public discussion. This required another round of discussion and voting, because the money would be required to be put into escrow. What should have kinked this issue is that money for this special election simply had not been appropriated for the fiscal year – submitted back in October of 2016.
But… it didn’t.
Because like the advertising costs, Bill Edwards has agreed to pay for all of it.
Former Mayor Rick Baker, now on staff as the president of the Edwards Group, was on hand at the meeting, and quickly sought to clear the way of any obstacles by agreeing to absorb the additional advertising costs due to the changes in language. While councilmen Gerdes and Kornell asked about the additional cost, Baker simply strode up to the podium, was recognized by the chair, and agreed to pick up the tab.
Not everyone on hand was as easily persuaded, however.
While the majority of business leaders, including the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce CEO Chris Steinacher, spoke in favor of the ordinance, some others bristled at the idea of expanding Al Lang, citing traffic, trash disposal, noise pollution, and parking inconveniences during game day. It is worth noting however, that Al Lang is currently the home of the Saturday Morning Market, which is reporting to attract about 10,000 visitors every weekend, and the current capacity of 8100, has yet to cause significant noise or other service issues, including traffic. In 2016, the City of St. Petersburg commissioned and received a finalized report on the Parking Demand Study, which cited that even at peak hours during weekends, the available parking for all of downtown did not exceed more than 50% usage.
On the matter of additional use, the question of whether or not Al Lang would become an outdoor concert destination was posed. The current lease agreement holds that Big 3 Entertainment is required to host at minimum, 10 non-soccer game related activities per year. Some examples of such have been post game concerts, as well as rugby matches, commercial shoots, chamber luncheons, and even an X-Games style event. Based upon the language of the ordinance, however, it is not only unlikely that city councilmembers would be averse to concerts and other events, but that they would actively seek to bring more use to Al Lang stadium on non-game days. The only question would be how that would impact the pitch, and how field maintenance staff would respond to such a challenge.
The Rowdies found a rather unlikely ally in Hal Freedman, who previously spearheaded efforts beginning in 2007 all the way into 2011 preventing the Tampa Bay Rays from expanding Al Lang, under his community group Protect Our Wallets and Waterfront (POWW). Citing a reasonable and low footprint, no pedestrian obstructions, and no additional filling in of the Bay in the proposed design, Freedman was surprisingly supportive of the effort.
So what’s next?
On Thursday, March 2nd, there will be a hearing on the referendum language, which may lead to finalization and submission. The time and format of that meeting is not yet determined, however it is likely to follow the same format as today’s occurring at 3pm, with an open forum. From there, the next big date will be Tuesday, May 2nd, when the actual referendum will be voted upon. Should that pass public approval by a simple majority, the City Council will then adopt the language into the charter (Section 1.02[d]) allowing the lease to change from a five (5) year agreement (expiring in 2020) to a twenty-five (25) year agreement. Additionally, the City Council and staff would have to draw up the new conditions for the agreement, which are currently non-existent. As the language sits right now, unless the Tampa Bay Rowdies are selected as a recipient of MLS expansion (no time frame is specified), the Al Lang lease will remain limited to only 5 years.
The average fan is not going to be inclined to sit for several hours on a Thursday afternoon to listen to the minute details of an ordinance to create a referendum, but this is how monumental movements of soccer expansion get done. Even fans of lower division soccer should pay attention when it comes to these types of meetings, ordinances and referendums. It’s by no means glamorous, and so far, no drums or smoke have been let off in the council chambers, but attendance at these meetings are as essential as showing up at the stadium on game days. Just not as glamorous.
Next Meeting:
Thursday March 2nd, @8:30AM – St. Petersburg City Hall (175 5th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701)
(Follow link for full article.)
http://saintpetersblog.com/rowdies-take-impressive-win-mlss-montreal-exhibition/
Rowdies take impressive win over MLS’s Montreal in exhibition
Gary Shelton
If you want to join them, well, first you beat them.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies, who have announced their plans to pursue admission into the MLS, took a symbolic step toward their goal Saturday night when they beat the Montreal Impact. The Impact was the Eastern Conference runners-up last season.
However, the Rowdies dominated play most of the evening, taking a 2-0 lead en route to their victory. Joe Cole and Deshorn Brown, a training guest, scored the goals within six minutes of one another late in the first half. Montreal’s only goal came from the penalty spot in the 71st minute.
“It’s nice to get a win, even though in preseason, the result isn’t the most important thing,” coach Stuart Campbell said. “It’s about the performance, the amount of work and improving the players’ fitness. You could see how hard the players worked tonight. For many of them, it was their first 90 minutes of the preseason.”
The Rowdies finished the Suncoast Invitation with a 1-1 record. The loss came to Philadelphia, which scored a late goal after Tampa Bay had substituted liberally.
“The movement that Montreal has and the attacking quality they use, they’re a very good team,” Campbell said. “We limited them to very few chances. I can’t remember many clear-cut chances they had. That’s one of the best teams in MLS. If you finish above Montreal, you’re not going to be far from winning the championship.”
After a back-and-forth first half that showed flashes of quality but with chances lacking, the Rowdies opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a quickly-taken free kick.
Rowdies winger Leo Fernandes drew a foul just outside the 18-yard box, and, before Montreal could set up defensively, the Rowdies took the free kick with Brown feeding Cole wide of the 6-yard box.
Cole’s shot on goal was deflected past Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush by Laurent Ciman and Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.
Just six minutes later, Cole nearly scored his second of the match, but Bush made a big save. Brown pounced on the rebound and smashed it with his left foot to double Tampa Bay’s lead before halftime.
Despite the normal second-half substitutions that come standard in preseason matches, the Rowdies maintained control of the match save for Piatti’s penalty in the 71st minute, sealing a positive result.
“We wanted to go out and get a result, but really we wanted to put on a good performance,” Campbell said. “It’s fantastic to go out there and beat an MLS team that had a very good year last year and will no doubt have another very good year this year.”
Tampa Bay is back in action next week when it travels to Tampa to take on the University of Tampa Spartans on Saturday, March 4.
The Rowdies open their inaugural USL season March 25 against Orlando City B at Al Lang Stadium.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.sportsjoe.ie/football/fans-new-major-league-soccer-team-show-off-earbleedingly-bad-chant/114777
Fans of new Major League Soccer team show off earbleedingly-bad chant
By SportsJOE
God love our American cousins and their relatively recently-found enthusiasm for the Beautiful Game.
Yep, the last few years have shown us that football (soccer) is finally catching on across the pond.
Internationally, their women's side are world champions and, while their men's side aren't, they still managed to outperform England during the last World Cup with a squad made up of many players that wouldn't get a game in the Premier League.
Major League Soccer also continues to grow, too. With David Beckham still working away on his Miami-based team, newly-formed Atlanta United are days away from making their MLS bow.
Understandably, Atlanta-based football (soccer) fans are quite excited that they'll not have to venture a few hundred miles out of their city to watch an MLS game. So excited, they've already made a chant to welcome their new team, bless 'em.
Now as much as we'd love to praise them for going to such great lengths, we simply can't.
Why? Well, just listen to it...
To our knowledge, the first ever football chant featuring the lines "You better watch your mouth" and "We're gonna stomp you out."
If ever there was a case for the MLS to introduce relegation, this song is it.
Check out Episode 4 of The Hard Yards rugby podcast as Donncha O'Callaghan, Mike McCarthy, Johnny O'Connor and Pat McCarry chat to Andy McGeady.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/25/acura-kit-deal-sets-new-club-record-crew-sc-see-lot-room-grow
Acura kit deal sets new club record but Crew SC see "a lot of room to grow"
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/on-the-pitch/os-sp-orlando-city-stadium-tour-0226-story.html
Orlando City new stadium open house draws thousands
Alicia DelGallo
A giant lion statue perched on a purple carpet greeted thousands of fans.
The hot and crowded concourse simulated a game-day atmosphere, as people of all ages inched along amid the scent of fresh paint and fresh concrete. Heads turned in every direction, taking in all details.
“We’ve been watching the pictures and following on social media,” said Adam Holtkamp, a civil engineer who drove from Merritt Island with his 9-year-old son to see the building in person. “It’s awesome.”
They were among the announced 10,473 visitors who toured Orlando City Soccer Club’s new downtown stadium during an open house Saturday.
The event began shortly after 9 a.m. and the main entrance was mobbed until doors closed at 1 p.m.
Fans walking to and from Orlando City Stadium passed under the faces of Pride defender Ali Krieger and Orlando City captain Kaká. The players beamed on posters hung from lamp posts that stretched down Church Street to Palmer Feed Store on the corner of Westmoreland Drive, where a chalkboard out front read, “Welcome to the hood Orlando City.”
The club also hosted a 5K run. Participants received purple medals when they crossed the finish line in front of Sy’s Supermarket. A D.J. blasted music that mostly drowned out the drills, heavy machinery and trucks backing up, noise from construction crews hustling to finish the stadium before March 5, when the Lions open the Major League Soccer season against New York City FC.
The remaining work looks daunting to wrap up in eight days, but Orlando City owner Flávio Augusto da Silva and CEO Alex Leitão said it all will come together in time.
During the open house, fans had access to the lobby, locker rooms, the club level, concourse, tunnel and stands along the west side of the stadium. The pitch was roped off and signs stuck in the ground read, “Please stay off the grass.”
Curious fans could reach the very edges of the turf, though. It was tightly mowed, a vibrant shade of green, cold and moist.
“I have awesome pictures,” Orlando resident Aileen Santos said as she scrolled through panoramic shots of the locker room, which will be used for all three professional teams under the Orlando City SC umbrella.
Santos; her husband, Paul; and their two small sons, whom Santos called “little lions,” walked through before the line backed up with dozens of people after the 5k ended. They’ve had season tickets since Orlando City joined MLS in 2015. Originally from California and New York, respectively, the couple is especially looking forward to the season opener and the L.A. Galaxy home match April 15. Both games sold out within minutes of tickets becoming available to the public.
“Section 106, which we can’t get to,” Paul Santos said smiling and pointing to a section of the stadium not open for touring. “But, yeah, we just wanted to check out the new stadium. I mean, it’s new, new stadium smell, like a new house smell. It looks great so far. I want to see it filled up with all these people in a week. Looking forward to it.”
Kennedy Hawkins-Dale can’t wait, either. She’s 8 years old.
“But on April 19th, I turn 9,” she said, clutching a sports card featuring Pride backup goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe as she waited in line for an autograph.
And to celebrate, she’ll hold her birthday party at the new stadium.
Hawkins-Dale and her mother scoured photos, maps and renderings of the new stadium online before it opened, picking out areas to hold about 20 children for the party.
The soon-to-be birthday girl approved of the space.
“Oh, I think it’s really, really, really cool,” she said, nodding with each “really.” “Especially the locker room, because then it goes out onto the field. Amazing.”
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article135021169.html
MLS buzzing about new Atlanta team as season kicks off
Another Major League Soccer season will begin Friday without a firm plan for David Beckham’s long-awaited Miami team. But sources in the league and Beckham’s inner circles insist South Florida fans should remain optimistic that good news is coming soon.
In the meantime, welcome Atlanta United and Minnesota United, MLS teams No. 21 and 22.
Expansion teams rarely have huge success in their inaugural season. The Seattle Sounders did make the playoffs in 2009 but that is unusual. Atlanta is one team that could surprise from the get-go.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article135021169.html#storylink=cpy
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.inforum.com/sports/4225118-minnesota-united-about-discover-learning-curve-mls-expansion-teams
Minnesota United about to discover learning curve for MLS expansion teams
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-la-galaxy-s-klein-supports-mls-in-stl/article_d6944b39-0e9b-521d-955a-24e31b59a7cd.html
Hochman: LA Galaxy's Klein supports MLS in STL
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/on-the-pitch/os-sp-orlando-city-news-0226-story.html
Kaká scores first goal in Orlando City’s new stadium during preseason match
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.beinsports.com/th-en/major-league-soccer/news/kaka-scores-first-goal-in-orlando-citys-new-5/465693
Kaka scores first goal in Orlando City's new stadium
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/26/mls-expansion-history-just-how-tough-task-atlanta-minnesota
MLS expansion history: Just how tough is the task for Atlanta, Minnesota?
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.sctimes.com/story/sports/2017/02/26/mls-debut-sets-new-stage-minnesota/98459406/
MLS debut sets new stage in Minnesota
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.sports360az.com/2017/02/busy-times-rising-fc/
NOTEBOOK-Growth Time for Rising FC
It was a fruitful week for the Rising FC roster. Shaun Wright-Phillips signed with the the franchise.He’s a familiar name to those who have followed Manchester City, Chelsea, and English International soccer. This comes on the heels of the signing and arrival of former Mexican International and Chivas star Omar Bravo. I would not be a bit surprised to see the payroll of Rising FC be at, or near the top of the USL,before all is said and done.
On the Expansion front, I have asked for MLS Commissioner Don Garber to come on the show. Right now the League isn’t wanting to talk much about the addition of teams. It’s really quite simple from my view. San Diego, Sacramento, Cincinnati, and St. Louis can all make a compelling case to be added to the League. However, none of them have the television market that Phoenix possesses. Also, I believe that the MLS wants to see just how much fan support will come out to the new location of the franchise. Fans are a major part of this equation. Sacramento has been drawing HUGE crowds which may be the reason why they might get a MLS franchise before Arizona. If you don’t think you matter in this pursuit, you’re wrong…
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/countdown-2022-mls-top-10-league-world-goal
Countdown to 2022: How far is MLS from its goal of being a top-10 league?
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.facebook.com/TampaBayRowdies/videos/10155803667898835/?pnref=story.unseen-section
Tampa Bay Rowdies
on Thursday ·
Check out behind-the-scenes video of yesterday's media day at Tropicana Field!
(Follow link for full article.)
https://brooklynnycoc.wliinc27.com/events/The-New-York-Cosmos-Welcome-Party-2187/register
The New York Cosmos Welcome Party
Monday, March 06, 2017 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/25/report-several-mls-teams-interested-acquiring-wayne-rooney
Report: Several MLS teams interested in acquiring Wayne Rooney
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2017/02/26/city-impressed-new-home-final-preseason-scrimmage
City Impressed By New Home in Final Preseason Scrimmage
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/25/boehm-sleeping-giant-stirs-dc-united-finally-build-their-own-home
Boehm: A sleeping giant stirs as DC United finally build their own home
(Follow link for full article.)
https://therivardreport.com/ownership-key-to-san-antonio-fcs-pitch-for-major-league-soccer/
Ownership Key to San Antonio FC’s Pitch for Major League Soccer
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.epluribusloonum.com/2017/2/26/14739264/minnesota-twinstars-ready-npsl-north
Minnesota TwinStars Ready for NPSL North
The original NPSL club in the Twin Cities believes it is time for new, local competition.
http://midfieldpress.com/2017/02/26/mls2stpete-understanding-the-al-lang-stadium-referendum/
#MLS2STPETE: Understanding the Al Lang Stadium Referendum
by Jason Bruzzichesi - February 26, 2017
City Council meetings are admittedly never very exciting. Much of the discussions revolve around parcels, ad-valorem taxes, zoning questions, program awareness, and the occasional personal complaint about something the city is doing to anger one of its residents. Very rarely do you see a great deal of outside discussion, or even significant input from the public.
However, when it comes to stadiums and expansion teams, this is where the sausage is really made. After about 30 minutes of public discussion, the St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously to go forward with language that set up a public vote, scheduled for May 2nd of this year, bringing the Tampa Bay Rowdies one step closer to joining MLS.
Prior to the council meeting, the language of the referendum was announced in the Council agenda as such:
“An Ordinance calling a referendum regarding an agreement, with a term not exceeding 25 years and subject to certain conditions, for Al Lang Field to be used for the primary purpose of providing a home field for the Tampa Bay Rowdies to compete in Major League Soccer; authorizing the City Council to approve such and agreement following approval of the referendum by a majority vote; providing the referendum ballot title and text; calling a Special Election for May 2, 2017, to hold the referendum; directing the City Clerk to provide notice of the Special Election; making findings; and providing an effective date.”
The referendum’s language came into question thanks to questions by councilmember Charlie Gerdes, who sought to strengthen language of the referendum from using the terms “subject to” to “under,” appending the language of “primary purpose” to include “but not sole,” and changing the word “field” to “facility.” While this sounds like procedural wrangling, the importance of the language on the referendum is important, because the St. Petersburg City Charter limits any new proposals to a maximum of 75 words. This led to an additional question about the publication of the language, which would have to be revised, despite that it had already been submitted to the local paper of record, the Tampa Bay Times. A brief recess ensued, and as city attorneys huddled with council members, the language was finalized, a staffer reached out to the Tampa Bay Times, and the finalized submitted language – which had not yet been approved by council – was sent to the paper. That change cost the city about $1000 in advertising space.
But… it didn’t.
What was not openly discussed was the cost of this referendum, should it go forward. Requiring a special election means that the city has to pay for the use of the Pinellas County Clerk of the Courts to administer, staff and tally all the votes – currently scheduled for May 2nd, 2017. This comes with a cost of $270,000, of which $254,000 would be due to the Clerk on March 3rd – or the day after public discussion. This required another round of discussion and voting, because the money would be required to be put into escrow. What should have kinked this issue is that money for this special election simply had not been appropriated for the fiscal year – submitted back in October of 2016.
But… it didn’t.
Because like the advertising costs, Bill Edwards has agreed to pay for all of it.
Former Mayor Rick Baker, now on staff as the president of the Edwards Group, was on hand at the meeting, and quickly sought to clear the way of any obstacles by agreeing to absorb the additional advertising costs due to the changes in language. While councilmen Gerdes and Kornell asked about the additional cost, Baker simply strode up to the podium, was recognized by the chair, and agreed to pick up the tab.
Not everyone on hand was as easily persuaded, however.
While the majority of business leaders, including the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce CEO Chris Steinacher, spoke in favor of the ordinance, some others bristled at the idea of expanding Al Lang, citing traffic, trash disposal, noise pollution, and parking inconveniences during game day. It is worth noting however, that Al Lang is currently the home of the Saturday Morning Market, which is reporting to attract about 10,000 visitors every weekend, and the current capacity of 8100, has yet to cause significant noise or other service issues, including traffic. In 2016, the City of St. Petersburg commissioned and received a finalized report on the Parking Demand Study, which cited that even at peak hours during weekends, the available parking for all of downtown did not exceed more than 50% usage.
On the matter of additional use, the question of whether or not Al Lang would become an outdoor concert destination was posed. The current lease agreement holds that Big 3 Entertainment is required to host at minimum, 10 non-soccer game related activities per year. Some examples of such have been post game concerts, as well as rugby matches, commercial shoots, chamber luncheons, and even an X-Games style event. Based upon the language of the ordinance, however, it is not only unlikely that city councilmembers would be averse to concerts and other events, but that they would actively seek to bring more use to Al Lang stadium on non-game days. The only question would be how that would impact the pitch, and how field maintenance staff would respond to such a challenge.
The Rowdies found a rather unlikely ally in Hal Freedman, who previously spearheaded efforts beginning in 2007 all the way into 2011 preventing the Tampa Bay Rays from expanding Al Lang, under his community group Protect Our Wallets and Waterfront (POWW). Citing a reasonable and low footprint, no pedestrian obstructions, and no additional filling in of the Bay in the proposed design, Freedman was surprisingly supportive of the effort.
So what’s next?
On Thursday, March 2nd, there will be a hearing on the referendum language, which may lead to finalization and submission. The time and format of that meeting is not yet determined, however it is likely to follow the same format as today’s occurring at 3pm, with an open forum. From there, the next big date will be Tuesday, May 2nd, when the actual referendum will be voted upon. Should that pass public approval by a simple majority, the City Council will then adopt the language into the charter (Section 1.02[d]) allowing the lease to change from a five (5) year agreement (expiring in 2020) to a twenty-five (25) year agreement. Additionally, the City Council and staff would have to draw up the new conditions for the agreement, which are currently non-existent. As the language sits right now, unless the Tampa Bay Rowdies are selected as a recipient of MLS expansion (no time frame is specified), the Al Lang lease will remain limited to only 5 years.
The average fan is not going to be inclined to sit for several hours on a Thursday afternoon to listen to the minute details of an ordinance to create a referendum, but this is how monumental movements of soccer expansion get done. Even fans of lower division soccer should pay attention when it comes to these types of meetings, ordinances and referendums. It’s by no means glamorous, and so far, no drums or smoke have been let off in the council chambers, but attendance at these meetings are as essential as showing up at the stadium on game days. Just not as glamorous.
Next Meeting:
Thursday March 2nd, @8:30AM – St. Petersburg City Hall (175 5th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701)
(Follow link for full article.)
http://saintpetersblog.com/rowdies-take-impressive-win-mlss-montreal-exhibition/
Rowdies take impressive win over MLS’s Montreal in exhibition
Gary Shelton
If you want to join them, well, first you beat them.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies, who have announced their plans to pursue admission into the MLS, took a symbolic step toward their goal Saturday night when they beat the Montreal Impact. The Impact was the Eastern Conference runners-up last season.
However, the Rowdies dominated play most of the evening, taking a 2-0 lead en route to their victory. Joe Cole and Deshorn Brown, a training guest, scored the goals within six minutes of one another late in the first half. Montreal’s only goal came from the penalty spot in the 71st minute.
“It’s nice to get a win, even though in preseason, the result isn’t the most important thing,” coach Stuart Campbell said. “It’s about the performance, the amount of work and improving the players’ fitness. You could see how hard the players worked tonight. For many of them, it was their first 90 minutes of the preseason.”
The Rowdies finished the Suncoast Invitation with a 1-1 record. The loss came to Philadelphia, which scored a late goal after Tampa Bay had substituted liberally.
“The movement that Montreal has and the attacking quality they use, they’re a very good team,” Campbell said. “We limited them to very few chances. I can’t remember many clear-cut chances they had. That’s one of the best teams in MLS. If you finish above Montreal, you’re not going to be far from winning the championship.”
After a back-and-forth first half that showed flashes of quality but with chances lacking, the Rowdies opened the scoring in the 34th minute with a quickly-taken free kick.
Rowdies winger Leo Fernandes drew a foul just outside the 18-yard box, and, before Montreal could set up defensively, the Rowdies took the free kick with Brown feeding Cole wide of the 6-yard box.
Cole’s shot on goal was deflected past Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush by Laurent Ciman and Tampa Bay took a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.
Just six minutes later, Cole nearly scored his second of the match, but Bush made a big save. Brown pounced on the rebound and smashed it with his left foot to double Tampa Bay’s lead before halftime.
Despite the normal second-half substitutions that come standard in preseason matches, the Rowdies maintained control of the match save for Piatti’s penalty in the 71st minute, sealing a positive result.
“We wanted to go out and get a result, but really we wanted to put on a good performance,” Campbell said. “It’s fantastic to go out there and beat an MLS team that had a very good year last year and will no doubt have another very good year this year.”
Tampa Bay is back in action next week when it travels to Tampa to take on the University of Tampa Spartans on Saturday, March 4.
The Rowdies open their inaugural USL season March 25 against Orlando City B at Al Lang Stadium.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.sportsjoe.ie/football/fans-new-major-league-soccer-team-show-off-earbleedingly-bad-chant/114777
Fans of new Major League Soccer team show off earbleedingly-bad chant
By SportsJOE
God love our American cousins and their relatively recently-found enthusiasm for the Beautiful Game.
Yep, the last few years have shown us that football (soccer) is finally catching on across the pond.
Internationally, their women's side are world champions and, while their men's side aren't, they still managed to outperform England during the last World Cup with a squad made up of many players that wouldn't get a game in the Premier League.
Major League Soccer also continues to grow, too. With David Beckham still working away on his Miami-based team, newly-formed Atlanta United are days away from making their MLS bow.
Understandably, Atlanta-based football (soccer) fans are quite excited that they'll not have to venture a few hundred miles out of their city to watch an MLS game. So excited, they've already made a chant to welcome their new team, bless 'em.
Now as much as we'd love to praise them for going to such great lengths, we simply can't.
Why? Well, just listen to it...
To our knowledge, the first ever football chant featuring the lines "You better watch your mouth" and "We're gonna stomp you out."
If ever there was a case for the MLS to introduce relegation, this song is it.
Check out Episode 4 of The Hard Yards rugby podcast as Donncha O'Callaghan, Mike McCarthy, Johnny O'Connor and Pat McCarry chat to Andy McGeady.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/25/acura-kit-deal-sets-new-club-record-crew-sc-see-lot-room-grow
Acura kit deal sets new club record but Crew SC see "a lot of room to grow"
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/on-the-pitch/os-sp-orlando-city-stadium-tour-0226-story.html
Orlando City new stadium open house draws thousands
Alicia DelGallo
A giant lion statue perched on a purple carpet greeted thousands of fans.
The hot and crowded concourse simulated a game-day atmosphere, as people of all ages inched along amid the scent of fresh paint and fresh concrete. Heads turned in every direction, taking in all details.
“We’ve been watching the pictures and following on social media,” said Adam Holtkamp, a civil engineer who drove from Merritt Island with his 9-year-old son to see the building in person. “It’s awesome.”
They were among the announced 10,473 visitors who toured Orlando City Soccer Club’s new downtown stadium during an open house Saturday.
The event began shortly after 9 a.m. and the main entrance was mobbed until doors closed at 1 p.m.
Fans walking to and from Orlando City Stadium passed under the faces of Pride defender Ali Krieger and Orlando City captain Kaká. The players beamed on posters hung from lamp posts that stretched down Church Street to Palmer Feed Store on the corner of Westmoreland Drive, where a chalkboard out front read, “Welcome to the hood Orlando City.”
The club also hosted a 5K run. Participants received purple medals when they crossed the finish line in front of Sy’s Supermarket. A D.J. blasted music that mostly drowned out the drills, heavy machinery and trucks backing up, noise from construction crews hustling to finish the stadium before March 5, when the Lions open the Major League Soccer season against New York City FC.
The remaining work looks daunting to wrap up in eight days, but Orlando City owner Flávio Augusto da Silva and CEO Alex Leitão said it all will come together in time.
During the open house, fans had access to the lobby, locker rooms, the club level, concourse, tunnel and stands along the west side of the stadium. The pitch was roped off and signs stuck in the ground read, “Please stay off the grass.”
Curious fans could reach the very edges of the turf, though. It was tightly mowed, a vibrant shade of green, cold and moist.
“I have awesome pictures,” Orlando resident Aileen Santos said as she scrolled through panoramic shots of the locker room, which will be used for all three professional teams under the Orlando City SC umbrella.
Santos; her husband, Paul; and their two small sons, whom Santos called “little lions,” walked through before the line backed up with dozens of people after the 5k ended. They’ve had season tickets since Orlando City joined MLS in 2015. Originally from California and New York, respectively, the couple is especially looking forward to the season opener and the L.A. Galaxy home match April 15. Both games sold out within minutes of tickets becoming available to the public.
“Section 106, which we can’t get to,” Paul Santos said smiling and pointing to a section of the stadium not open for touring. “But, yeah, we just wanted to check out the new stadium. I mean, it’s new, new stadium smell, like a new house smell. It looks great so far. I want to see it filled up with all these people in a week. Looking forward to it.”
Kennedy Hawkins-Dale can’t wait, either. She’s 8 years old.
“But on April 19th, I turn 9,” she said, clutching a sports card featuring Pride backup goalkeeper Aubrey Bledsoe as she waited in line for an autograph.
And to celebrate, she’ll hold her birthday party at the new stadium.
Hawkins-Dale and her mother scoured photos, maps and renderings of the new stadium online before it opened, picking out areas to hold about 20 children for the party.
The soon-to-be birthday girl approved of the space.
“Oh, I think it’s really, really, really cool,” she said, nodding with each “really.” “Especially the locker room, because then it goes out onto the field. Amazing.”
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article135021169.html
MLS buzzing about new Atlanta team as season kicks off
Another Major League Soccer season will begin Friday without a firm plan for David Beckham’s long-awaited Miami team. But sources in the league and Beckham’s inner circles insist South Florida fans should remain optimistic that good news is coming soon.
In the meantime, welcome Atlanta United and Minnesota United, MLS teams No. 21 and 22.
Expansion teams rarely have huge success in their inaugural season. The Seattle Sounders did make the playoffs in 2009 but that is unusual. Atlanta is one team that could surprise from the get-go.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article135021169.html#storylink=cpy
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.inforum.com/sports/4225118-minnesota-united-about-discover-learning-curve-mls-expansion-teams
Minnesota United about to discover learning curve for MLS expansion teams
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/benjamin-hochman/hochman-la-galaxy-s-klein-supports-mls-in-stl/article_d6944b39-0e9b-521d-955a-24e31b59a7cd.html
Hochman: LA Galaxy's Klein supports MLS in STL
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/on-the-pitch/os-sp-orlando-city-news-0226-story.html
Kaká scores first goal in Orlando City’s new stadium during preseason match
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.beinsports.com/th-en/major-league-soccer/news/kaka-scores-first-goal-in-orlando-citys-new-5/465693
Kaka scores first goal in Orlando City's new stadium
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/26/mls-expansion-history-just-how-tough-task-atlanta-minnesota
MLS expansion history: Just how tough is the task for Atlanta, Minnesota?
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.sctimes.com/story/sports/2017/02/26/mls-debut-sets-new-stage-minnesota/98459406/
MLS debut sets new stage in Minnesota
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.sports360az.com/2017/02/busy-times-rising-fc/
NOTEBOOK-Growth Time for Rising FC
It was a fruitful week for the Rising FC roster. Shaun Wright-Phillips signed with the the franchise.He’s a familiar name to those who have followed Manchester City, Chelsea, and English International soccer. This comes on the heels of the signing and arrival of former Mexican International and Chivas star Omar Bravo. I would not be a bit surprised to see the payroll of Rising FC be at, or near the top of the USL,before all is said and done.
On the Expansion front, I have asked for MLS Commissioner Don Garber to come on the show. Right now the League isn’t wanting to talk much about the addition of teams. It’s really quite simple from my view. San Diego, Sacramento, Cincinnati, and St. Louis can all make a compelling case to be added to the League. However, none of them have the television market that Phoenix possesses. Also, I believe that the MLS wants to see just how much fan support will come out to the new location of the franchise. Fans are a major part of this equation. Sacramento has been drawing HUGE crowds which may be the reason why they might get a MLS franchise before Arizona. If you don’t think you matter in this pursuit, you’re wrong…
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http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/countdown-2022-mls-top-10-league-world-goal
Countdown to 2022: How far is MLS from its goal of being a top-10 league?
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https://www.facebook.com/TampaBayRowdies/videos/10155803667898835/?pnref=story.unseen-section
Tampa Bay Rowdies
on Thursday ·
Check out behind-the-scenes video of yesterday's media day at Tropicana Field!
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https://brooklynnycoc.wliinc27.com/events/The-New-York-Cosmos-Welcome-Party-2187/register
The New York Cosmos Welcome Party
Monday, March 06, 2017 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/25/report-several-mls-teams-interested-acquiring-wayne-rooney
Report: Several MLS teams interested in acquiring Wayne Rooney
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2017/02/26/city-impressed-new-home-final-preseason-scrimmage
City Impressed By New Home in Final Preseason Scrimmage
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/25/boehm-sleeping-giant-stirs-dc-united-finally-build-their-own-home
Boehm: A sleeping giant stirs as DC United finally build their own home
(Follow link for full article.)
https://therivardreport.com/ownership-key-to-san-antonio-fcs-pitch-for-major-league-soccer/
Ownership Key to San Antonio FC’s Pitch for Major League Soccer
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.epluribusloonum.com/2017/2/26/14739264/minnesota-twinstars-ready-npsl-north
Minnesota TwinStars Ready for NPSL North
The original NPSL club in the Twin Cities believes it is time for new, local competition.
Friday, February 24, 2017
NASL Aspirants Albion Pros Host USL’s Phoenix Rising FC
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.soccernation.com/nasl-aspirants-albion-pros-host-usls-phoenix-rising-fc/
NASL Aspirants Albion Pros Host USL’s Phoenix Rising FC
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.rslsoapbox.com/2017/2/24/14720266/mls-players-union-cba-highlights
Highlights from the MLS, Players Union CBA
Do you get really excited about convoluted legal documents, too?
(Follow link for full article.)
http://mlsmultiplex.com/2017/02/24/mls-stars-play-host-real-madrid/
MLS All-stars to play host to Real Madrid?
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.burgundywave.com/2017/2/24/14699346/puto-what-comes-next
‘Puto’: What comes next?
Part 3 in our series on a word that surfaced at DSGP in late 2016.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/article/20170223/AP/302239795
LA Galaxy's reserve team to hold open tryouts in England
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/acura-named-jersey-sponsor-of-major-league-soccers-columbus-crew-sc-300413106.html
Acura Named Jersey Sponsor of Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew SC
- Sponsorship is first-of-its-kind, exclusive branding deal for Acura, and marks the largest brand activation in Crew SC history
- Acura branding on front panel of jersey for 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons
- Acura becomes Official Automotive Partner of Columbus Crew SC
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/24/united-soccer-theres-a-learning-curve-for-mls-expansion-teams/
United soccer: There’s a learning curve for MLS expansion teams
(Follow link for full article.)
http://acmilan.theoffside.com/2017/2/24/14728506/keisuke-honda-all-but-set-for-seattle-and-mls
Keisuke Honda all but set for Seattle and MLS!
Seattle seems to be the destination for Milan’s forgotten man
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2017/02/24/orlando-citys-new-stadium-receives-high-praise-guardian
Orlando City's New Stadium Receives High Praise from The Guardian
February 24, 2017 2:04PM EST
Orlando is just nine days out from the opening of City's brand new stadium versus New York City FC on March 5th. The pitch hasn't even been graced with a minute of The Beautiful Game, but that hasn't stopped The Guardian from giving the Lions' new home the top spot on their list of Major League Soccer's best stadiums.
City's Review:
Capacity 25,500
Average attendance 2016 31,324 (at Camping World Stadium)
The lowdown Take the Houston and Kansas City examples, add a dash of European savoir faire, paint it purple and, voila, the new benchmark in MLS experiences. Featuring the first standing-only section in North America (like Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall), Orlando promises to provide the most concentrated soccer stage in the US (for now).
The full rankings for all 22 stadiums in MLS can be seen here.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.kvoa.com/story/34588894/last-mls-games-in-tucson-headline-weekend-of-soccer-fun-at-kino-sports-complex
Last MLS games in Tucson headline weekend of soccer fun at Kino Sports Complex
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http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2017/02/24/32611232/in-pictures-new-mls-jerseys-for-the-2017-season
As the 2017 MLS campaign draws near, clubs across the league are introducing new kits for the upcoming season.
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http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/20/san-diego-mls-expansion-bid-group-reveal-full-plans-new-stadium-site
San Diego MLS expansion bid group reveal full plans for new stadium site
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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article133904574.html
Wake County
February 20, 2017 5:09 PM
County commissioners: Bring MLS soccer to Wake
By Paul A. Specht
RALEIGH
County leaders want to formally invite Major League Soccer to Wake.
The owner of North Carolina FC, formerly known as the Carolina RailHawks, announced late last year his goal of bringing an MLS team to the Triangle. It’ll be tough, since a stadium could cost up to $150 million and owner Steve Malik is competing with groups from 11 other U.S. cities that also want to launch an MLS franchise.
With that in mind, the Wake County Board of Commissioners on Monday said they plan to write a public letter showing support for Malik’s idea.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://web.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/st-petersburg-art-community-divided-over-pier-project/2314368
St. Petersburg art community divided over Pier project
Waveney Ann Moore
Friday, February 24, 2017 10:47am
ST. PETERSBURG — As the quest to commission the work of acclaimed artist Janet Echelman for the Pier pushes ahead, discontent simmers in art circles.
The city's Public Arts Commission recently voted to put $37,500 toward an exploratory contract with Echelman, a step that could lead to one of her multimillion-dollar aerial sculptures soaring above the downtown waterfront.
Impressive as her billowing, net-like sculptures may be, some in the city's art community question the wooing of Echelman, a talent far beyond the public art budget of $488,000 allocated for the $66 million Pier District. And critics accuse Mayor Rick Kriseman — who presented Echelman with a key to the city in October — of interfering with the job of the committee charged with selecting artistic works for the 26-acre waterfront attraction.
Kriseman dropped in on a meeting of the Pier public art committee in mid-January. He spoke of the opportunity "to have a world class artist" like Tampa-born Echelman create a piece that would draw visitors from far and wide to the very end of the Pier.
"I am really down here — and I know there's been some talk a little bit about Echelman — but I'm down here to ask you all to seriously consider going in this direction, and if you're supportive of it, to authorize some expenditures of some funds to get that process started," he said, mentioning engineering and other issues that would come into play to install an Echelman sculpture over Tampa Bay.
"We are at a point in the project, where, if this is something that we want to pursue ... if this is something that you all as a committee want to pursue, it's a decision that really, kind of needs to be made now," the mayor said.
At its next meeting, the committee voted to pursue Echelman — whose studio is in Massachusetts — with an initial $75,000 contract that could be broken at the half-way point of $37,500, if the project was infeasible.
Some perceived Kriseman's input as meddling.
"I think it was inappropriate for the mayor to go before the committee and endorse one particular artist and encourage the committee to arrange an exploratory agreement with Janet Echelman," said Ken Rollins, a retired art museum director who owns an art consulting company.
Former City Council member Leslie Curran, owner of the ARTicles and Leslie Curran galleries, said she was concerned that Kriseman had told the committee he could raise funds to get an Echelman piece.
"I love her work, but that's not the process," she said. "For one person to come in and say, 'This is what I want and this is what we're going to do,' really diminishes the process we have worked so long to maintain."
Kriseman's visit to the committee came at a point when members were winding down their months-long search for artists to invite to submit proposals for art in the Pier District. The effort continues, with plans to also post information on the city's website for interested artists to submit their qualifications.
"I think it is a little confusing to do it that way," said Curran, "and it doesn't send any real positive message to any artists that may submit a proposal."
"The problem is, the process is completely backward," said Council member Steve Kornell, who sits on the Public Arts Commission. "It's been very sloppy, very messy and it's going to create some very hard feelings. ... I think it could have been a smoother process. Maybe a more open and fair process."
The question of fairness was raised by artist and instructor Douglas Land in a letter to the committee. The correspondence prompted Ya Levy La'ford, an artist and committee member, to tell her colleagues she wanted "to make sure we're being fair to our community."
She asked: "Do you think it might be useful to look at other artists with respect to Janet and the money that we're suggesting to give to her?. .. I love Janet Echelman too, but maybe there are some points that (Land) made where we should consider looking at other artists."
"We are," said committee chair Laura Bryant.
Internationally known sculptor Jon Hair, who opened his St. Pete Sculpture Museum and studio in the city about a year ago, would like to be considered. He claimed that during a visit to his museum months ago, Kriseman and Chris Steinocher, president and CEO of the Greater St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, asked him to create a concept for the Pier.
"We want something that would draw people from around the country," Hair recalled them saying. "They said, 'Think in terms of $3 to $5 million.'"
"My concept is for a monumental sculpture which would be produced by St. Pete artists, right here in St. Pete, creating 30 to 40 jobs for local artists, for a three-year period," he said in a letter to the Tampa Bay Times.
The $6 million sculpture — a bronze, 108-foot-long, 30-foot-high blue whale surrounded by life-size marine creatures — would pay for itself and make $9 million for the city from visitors coming to see it being created, he said.
Hair said the mayor has not responded to his idea and believes local artists are being overlooked.
Not everyone is concerned.
Mark Aeling, another internationally known sculptor and president of the board of the Warehouse Arts District Association, said there is "a lot of misunderstanding about the process" and the work of the Pier public art committee.
"They haven't made any conclusive decisions," said Aeling, who owns MGA Sculpture Studio. They are all good people. ... They are still assessing what would be best."
That could mean working with the official budget of $348,000 for art on the Pier itself. Consider that an Echelman sculpture installed in a Phoenix park in 2016 cost about $2.6 million. The mayor had envisioned an Echelman piece at the Pier head, but permitting issues may rule that out, forcing a sculpture further west.
Meanwhile, Wayne Atherholt, the city's director of cultural affairs, says Kriseman has a commitment of $650,000 from two donors for an Echelman piece. Art also is being planned for the Pier approach and Bryant said she will try to raise private donations to boost its current $140,000 budget.
There's a chance for even more money. The mayor would like to tap into $14 million in tax increment financing funds set aside for a transportation hub that will no longer be built. He hopes to use at least $1.3 million for what is being described as "signature art" for the new Pier.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://midfieldpress.com/2017/02/23/exclusive-orange-county-group-closes-in-on-nasl-expansion/
Exclusive: Orange County Group Closes In On NASL Expansion
by Chris Kivlehan - February 23, 2017
The North American Soccer League makes its debut on the West Coast on March 25th, when the San Francisco Deltas host Indy Eleven for their inaugural match at Kezar Stadium. This season, the Deltas will be the league’s lone club in the Pacific Time Zone, giving them one of the more arduous travel schedules in pro sports. SF Deltas owner Brian Andres Helmick knew what he was getting into with the decision to be NASL’s anchor tenant in the West, but the potential of Orange County and San Diego teams joining for 2018 is surely a welcome prospect for San Francisco and all of NASL.
The Orange County bid would expand NASL’s presence into greater Los Angeles, the second largest metropolitan area in the country. You can trace the roots of the OC group to an existing club, the L.A. Wolves of the United Premier Soccer League. The Wolves, owned by UPSL commissioner Yan Skwara, made a strong U.S. Open Cup run last year, defeating the USL’s Orange County Blues in the tournament’s second round before falling to fellow UPSL club La Maquina in the third round. La Maquina subsequently lost to the LA Galaxy in extra time of the fourth round, a testament to the quality in the UPSL. L.A. Wolves Sporting Director Michael Collins will take on the same role with the Orange County NASL club, and Pete Capriotti, the top sponsor of the Wolves, is the lead investor behind the OC NASL effort.
The connection to the Wolves and UPSL may also give the team an inside track on quality talent in Southern California. Former LA Galaxy midfielder Paolo Cardozo currently stars for the Wolves. NASL standouts such as Christian Ramirez and Miguel Ibarra got their start in SoCal semi-pro leagues. Eric Wynalda put together the famous 2012 Cal FC US Open Cup squad from local SoCal players who have gone on to distinguished pro careers such as Richard Menjivar, Derby Carrillo, Beto Navarro, Mike Randolph, Pablo Cruz, Danny Barrera, Diego Barrera, Paulo Mendes and Pedro Mendes.
The OC NASL group is working with Peter Wilt and Club 9 Sports to prepare for its launch next season. Midfield Press was able to catch up with Peter Wilt and Michael Collins to discuss Orange County NASL.
1. Why bring a NASL team to Orange County?
PW: It’s the one of the largest markets in the country. The demographics are fantastic. The three core audiences of youth soccer, Latinos and young adults are well represented. It is far enough from L.A. that it is its own market. If not geographically, it is far enough away from a drive time point of view and from identity point of view. It is one of the best soccer markets in the country. There is a large corporate base with a good amount of Fortune 1000 companies. There is a passionate owner and investor who has the resources to be successful.
MC: Number one, both Pete Capriotti and I live here. It is an absolutely incredible hotbed of soccer. I don’t think it has ever been done correctly here in this area. I’d like the opportunity to a stamp on professional soccer in Southern California. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity my whole life. My father, Peter C. Collins, ran the Long Island Junior Soccer League for many years. I’ve known Pete Capriotti for 17 years. I think our club will be wonderful and very different from what has been done in this area before.
2. What is the present status of the bid. Has Orange County presented to the Board of Governors or expansion committee? Has it been accepted by NASL yet?
MC: Peter Wilt, Pete Capriotti and myself did a presentation in November of 2016. Since then we have had Peter Wilt and Club 9 walking us through everything we need to do to be accepted into the NASL for 2018.
3. Michael is the Sporting Director of the L.A. Wolves. Are the Wolves connected to this NASL bid?
PW: Pete Capriotti is the largest sponsor of the Wolves. Michael Collins had been the head coach of the Wolves is going to be the Sporting Director of the NASL team.
MC: The Wolves are connected mainly to do with player personnel. The Wolves would serve as our reserve team continuing to play in the UPSL.
4. Can you share some details about the investor group that is behind this effort?
PW: Pete Capriotti is the lead investor and a successful Orange County based businessman. Pete is the CEO of Cotti Foods. He is one of the largest franchisees of Taco Bell in California. Pete has over 130 quick service restaurants. He is a large franchisee of Wendy’s as well as Pieology restaurants. He well surpasses the net worth requirements for the NASL.
MC: We anticipate there will be two other investors. Pete will be the majority and controlling ownership. He will be making the important decisions about the club.
5. Will Eric Wynalda, who recently took over from Michael as head coach of the Wolves, be the manager of OC NASL team?
PW: I would characterize Eric as the leading candidate. He is interested in the position and the club is interested in him, but nothing has been finalized.
MC: Our full intention is to have Eric be part of the team for a long period of time. We’re excited to have someone of Eric’s caliber as part of the NASL effort.
6. Will the team be called the L.A. Wolves? If not – is there a name or a process planned to get to a name?
MC: We will consider the Wolves name among others. We are going to have the community involved in naming the club. We will consider names featuring Orange County, SoCal and Southern California.
7. Peter tweeted about Titan Stadium recently. Will that be the home of the OC NASL team?
PW: Titan Stadium is the leading candidate. We are working with Cal State Fullerton’s athletic department to secure a long term lease.
MC: We came to an agreement with Titan Stadium last week and we are working on a Memorandum of Understanding this week. We had a lot of positive discussions. We’re looking to do a long term project with Cal State Fullerton and would be looking at how we can help their soccer program as well.
8. The USL team in Orange County failed to gain any real traction while playing out of Titan Stadium – how will this be different?
PW: The resources behind this team are significant. The business plan is well thought out.
MC: I think you have to learn from the mistakes of the past. We’re going to do things differently than it has been done in the past. I think that Southern California is a market where you can carve out a niche and build a club that the community can rally behind. No one has really ever accomplished that before. There are 3.1 million people in Orange County. Titan Stadium holds up to 9600 and we have the ability to expand the stadium to 12-14,000 in the next three to five years.
9. Why Titan Stadium – and what other locations were considered?
PW: Santa Ana Stadium was considered. Santa Ana is a good location. I love the community. It is similar to Titan Stadium as it is intimate, quaint and offers good sight lines. The width of the field and the field itself at Santa Ana were not suitable for pro soccer, however. It would have cost millions of dollars and required working through a potentially lengthy governmental approval process to fix it. Even then it would have been a synthetic surface, whereas Titan has a 72 yard wide beautiful grass field. Titan is ready to go.
MC: The number one thing for myself and Pete Capriotti is the grass field at Titan Stadium. It’s a unique field and stadium. The crowd is right there. It’s similar to the San Jose Earthquakes old stadium in the early days where you could almost touch the guy who is taking a corner kick. It is a unique set up. I absolutely love the stadium and the way it is set up. I think we could be creative in making it a little more of a unique experience. The sky is the limit there. I love the location. It’s literally up the road from where the Angels play, and it is very accessible from the freeways. There is good parking available for fans.
Santa Ana was also fantastic. That was a very difficult decision for us. You are right there in the heart of the city of Santa Ana. It is a very old stadium, though. It doesn’t have a lot of the state of the art stuff that Titan has, and it would have been a lot of work to get that in place to start for 2018. Starting a team is challenging enough as it is. We really wanted to be able to focus on launching the team and making the best possible first impression with the club without also having to worry about getting the stadium finished on time.
10. With Michael’s connections to the UPSL, and potentially Eric Wynalda’s track record of drawing on lower league SoCal talent with Cal FC, do you think you will be able to find NASL quality players among the best of the UPSL?
PW: The club plans to give several players from the current L.A. Wolves team the opportunity to make the NASL team. They are also recruiting players for the Open Cup run that could help.
MC: We plan on bringing 6-8 of the starting players that are presently on the Wolves into the NASL squad. We would continue to look at the UPSL as place to recruit players from.
We’re also going to look into the college ranks, at PDL and NPSL rosters. I am very well connected into a lot of the local college programs, as is Eric. Between Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, USD, San Diego State and others, I am very confident that we will be able to get a lot of quality local players. California is bigger than a lot of European countries. I believe we can find a lot of quality players here in the state. It won’t be easy, but it is a great resource.
We know that the NASL is a very high level of competition. Local recruiting is in addition to bringing in high caliber players, at least one or two from Liga MX. Eric played down there and speaks Spanish fluently and German fluently in addition to speaking English pretty well. We will need to have 4-5 players who have played at the MLS, Liga MX or NASL level.
11. Do you plan to start in Spring 2018 for Orange County and San Diego?
PW: Spring 2018 is the goal for both.
Check back on Monday for Part II of my interview with Peter Wilt where we talk about San Diego, Chicago and other potential expansion groups.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.theroar.com.au/2017/02/24/changing-league-calendar-make-us-great-asia/
Changing the A-League calendar to make us great in Asia
Currently, the A-League’s premiers and champions gain automatic entry to the Asian Champions League, but with those trophies being awarded in April and May, our best clubs must wait nine months before they are tested in Asia.
If the old cliché that ‘a week is a long time in football’ is true, then nine months is an eternity.
In the English Premier League, Leicester City were champions in May 2016, and nine months later they’re set to be relegated.
At home, Adelaide United were premiers and champions in May 2016. Nine months later they’re at the bottom of the table and likely to finish the season last.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/24/pros-peter-walton-reveals-four-new-points-emphasis-2017-mls-season
PRO's Peter Walton reveals four new points of emphasis for 2017 MLS season
MLS officials will focus on four new points of emphasis in the 2017 season, Professional Referee Organization general manager Peter Walton said in a conference call with reporters Friday.
Walton said that MLS referees have been instructed to pay closer attention to holding and pushing in the penalty area on set pieces, acts of visual dissent, deliberate delaying of restarts, and persistent infringement.
He also outlined the changes to the Laws of the Game that will take effect in MLS for the first time this season. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that decides on changes to the Laws of the Game, changed several of the sport’s rules last May.
The major changes include no longer automatically giving red cards for denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the penalty area, kickoffs now being permitted to be played in any direction, and players who were injured by a yellow or red card foul now being able to briefly receive treatment on the field without having to come off.
The amended rules were in effect at international tournaments last summer and are currently in place in European leagues that began their seasons in August, but were not put into effect in MLS in 2016, as the season had already begun by the time the changes were ratified.
A full rundown of the IFAB rule changes can be found here. Details on the new points of emphasis are below:
(Follow link for full article.)
http://worldsoccertalk.com/2017/02/24/turner-sports-univision-acquire-uefa-champions-league-tv-rights-usa/
Turner Sports and Univision acquire UEFA Champions League TV rights in USA
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.yakimaherald.com/sports/professional_sports/sounders/mls-allows-sounders-to-add-championship-stars-to-replica-gear/article_d54c9c14-fb12-11e6-99c3-ef0cc33618f0.html
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
MLS allows Sounders to add championship stars to replica gear
In past, stars were only allowed on authentic jerseys sold by teams
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https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/feb/24/ranking-mls-stadiums-soccer-orlando-city
MLS stadiums ranked: why Orlando City's new home comes out on top
Almost three-quarters of teams in the league now have soccer-specific stadiums. Simon Veness runs down the great and the not-so-good
The new 25,500 Orlando City Stadium opens on Friday – and it promises to set a new benchmark in the MLS experience. Photograph: Mark Thorstenson/Orlando City
The MLS commissioner, Don Garber, recently visited the new Orlando City stadium and hailed it as “a blueprint for the future.” That blueprint may not last for long, however, as a stream of new MLS franchises are rapidly queuing up to make it obsolete.
The Orlando venue will be officially opened on Friday, but Atlanta, Minnesota, DC United and Los Angeles FC will all unveil their own stadiums in the next 12 months, and it marks a watershed in the development of American soccer, a high tide for soccer-specific arenas.
Go back but 11 years, and onlyfour of the 12 teams played in a stadium specifically designed for their sport. This year, it will be 15 of the 22 teams and, in 2018, 18 of 23.
Now, with 73% of teams committed to soccer-specific stadiums it raises the question: who has the best MLS venue?
We’ll do it on a points basis, with marks out of 30 for how enjoyable it is from the fan perspective, five bonus points for a soccer-specific venue and minus-five for having artificial turf. That means the highest possible score is 35, and the lowest -5. Let the countdown begin.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.90min.com/posts/4624963-major-league-soccer-clubs-register-interest-in-signing-manchester-united-captain-wayne-rooney
Major League Soccer Clubs Register Interest in Signing Manchester United Captain Wayne Rooney
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2017/02/25/soccer/mls-club-seattle-eyes-honda-report/
MLS club Seattle eyes Honda: report
LONDON – Japan international Keisuke Honda is reportedly set for a move to Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders, but Italian club AC Milan said Friday the 30-year-old attacker will be going nowhere until his contract expires in June.
https://www.soccernation.com/nasl-aspirants-albion-pros-host-usls-phoenix-rising-fc/
NASL Aspirants Albion Pros Host USL’s Phoenix Rising FC
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.rslsoapbox.com/2017/2/24/14720266/mls-players-union-cba-highlights
Highlights from the MLS, Players Union CBA
Do you get really excited about convoluted legal documents, too?
(Follow link for full article.)
http://mlsmultiplex.com/2017/02/24/mls-stars-play-host-real-madrid/
MLS All-stars to play host to Real Madrid?
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.burgundywave.com/2017/2/24/14699346/puto-what-comes-next
‘Puto’: What comes next?
Part 3 in our series on a word that surfaced at DSGP in late 2016.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/article/20170223/AP/302239795
LA Galaxy's reserve team to hold open tryouts in England
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/acura-named-jersey-sponsor-of-major-league-soccers-columbus-crew-sc-300413106.html
Acura Named Jersey Sponsor of Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew SC
- Sponsorship is first-of-its-kind, exclusive branding deal for Acura, and marks the largest brand activation in Crew SC history
- Acura branding on front panel of jersey for 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons
- Acura becomes Official Automotive Partner of Columbus Crew SC
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.twincities.com/2017/02/24/united-soccer-theres-a-learning-curve-for-mls-expansion-teams/
United soccer: There’s a learning curve for MLS expansion teams
(Follow link for full article.)
http://acmilan.theoffside.com/2017/2/24/14728506/keisuke-honda-all-but-set-for-seattle-and-mls
Keisuke Honda all but set for Seattle and MLS!
Seattle seems to be the destination for Milan’s forgotten man
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2017/02/24/orlando-citys-new-stadium-receives-high-praise-guardian
Orlando City's New Stadium Receives High Praise from The Guardian
February 24, 2017 2:04PM EST
Orlando is just nine days out from the opening of City's brand new stadium versus New York City FC on March 5th. The pitch hasn't even been graced with a minute of The Beautiful Game, but that hasn't stopped The Guardian from giving the Lions' new home the top spot on their list of Major League Soccer's best stadiums.
City's Review:
Capacity 25,500
Average attendance 2016 31,324 (at Camping World Stadium)
The lowdown Take the Houston and Kansas City examples, add a dash of European savoir faire, paint it purple and, voila, the new benchmark in MLS experiences. Featuring the first standing-only section in North America (like Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall), Orlando promises to provide the most concentrated soccer stage in the US (for now).
The full rankings for all 22 stadiums in MLS can be seen here.
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http://www.kvoa.com/story/34588894/last-mls-games-in-tucson-headline-weekend-of-soccer-fun-at-kino-sports-complex
Last MLS games in Tucson headline weekend of soccer fun at Kino Sports Complex
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http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2017/02/24/32611232/in-pictures-new-mls-jerseys-for-the-2017-season
As the 2017 MLS campaign draws near, clubs across the league are introducing new kits for the upcoming season.
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http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/20/san-diego-mls-expansion-bid-group-reveal-full-plans-new-stadium-site
San Diego MLS expansion bid group reveal full plans for new stadium site
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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article133904574.html
Wake County
February 20, 2017 5:09 PM
County commissioners: Bring MLS soccer to Wake
By Paul A. Specht
RALEIGH
County leaders want to formally invite Major League Soccer to Wake.
The owner of North Carolina FC, formerly known as the Carolina RailHawks, announced late last year his goal of bringing an MLS team to the Triangle. It’ll be tough, since a stadium could cost up to $150 million and owner Steve Malik is competing with groups from 11 other U.S. cities that also want to launch an MLS franchise.
With that in mind, the Wake County Board of Commissioners on Monday said they plan to write a public letter showing support for Malik’s idea.
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http://web.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/st-petersburg-art-community-divided-over-pier-project/2314368
St. Petersburg art community divided over Pier project
Waveney Ann Moore
Friday, February 24, 2017 10:47am
ST. PETERSBURG — As the quest to commission the work of acclaimed artist Janet Echelman for the Pier pushes ahead, discontent simmers in art circles.
The city's Public Arts Commission recently voted to put $37,500 toward an exploratory contract with Echelman, a step that could lead to one of her multimillion-dollar aerial sculptures soaring above the downtown waterfront.
Impressive as her billowing, net-like sculptures may be, some in the city's art community question the wooing of Echelman, a talent far beyond the public art budget of $488,000 allocated for the $66 million Pier District. And critics accuse Mayor Rick Kriseman — who presented Echelman with a key to the city in October — of interfering with the job of the committee charged with selecting artistic works for the 26-acre waterfront attraction.
Kriseman dropped in on a meeting of the Pier public art committee in mid-January. He spoke of the opportunity "to have a world class artist" like Tampa-born Echelman create a piece that would draw visitors from far and wide to the very end of the Pier.
"I am really down here — and I know there's been some talk a little bit about Echelman — but I'm down here to ask you all to seriously consider going in this direction, and if you're supportive of it, to authorize some expenditures of some funds to get that process started," he said, mentioning engineering and other issues that would come into play to install an Echelman sculpture over Tampa Bay.
"We are at a point in the project, where, if this is something that we want to pursue ... if this is something that you all as a committee want to pursue, it's a decision that really, kind of needs to be made now," the mayor said.
At its next meeting, the committee voted to pursue Echelman — whose studio is in Massachusetts — with an initial $75,000 contract that could be broken at the half-way point of $37,500, if the project was infeasible.
Some perceived Kriseman's input as meddling.
"I think it was inappropriate for the mayor to go before the committee and endorse one particular artist and encourage the committee to arrange an exploratory agreement with Janet Echelman," said Ken Rollins, a retired art museum director who owns an art consulting company.
Former City Council member Leslie Curran, owner of the ARTicles and Leslie Curran galleries, said she was concerned that Kriseman had told the committee he could raise funds to get an Echelman piece.
"I love her work, but that's not the process," she said. "For one person to come in and say, 'This is what I want and this is what we're going to do,' really diminishes the process we have worked so long to maintain."
Kriseman's visit to the committee came at a point when members were winding down their months-long search for artists to invite to submit proposals for art in the Pier District. The effort continues, with plans to also post information on the city's website for interested artists to submit their qualifications.
"I think it is a little confusing to do it that way," said Curran, "and it doesn't send any real positive message to any artists that may submit a proposal."
"The problem is, the process is completely backward," said Council member Steve Kornell, who sits on the Public Arts Commission. "It's been very sloppy, very messy and it's going to create some very hard feelings. ... I think it could have been a smoother process. Maybe a more open and fair process."
The question of fairness was raised by artist and instructor Douglas Land in a letter to the committee. The correspondence prompted Ya Levy La'ford, an artist and committee member, to tell her colleagues she wanted "to make sure we're being fair to our community."
She asked: "Do you think it might be useful to look at other artists with respect to Janet and the money that we're suggesting to give to her?. .. I love Janet Echelman too, but maybe there are some points that (Land) made where we should consider looking at other artists."
"We are," said committee chair Laura Bryant.
Internationally known sculptor Jon Hair, who opened his St. Pete Sculpture Museum and studio in the city about a year ago, would like to be considered. He claimed that during a visit to his museum months ago, Kriseman and Chris Steinocher, president and CEO of the Greater St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, asked him to create a concept for the Pier.
"We want something that would draw people from around the country," Hair recalled them saying. "They said, 'Think in terms of $3 to $5 million.'"
"My concept is for a monumental sculpture which would be produced by St. Pete artists, right here in St. Pete, creating 30 to 40 jobs for local artists, for a three-year period," he said in a letter to the Tampa Bay Times.
The $6 million sculpture — a bronze, 108-foot-long, 30-foot-high blue whale surrounded by life-size marine creatures — would pay for itself and make $9 million for the city from visitors coming to see it being created, he said.
Hair said the mayor has not responded to his idea and believes local artists are being overlooked.
Not everyone is concerned.
Mark Aeling, another internationally known sculptor and president of the board of the Warehouse Arts District Association, said there is "a lot of misunderstanding about the process" and the work of the Pier public art committee.
"They haven't made any conclusive decisions," said Aeling, who owns MGA Sculpture Studio. They are all good people. ... They are still assessing what would be best."
That could mean working with the official budget of $348,000 for art on the Pier itself. Consider that an Echelman sculpture installed in a Phoenix park in 2016 cost about $2.6 million. The mayor had envisioned an Echelman piece at the Pier head, but permitting issues may rule that out, forcing a sculpture further west.
Meanwhile, Wayne Atherholt, the city's director of cultural affairs, says Kriseman has a commitment of $650,000 from two donors for an Echelman piece. Art also is being planned for the Pier approach and Bryant said she will try to raise private donations to boost its current $140,000 budget.
There's a chance for even more money. The mayor would like to tap into $14 million in tax increment financing funds set aside for a transportation hub that will no longer be built. He hopes to use at least $1.3 million for what is being described as "signature art" for the new Pier.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://midfieldpress.com/2017/02/23/exclusive-orange-county-group-closes-in-on-nasl-expansion/
Exclusive: Orange County Group Closes In On NASL Expansion
by Chris Kivlehan - February 23, 2017
The North American Soccer League makes its debut on the West Coast on March 25th, when the San Francisco Deltas host Indy Eleven for their inaugural match at Kezar Stadium. This season, the Deltas will be the league’s lone club in the Pacific Time Zone, giving them one of the more arduous travel schedules in pro sports. SF Deltas owner Brian Andres Helmick knew what he was getting into with the decision to be NASL’s anchor tenant in the West, but the potential of Orange County and San Diego teams joining for 2018 is surely a welcome prospect for San Francisco and all of NASL.
The Orange County bid would expand NASL’s presence into greater Los Angeles, the second largest metropolitan area in the country. You can trace the roots of the OC group to an existing club, the L.A. Wolves of the United Premier Soccer League. The Wolves, owned by UPSL commissioner Yan Skwara, made a strong U.S. Open Cup run last year, defeating the USL’s Orange County Blues in the tournament’s second round before falling to fellow UPSL club La Maquina in the third round. La Maquina subsequently lost to the LA Galaxy in extra time of the fourth round, a testament to the quality in the UPSL. L.A. Wolves Sporting Director Michael Collins will take on the same role with the Orange County NASL club, and Pete Capriotti, the top sponsor of the Wolves, is the lead investor behind the OC NASL effort.
The connection to the Wolves and UPSL may also give the team an inside track on quality talent in Southern California. Former LA Galaxy midfielder Paolo Cardozo currently stars for the Wolves. NASL standouts such as Christian Ramirez and Miguel Ibarra got their start in SoCal semi-pro leagues. Eric Wynalda put together the famous 2012 Cal FC US Open Cup squad from local SoCal players who have gone on to distinguished pro careers such as Richard Menjivar, Derby Carrillo, Beto Navarro, Mike Randolph, Pablo Cruz, Danny Barrera, Diego Barrera, Paulo Mendes and Pedro Mendes.
The OC NASL group is working with Peter Wilt and Club 9 Sports to prepare for its launch next season. Midfield Press was able to catch up with Peter Wilt and Michael Collins to discuss Orange County NASL.
1. Why bring a NASL team to Orange County?
PW: It’s the one of the largest markets in the country. The demographics are fantastic. The three core audiences of youth soccer, Latinos and young adults are well represented. It is far enough from L.A. that it is its own market. If not geographically, it is far enough away from a drive time point of view and from identity point of view. It is one of the best soccer markets in the country. There is a large corporate base with a good amount of Fortune 1000 companies. There is a passionate owner and investor who has the resources to be successful.
MC: Number one, both Pete Capriotti and I live here. It is an absolutely incredible hotbed of soccer. I don’t think it has ever been done correctly here in this area. I’d like the opportunity to a stamp on professional soccer in Southern California. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity my whole life. My father, Peter C. Collins, ran the Long Island Junior Soccer League for many years. I’ve known Pete Capriotti for 17 years. I think our club will be wonderful and very different from what has been done in this area before.
2. What is the present status of the bid. Has Orange County presented to the Board of Governors or expansion committee? Has it been accepted by NASL yet?
MC: Peter Wilt, Pete Capriotti and myself did a presentation in November of 2016. Since then we have had Peter Wilt and Club 9 walking us through everything we need to do to be accepted into the NASL for 2018.
3. Michael is the Sporting Director of the L.A. Wolves. Are the Wolves connected to this NASL bid?
PW: Pete Capriotti is the largest sponsor of the Wolves. Michael Collins had been the head coach of the Wolves is going to be the Sporting Director of the NASL team.
MC: The Wolves are connected mainly to do with player personnel. The Wolves would serve as our reserve team continuing to play in the UPSL.
4. Can you share some details about the investor group that is behind this effort?
PW: Pete Capriotti is the lead investor and a successful Orange County based businessman. Pete is the CEO of Cotti Foods. He is one of the largest franchisees of Taco Bell in California. Pete has over 130 quick service restaurants. He is a large franchisee of Wendy’s as well as Pieology restaurants. He well surpasses the net worth requirements for the NASL.
MC: We anticipate there will be two other investors. Pete will be the majority and controlling ownership. He will be making the important decisions about the club.
5. Will Eric Wynalda, who recently took over from Michael as head coach of the Wolves, be the manager of OC NASL team?
PW: I would characterize Eric as the leading candidate. He is interested in the position and the club is interested in him, but nothing has been finalized.
MC: Our full intention is to have Eric be part of the team for a long period of time. We’re excited to have someone of Eric’s caliber as part of the NASL effort.
6. Will the team be called the L.A. Wolves? If not – is there a name or a process planned to get to a name?
MC: We will consider the Wolves name among others. We are going to have the community involved in naming the club. We will consider names featuring Orange County, SoCal and Southern California.
7. Peter tweeted about Titan Stadium recently. Will that be the home of the OC NASL team?
PW: Titan Stadium is the leading candidate. We are working with Cal State Fullerton’s athletic department to secure a long term lease.
MC: We came to an agreement with Titan Stadium last week and we are working on a Memorandum of Understanding this week. We had a lot of positive discussions. We’re looking to do a long term project with Cal State Fullerton and would be looking at how we can help their soccer program as well.
8. The USL team in Orange County failed to gain any real traction while playing out of Titan Stadium – how will this be different?
PW: The resources behind this team are significant. The business plan is well thought out.
MC: I think you have to learn from the mistakes of the past. We’re going to do things differently than it has been done in the past. I think that Southern California is a market where you can carve out a niche and build a club that the community can rally behind. No one has really ever accomplished that before. There are 3.1 million people in Orange County. Titan Stadium holds up to 9600 and we have the ability to expand the stadium to 12-14,000 in the next three to five years.
9. Why Titan Stadium – and what other locations were considered?
PW: Santa Ana Stadium was considered. Santa Ana is a good location. I love the community. It is similar to Titan Stadium as it is intimate, quaint and offers good sight lines. The width of the field and the field itself at Santa Ana were not suitable for pro soccer, however. It would have cost millions of dollars and required working through a potentially lengthy governmental approval process to fix it. Even then it would have been a synthetic surface, whereas Titan has a 72 yard wide beautiful grass field. Titan is ready to go.
MC: The number one thing for myself and Pete Capriotti is the grass field at Titan Stadium. It’s a unique field and stadium. The crowd is right there. It’s similar to the San Jose Earthquakes old stadium in the early days where you could almost touch the guy who is taking a corner kick. It is a unique set up. I absolutely love the stadium and the way it is set up. I think we could be creative in making it a little more of a unique experience. The sky is the limit there. I love the location. It’s literally up the road from where the Angels play, and it is very accessible from the freeways. There is good parking available for fans.
Santa Ana was also fantastic. That was a very difficult decision for us. You are right there in the heart of the city of Santa Ana. It is a very old stadium, though. It doesn’t have a lot of the state of the art stuff that Titan has, and it would have been a lot of work to get that in place to start for 2018. Starting a team is challenging enough as it is. We really wanted to be able to focus on launching the team and making the best possible first impression with the club without also having to worry about getting the stadium finished on time.
10. With Michael’s connections to the UPSL, and potentially Eric Wynalda’s track record of drawing on lower league SoCal talent with Cal FC, do you think you will be able to find NASL quality players among the best of the UPSL?
PW: The club plans to give several players from the current L.A. Wolves team the opportunity to make the NASL team. They are also recruiting players for the Open Cup run that could help.
MC: We plan on bringing 6-8 of the starting players that are presently on the Wolves into the NASL squad. We would continue to look at the UPSL as place to recruit players from.
We’re also going to look into the college ranks, at PDL and NPSL rosters. I am very well connected into a lot of the local college programs, as is Eric. Between Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, USD, San Diego State and others, I am very confident that we will be able to get a lot of quality local players. California is bigger than a lot of European countries. I believe we can find a lot of quality players here in the state. It won’t be easy, but it is a great resource.
We know that the NASL is a very high level of competition. Local recruiting is in addition to bringing in high caliber players, at least one or two from Liga MX. Eric played down there and speaks Spanish fluently and German fluently in addition to speaking English pretty well. We will need to have 4-5 players who have played at the MLS, Liga MX or NASL level.
11. Do you plan to start in Spring 2018 for Orange County and San Diego?
PW: Spring 2018 is the goal for both.
Check back on Monday for Part II of my interview with Peter Wilt where we talk about San Diego, Chicago and other potential expansion groups.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.theroar.com.au/2017/02/24/changing-league-calendar-make-us-great-asia/
Changing the A-League calendar to make us great in Asia
Currently, the A-League’s premiers and champions gain automatic entry to the Asian Champions League, but with those trophies being awarded in April and May, our best clubs must wait nine months before they are tested in Asia.
If the old cliché that ‘a week is a long time in football’ is true, then nine months is an eternity.
In the English Premier League, Leicester City were champions in May 2016, and nine months later they’re set to be relegated.
At home, Adelaide United were premiers and champions in May 2016. Nine months later they’re at the bottom of the table and likely to finish the season last.
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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/02/24/pros-peter-walton-reveals-four-new-points-emphasis-2017-mls-season
PRO's Peter Walton reveals four new points of emphasis for 2017 MLS season
MLS officials will focus on four new points of emphasis in the 2017 season, Professional Referee Organization general manager Peter Walton said in a conference call with reporters Friday.
Walton said that MLS referees have been instructed to pay closer attention to holding and pushing in the penalty area on set pieces, acts of visual dissent, deliberate delaying of restarts, and persistent infringement.
He also outlined the changes to the Laws of the Game that will take effect in MLS for the first time this season. The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body that decides on changes to the Laws of the Game, changed several of the sport’s rules last May.
The major changes include no longer automatically giving red cards for denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the penalty area, kickoffs now being permitted to be played in any direction, and players who were injured by a yellow or red card foul now being able to briefly receive treatment on the field without having to come off.
The amended rules were in effect at international tournaments last summer and are currently in place in European leagues that began their seasons in August, but were not put into effect in MLS in 2016, as the season had already begun by the time the changes were ratified.
A full rundown of the IFAB rule changes can be found here. Details on the new points of emphasis are below:
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http://worldsoccertalk.com/2017/02/24/turner-sports-univision-acquire-uefa-champions-league-tv-rights-usa/
Turner Sports and Univision acquire UEFA Champions League TV rights in USA
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http://www.yakimaherald.com/sports/professional_sports/sounders/mls-allows-sounders-to-add-championship-stars-to-replica-gear/article_d54c9c14-fb12-11e6-99c3-ef0cc33618f0.html
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
MLS allows Sounders to add championship stars to replica gear
In past, stars were only allowed on authentic jerseys sold by teams
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https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/feb/24/ranking-mls-stadiums-soccer-orlando-city
MLS stadiums ranked: why Orlando City's new home comes out on top
Almost three-quarters of teams in the league now have soccer-specific stadiums. Simon Veness runs down the great and the not-so-good
The new 25,500 Orlando City Stadium opens on Friday – and it promises to set a new benchmark in the MLS experience. Photograph: Mark Thorstenson/Orlando City
The MLS commissioner, Don Garber, recently visited the new Orlando City stadium and hailed it as “a blueprint for the future.” That blueprint may not last for long, however, as a stream of new MLS franchises are rapidly queuing up to make it obsolete.
The Orlando venue will be officially opened on Friday, but Atlanta, Minnesota, DC United and Los Angeles FC will all unveil their own stadiums in the next 12 months, and it marks a watershed in the development of American soccer, a high tide for soccer-specific arenas.
Go back but 11 years, and onlyfour of the 12 teams played in a stadium specifically designed for their sport. This year, it will be 15 of the 22 teams and, in 2018, 18 of 23.
Now, with 73% of teams committed to soccer-specific stadiums it raises the question: who has the best MLS venue?
We’ll do it on a points basis, with marks out of 30 for how enjoyable it is from the fan perspective, five bonus points for a soccer-specific venue and minus-five for having artificial turf. That means the highest possible score is 35, and the lowest -5. Let the countdown begin.
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http://www.90min.com/posts/4624963-major-league-soccer-clubs-register-interest-in-signing-manchester-united-captain-wayne-rooney
Major League Soccer Clubs Register Interest in Signing Manchester United Captain Wayne Rooney
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http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2017/02/25/soccer/mls-club-seattle-eyes-honda-report/
MLS club Seattle eyes Honda: report
LONDON – Japan international Keisuke Honda is reportedly set for a move to Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders, but Italian club AC Milan said Friday the 30-year-old attacker will be going nowhere until his contract expires in June.
Tampa Bay Rowdies enter preseason against MLS opponents
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http://www.cltampa.com/arts-entertainment/sports/article/20852660/tampa-bay-rowdies-enter-preseason-against-mls-opponents
Tampa Bay Rowdies enter preseason against MLS opponents
You gotta show the love if you wanna have an MLS team, guys.
Colin O'Hara
Feb 23, 2017 3 PM
The Tampa Bay Rowdies dropped their first pre-season match against Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union by a score of 1-0 on Saturday night, but there’s no need to worry just yet.
“It’s our first game and everything against a team that’s a couple of weeks ahead of us, I think they’ve already played a couple of games, so I thought the players equipped themselves well,” head coach Stuart Campbell said after the game. “It’s a great testament to our players, playing against an MLS team.”
Campbell started the match with 10 regular starters who fought even evenly matched first half against the MLS side. Rowdies had two scoring chances in the opening 20 minutes from defender Neil Collins and midfielder Leo Fernandes, but came up just short in the end.
The Philadelphia goal came from Derrick Jones in a 1-on-1 situation with the goal keeper late in the second half after Campbell made a slew of personnel changes on the field. Jones left the goalkeeper picking up his pants after working some fancy footwork round him to score the goal. The trialist keeper, who was subbed in the game for starting keeper Matt Pickens, got a healthy dose of the big leagues in a short amount of time on the field.
“When I made that many changes [in players] at the 60-minute mark, it disrupts the flow of the game a little bit. We were playing well and I was tempted to leave [everything as it was], but I’ve got to be sensible. We still have four or five weeks before our season,” Campbell said.
Bottom line is there’s no need to panic. We get it. It’s preseason. The 2008 Detroit Lions ended their preseason record undefeated with four wins, but went on to lose 16 straight in the regular season, completing one of the worst professional sports seasons in history. Let’s hope the Rowdies don’t follow in their footsteps.
While it was a warm-up game for the players, it was certainly a warm up for the fans, too. A lackluster crowd showed for the Saturday evening game. Presumably many were frightened off by wet weather, or just forgot the Rowdies are making a serious push for MLS and need as big of an attendance as they can get (ahem).
Several United States national team players took the field for Philadelphia, including Alejandro Bedoya, which should have been enough of a draw for a crowd, but the attendance remained at NASL levels when we need MLS numbers.
The ever-faithful Ralph’s Mob made themselves heard, but the stadium lacked the atmosphere needed to show the MLS that Tampa Bay is ready to join.
Fortunately, the show will go on, and the Rowdies will continue their preseason at Al Lang Stadium this Saturday and 7:30 against MLS’s Montreal Impact. The fans will have another chance to prove themselves while the boys on the field will have another chance to impress.
“You can see we’ll be a real threat moving forward,” Campbell said. “The more games we get, the more they’ll improve.”
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/soccer-fans-support-st-petersburg-stadium-referendum/2314256
Soccer fans support St. Petersburg stadium referendum
Charlie Frago
Thursday, February 23, 2017 12:02pm
ST. PETERSBURG — The City Council chamber had plenty of soccer aficionados outfitted in green and gold show up last week to support the Tampa Bay Rowdies' bid to join Major League Soccer and expand their home at Al Lang Stadium.
Also in attendance was former mayor (and potential 2017 candidate for mayor) Rick Baker, representing Rowdies owner Bill Edwards.
The proposed ordinance would authorize a May 2 referendum that would allow the city to negotiate a long-term lease with the Rowdies contingent upon the team receiving an MLS expansion slot from the United States' premier soccer league.
Edwards has pledged to pay for up to $80 million in stadium improvements and a $150 million MLS franchise fee without asking for any public money.
That stance was applauded by fans and other supporters, including the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Partnership and the Downtown Neighborhood Association. They also argued that bringing the MLS to the city would stimulate economic development, attract a diverse population and help put the city on the map of hip destinations.
The council set a vote for March 2.
Dissenters said the downtown waterfront was ill-prepared for an influx of fans, parking hassles and trash that would be generated by a proposed 18,000-seat stadium.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/2/23/14706450/atlanta-soccer-2018-stonecrest-dekalb-sports-complex
New Atlanta soccer website teases big announcement, two franchises
Oh...this is interesting...
by Rob Usry
Feb 23, 2017, 2:55pm EST
On Wednesday, plans for a brand new 200-acre sports complex in DeKalb County were unveiled during a press conference. Those plans also called for a possible addition of two new professional soccer teams to the Atlanta area.
Two professional soccer teams could move in to the area over the next couple of years, said Trey Brantley, CEO of First Team SC. A men’s team could move there in 2018, and he hopes for a women’s team in 2019. - via AJC
Soon after the press conference concluded, a website called atl2018.com popped up with some interesting things. The first thing you see when the website loads is a male and a female wearing gym attire with the caption “We are coming” in bold letters. Just below that some info is given.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://midfieldpress.com/2017/02/23/exclusive-orange-county-group-closes-in-on-nasl-expansion/
Exclusive: Orange County Group Closes In On NASL Expansion
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http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/mls-expansion-prospective-cities-bids-28-teams?xid=socialflow_twitter_si
MLS expansion: An in-depth look at the many bids for the league's next four clubs
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http://www.newsday.com/sports/soccer/new-cosmos-owner-rocco-commisso-says-franchise-is-ok-entering-upcoming-season-1.13157911
New Cosmos owner Rocco Commisso says franchise is ‘OK’ entering upcoming season
(Follow link for full article.)
http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=68aa1285e6&id=3226e8c4ca&e=1d32e81d4d
ONE WEEK LEFT: 2017 Membership Packages
PREORDERS DUE MARCH 1st!
There is only one week left to get in your 2017 Membership preorders via our online store! Memberships help to fund our all of our activities throughout the year including: creating tifo, banners and flags; maintaining drums and equipment; and putting on events/coordinating travel. Purchasing a Ralph’s Mob Membership allows you the ability to purchase 2017 Ralph’s Mob section Season Tickets, away travel and more!
Like in past years we have multiple tiers to choose from featuring our 2017 Member Shirt and Scarf. We are also bringing back our “Mini-Mobster” Membership for kids!
To avoid shipping charges, be sure to select "pickup" on the checkout screen. Pickup and shipping orders will both be available at the time of the regular season opener on Saturday, March 25th. Packages that include shirts will be available via preorder only!
Click on the image above to place your preorder and secure your membership today!
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sounders/mls-to-allow-championship-stars-on-sounders-replica-jerseys-after-supporter-protest/
MLS to allow championship stars on Sounders’ replica jerseys after supporter protest
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http://www.cm-life.com/article/2017/02/detroit-doesnt-need-mls-its-the-other-way-aroundtaxpayers-will-pay-the-price-on-and-off-the-field
COLUMN: Detroit doesn't need MLS — the city already has its team
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/mls-expansion-detroit-gores-gilbert-stadium-jail-022317
MLS expansion city profile: Detroit
(Follow link for full article.)
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2017/02/23/phoenix-rising-fc-makes-its-case-for-mls-expansion/
Phoenix Rising FC makes its case for MLS expansion
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.soccernation.com/details-revealed-for-fs-investors-plan-for-mission-valley/
Details Revealed for FS Investors’ Plan for Soccer City San Diego
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/02/23/la-galaxy-bring-american-dream-england-open-trials/
LA Galaxy bring American dream to England with open trials
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/afternoon-update-chad-oulsons-widow-says-curtis-reeves-was-rude-angry/2314294
Afternoon update: Chad Oulson's widow says Curtis Reeves was 'rude,' 'angry,' 'demanding' before firing; Trump's action on transgender restroom rules changes nothing locally; Gasparilla race will be one of final stops for fabled distance runner; Hotel Bar offers famous cocktails
SOCCER FANS SUPPORT ST. PETERSBURG STADIUM REFERENDUM
The St. Petersburg City Council chamber had plenty of soccer aficionados outfitted in green and gold show up last week to support the Tampa Bay Rowdies' bid to join Major League Soccer and expand their home at Al Lang Stadium. The proposed ordinance would authorize a May 2 referendum that would allow the city to negotiate a long-term lease with the Rowdies contingent upon the team receiving an MLS expansion slot from the United States' premier soccer league.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://flbusinessdaily.com/stories/511082710-tampa-bay-rowdies-pen-deal-with-goalkeeper
Tampa Bay Rowdies pen deal with goalkeeper
The Tampa Bay Rowdies recently said they have signed goalkeeper Nico Campbell, pending league and federation approval.
The Rowdies said this will be the first professional soccer contract for Campbell, a 22-year-old native of Kingston, Jamaica, who played at Valparaiso University in Indiana from 2013 until this past fall, the team said in a news release.
Campbell completed a trial with the team in January and played 45 minutes in each of the Rowdies’ Florida Cup matches, the release said.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/02/prweb14092897.htm
Dunn&Co. Leads All Agencies at the 2017 Tampa Bay American Advertising Federation Awards
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Tampa agency wins 18 Awards at the AAF’s Annual ADDY® Gala
Tampa, Fla. (PRWEB) February 24, 2017
Dunn&Co, a leading full-service advertising agency and production company, today announced it won 18 total ADDY awards, more than any other participating agency, at the recent AAF Tampa Bay (American Advertising Federation of Tampa Bay) 2017 ADDY® Awards, held in Tampa Thursday evening, the 16th. The awards haul included two Best of Bay awards (Best of Print category for its Child Safety print ad for ISC2 and a Best of Radio category for its Give you the bird radio spot for Tijuana Flats). Of the 18 awards, eight were awarded either Gold or Best of Show in their respective categories.
The award-winning work was created for a variety of media, including TV broadcast, radio broadcast, print, packaging, digital/web, outdoor, video and illustration. The ADDYs recognized the agency’s work on behalf of clients: Tampa Bay Lightning, Tijuana Flats, ISC2, Knockmore Irish Whiskey, St. Petersburg Distillery, Dress for Success and Ralph’s Mob.
“I’m so proud of our team that does this for us year after year,” said Dunn&Co. President and CCO Troy Dunn. “Making content for our clients that rises above the fray and is consistently recognized as some of the best work made is quite an accomplishment. And again, winning in so many categories and in so many different media is a testament to our range and the talents we have under our roof.”
The AAF ADDY Awards is the nation’s largest advertising competition, with more than 60,000 entries annually. The ADDY Awards is the only creative awards program administered by the advertising industry for the industry. The AAF Tampa Bay serves advertising professionals from the Tampa Bay community, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Citrus and Hernando Counties.
Dunn&Co.’s winning pieces will now move on to compete at the district level competition for a chance to be forwarded to the national stage of the American Advertising Federation Awards in New Orleans, LA.
About Dunn&Co.
Dunn&Co. (http://www.dunn-co.com) is a full-service advertising and marketing communications firm housed in a century-old former cigar factory near Tampa’s historic Ybor City. Dunn&Co. provides award-winning creative solutions for clients worldwide, including GE Healthcare, The Tampa Bay Lightning, Ahold USA, Tijuana Flats, Baxter Healthcare, Monin, Checkers, Kitchen Crafted, Civco, Sabal Trust, St. Petersburg Distillery, Hexa watches, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Sempermed USA, ATG, and The Untied Way. Dunn&Co. also provides pro-bono services to the ALS Association Florida Chapter to help fight Lou Gehrig’s disease.
About AAF – Tampa Bay
The American Advertising Federation – Tampa Bay exists to support its members, the community and the advertising industry. Its mission is to promote fellowship, education and career enhancement among members of the advertising community; foster and recognize excellence in advertising; champion public service causes; build an understanding of the role and benefits of advertising at all levels; and encourage advertising self-regulation and continuous improvement to raise industry benchmarks.
http://www.cltampa.com/arts-entertainment/sports/article/20852660/tampa-bay-rowdies-enter-preseason-against-mls-opponents
Tampa Bay Rowdies enter preseason against MLS opponents
You gotta show the love if you wanna have an MLS team, guys.
Colin O'Hara
Feb 23, 2017 3 PM
The Tampa Bay Rowdies dropped their first pre-season match against Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union by a score of 1-0 on Saturday night, but there’s no need to worry just yet.
“It’s our first game and everything against a team that’s a couple of weeks ahead of us, I think they’ve already played a couple of games, so I thought the players equipped themselves well,” head coach Stuart Campbell said after the game. “It’s a great testament to our players, playing against an MLS team.”
Campbell started the match with 10 regular starters who fought even evenly matched first half against the MLS side. Rowdies had two scoring chances in the opening 20 minutes from defender Neil Collins and midfielder Leo Fernandes, but came up just short in the end.
The Philadelphia goal came from Derrick Jones in a 1-on-1 situation with the goal keeper late in the second half after Campbell made a slew of personnel changes on the field. Jones left the goalkeeper picking up his pants after working some fancy footwork round him to score the goal. The trialist keeper, who was subbed in the game for starting keeper Matt Pickens, got a healthy dose of the big leagues in a short amount of time on the field.
“When I made that many changes [in players] at the 60-minute mark, it disrupts the flow of the game a little bit. We were playing well and I was tempted to leave [everything as it was], but I’ve got to be sensible. We still have four or five weeks before our season,” Campbell said.
Bottom line is there’s no need to panic. We get it. It’s preseason. The 2008 Detroit Lions ended their preseason record undefeated with four wins, but went on to lose 16 straight in the regular season, completing one of the worst professional sports seasons in history. Let’s hope the Rowdies don’t follow in their footsteps.
While it was a warm-up game for the players, it was certainly a warm up for the fans, too. A lackluster crowd showed for the Saturday evening game. Presumably many were frightened off by wet weather, or just forgot the Rowdies are making a serious push for MLS and need as big of an attendance as they can get (ahem).
Several United States national team players took the field for Philadelphia, including Alejandro Bedoya, which should have been enough of a draw for a crowd, but the attendance remained at NASL levels when we need MLS numbers.
The ever-faithful Ralph’s Mob made themselves heard, but the stadium lacked the atmosphere needed to show the MLS that Tampa Bay is ready to join.
Fortunately, the show will go on, and the Rowdies will continue their preseason at Al Lang Stadium this Saturday and 7:30 against MLS’s Montreal Impact. The fans will have another chance to prove themselves while the boys on the field will have another chance to impress.
“You can see we’ll be a real threat moving forward,” Campbell said. “The more games we get, the more they’ll improve.”
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/soccer-fans-support-st-petersburg-stadium-referendum/2314256
Soccer fans support St. Petersburg stadium referendum
Charlie Frago
Thursday, February 23, 2017 12:02pm
ST. PETERSBURG — The City Council chamber had plenty of soccer aficionados outfitted in green and gold show up last week to support the Tampa Bay Rowdies' bid to join Major League Soccer and expand their home at Al Lang Stadium.
Also in attendance was former mayor (and potential 2017 candidate for mayor) Rick Baker, representing Rowdies owner Bill Edwards.
The proposed ordinance would authorize a May 2 referendum that would allow the city to negotiate a long-term lease with the Rowdies contingent upon the team receiving an MLS expansion slot from the United States' premier soccer league.
Edwards has pledged to pay for up to $80 million in stadium improvements and a $150 million MLS franchise fee without asking for any public money.
That stance was applauded by fans and other supporters, including the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Partnership and the Downtown Neighborhood Association. They also argued that bringing the MLS to the city would stimulate economic development, attract a diverse population and help put the city on the map of hip destinations.
The council set a vote for March 2.
Dissenters said the downtown waterfront was ill-prepared for an influx of fans, parking hassles and trash that would be generated by a proposed 18,000-seat stadium.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/2/23/14706450/atlanta-soccer-2018-stonecrest-dekalb-sports-complex
New Atlanta soccer website teases big announcement, two franchises
Oh...this is interesting...
by Rob Usry
Feb 23, 2017, 2:55pm EST
On Wednesday, plans for a brand new 200-acre sports complex in DeKalb County were unveiled during a press conference. Those plans also called for a possible addition of two new professional soccer teams to the Atlanta area.
Two professional soccer teams could move in to the area over the next couple of years, said Trey Brantley, CEO of First Team SC. A men’s team could move there in 2018, and he hopes for a women’s team in 2019. - via AJC
Soon after the press conference concluded, a website called atl2018.com popped up with some interesting things. The first thing you see when the website loads is a male and a female wearing gym attire with the caption “We are coming” in bold letters. Just below that some info is given.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://midfieldpress.com/2017/02/23/exclusive-orange-county-group-closes-in-on-nasl-expansion/
Exclusive: Orange County Group Closes In On NASL Expansion
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/mls-expansion-prospective-cities-bids-28-teams?xid=socialflow_twitter_si
MLS expansion: An in-depth look at the many bids for the league's next four clubs
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.newsday.com/sports/soccer/new-cosmos-owner-rocco-commisso-says-franchise-is-ok-entering-upcoming-season-1.13157911
New Cosmos owner Rocco Commisso says franchise is ‘OK’ entering upcoming season
(Follow link for full article.)
http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=68aa1285e6&id=3226e8c4ca&e=1d32e81d4d
ONE WEEK LEFT: 2017 Membership Packages
PREORDERS DUE MARCH 1st!
There is only one week left to get in your 2017 Membership preorders via our online store! Memberships help to fund our all of our activities throughout the year including: creating tifo, banners and flags; maintaining drums and equipment; and putting on events/coordinating travel. Purchasing a Ralph’s Mob Membership allows you the ability to purchase 2017 Ralph’s Mob section Season Tickets, away travel and more!
Like in past years we have multiple tiers to choose from featuring our 2017 Member Shirt and Scarf. We are also bringing back our “Mini-Mobster” Membership for kids!
To avoid shipping charges, be sure to select "pickup" on the checkout screen. Pickup and shipping orders will both be available at the time of the regular season opener on Saturday, March 25th. Packages that include shirts will be available via preorder only!
Click on the image above to place your preorder and secure your membership today!
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sounders/mls-to-allow-championship-stars-on-sounders-replica-jerseys-after-supporter-protest/
MLS to allow championship stars on Sounders’ replica jerseys after supporter protest
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.cm-life.com/article/2017/02/detroit-doesnt-need-mls-its-the-other-way-aroundtaxpayers-will-pay-the-price-on-and-off-the-field
COLUMN: Detroit doesn't need MLS — the city already has its team
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/mls-expansion-detroit-gores-gilbert-stadium-jail-022317
MLS expansion city profile: Detroit
(Follow link for full article.)
https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2017/02/23/phoenix-rising-fc-makes-its-case-for-mls-expansion/
Phoenix Rising FC makes its case for MLS expansion
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.soccernation.com/details-revealed-for-fs-investors-plan-for-mission-valley/
Details Revealed for FS Investors’ Plan for Soccer City San Diego
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/02/23/la-galaxy-bring-american-dream-england-open-trials/
LA Galaxy bring American dream to England with open trials
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/afternoon-update-chad-oulsons-widow-says-curtis-reeves-was-rude-angry/2314294
Afternoon update: Chad Oulson's widow says Curtis Reeves was 'rude,' 'angry,' 'demanding' before firing; Trump's action on transgender restroom rules changes nothing locally; Gasparilla race will be one of final stops for fabled distance runner; Hotel Bar offers famous cocktails
SOCCER FANS SUPPORT ST. PETERSBURG STADIUM REFERENDUM
The St. Petersburg City Council chamber had plenty of soccer aficionados outfitted in green and gold show up last week to support the Tampa Bay Rowdies' bid to join Major League Soccer and expand their home at Al Lang Stadium. The proposed ordinance would authorize a May 2 referendum that would allow the city to negotiate a long-term lease with the Rowdies contingent upon the team receiving an MLS expansion slot from the United States' premier soccer league.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://flbusinessdaily.com/stories/511082710-tampa-bay-rowdies-pen-deal-with-goalkeeper
Tampa Bay Rowdies pen deal with goalkeeper
The Tampa Bay Rowdies recently said they have signed goalkeeper Nico Campbell, pending league and federation approval.
The Rowdies said this will be the first professional soccer contract for Campbell, a 22-year-old native of Kingston, Jamaica, who played at Valparaiso University in Indiana from 2013 until this past fall, the team said in a news release.
Campbell completed a trial with the team in January and played 45 minutes in each of the Rowdies’ Florida Cup matches, the release said.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/02/prweb14092897.htm
Dunn&Co. Leads All Agencies at the 2017 Tampa Bay American Advertising Federation Awards
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Tampa agency wins 18 Awards at the AAF’s Annual ADDY® Gala
Tampa, Fla. (PRWEB) February 24, 2017
Dunn&Co, a leading full-service advertising agency and production company, today announced it won 18 total ADDY awards, more than any other participating agency, at the recent AAF Tampa Bay (American Advertising Federation of Tampa Bay) 2017 ADDY® Awards, held in Tampa Thursday evening, the 16th. The awards haul included two Best of Bay awards (Best of Print category for its Child Safety print ad for ISC2 and a Best of Radio category for its Give you the bird radio spot for Tijuana Flats). Of the 18 awards, eight were awarded either Gold or Best of Show in their respective categories.
The award-winning work was created for a variety of media, including TV broadcast, radio broadcast, print, packaging, digital/web, outdoor, video and illustration. The ADDYs recognized the agency’s work on behalf of clients: Tampa Bay Lightning, Tijuana Flats, ISC2, Knockmore Irish Whiskey, St. Petersburg Distillery, Dress for Success and Ralph’s Mob.
“I’m so proud of our team that does this for us year after year,” said Dunn&Co. President and CCO Troy Dunn. “Making content for our clients that rises above the fray and is consistently recognized as some of the best work made is quite an accomplishment. And again, winning in so many categories and in so many different media is a testament to our range and the talents we have under our roof.”
The AAF ADDY Awards is the nation’s largest advertising competition, with more than 60,000 entries annually. The ADDY Awards is the only creative awards program administered by the advertising industry for the industry. The AAF Tampa Bay serves advertising professionals from the Tampa Bay community, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Citrus and Hernando Counties.
Dunn&Co.’s winning pieces will now move on to compete at the district level competition for a chance to be forwarded to the national stage of the American Advertising Federation Awards in New Orleans, LA.
About Dunn&Co.
Dunn&Co. (http://www.dunn-co.com) is a full-service advertising and marketing communications firm housed in a century-old former cigar factory near Tampa’s historic Ybor City. Dunn&Co. provides award-winning creative solutions for clients worldwide, including GE Healthcare, The Tampa Bay Lightning, Ahold USA, Tijuana Flats, Baxter Healthcare, Monin, Checkers, Kitchen Crafted, Civco, Sabal Trust, St. Petersburg Distillery, Hexa watches, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Sempermed USA, ATG, and The Untied Way. Dunn&Co. also provides pro-bono services to the ALS Association Florida Chapter to help fight Lou Gehrig’s disease.
About AAF – Tampa Bay
The American Advertising Federation – Tampa Bay exists to support its members, the community and the advertising industry. Its mission is to promote fellowship, education and career enhancement among members of the advertising community; foster and recognize excellence in advertising; champion public service causes; build an understanding of the role and benefits of advertising at all levels; and encourage advertising self-regulation and continuous improvement to raise industry benchmarks.
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