Behind the Rays-inspired rise of the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the top of the United Soccer League [Paywall-Check Comments]

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/bwa3lh/behind_the_raysinspired_rise_of_the_tampa_bay/

Behind the Rays-inspired rise of the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the top of the United Soccer League [Paywall-Check Comments]

You lost me at 'new ballpark able to hold both teams.' No thanks.

yup fuck everything about that

If it's a "ballpark" agreed... if it's a true multi-purpose stadium that can have a true soccer configuration, that isn't so bad.

There’s not a single stadium layout that would be good for baseball and soccer without major modification between games. One will always cause the other to have bad dimensions or seats too far from the field of play. It would be compromising to both teams (which really just means it would be compromising for the rowdies because the money is with the MLB and baseball)

I actually think it is possible, but it would be pretty expensive. You’d need one of the Outfield bleachers to close in (like Atlanta United uses for their corners) and it would work better if there was a rolling grass pitch that came over the turf field like Tottenham’s new stadium or the Arizona Cardinals stadium. And you’d need a 90 angle behind home plate like Al Lang has today. With smart design, I think a multipurpose baseball/soccer stadium could really work.

I also think it would nearly double the price of the stadium itself, so it’s pretty unlikely.

Yes if done "right" it could work, but it kind of negates the cost savings of having one stadium instead of two, so it is probably not what Auld had in mind (assuming he has given it that much thought at all yet).

If the Rays stay in St. Pete they already have two perfectly good locations: the Trop site for the Rays and the Al Lang site for the Rowdies.

If the Rays don't stay in St. Pete that potentially opens up the Trop site for the Rowdies as well.

It would go against the grain of the entire history of MLS SSS to build a new multipurpose stadium to share between MLS and MLB teams.

And although I'm glad to have the Rays as Rowdies owners for now, I don't want the Rowdies to be permanently attached to the Rays by having to share a stadium with the Rays. As a season ticket holder of the New England Revolution I know that feel.

I for sure wouldn’t mind a “bare bones” SSS on the same property as an MLB stadium, if we ended up doing a two stadium solution. The issue there is traffic and parking on the inevitable shared gamedays. Another reason a shared stadium would suck is balancing the schedule. Idk what NYCFCs looks like but I can’t imagine it’s perfect considering they have to work around the Yankees.

If the Rays end up staying in St. Pete, and the Rowdies go to MLS, the ideal setup IMO would be a new Rays ballpark on a redeveloped Trop site, and a new SSS on the Al Lang site (tearing down the existing structure and reorienting the pitch north-south).

The two sites in St. Pete are far enough apart so as not to affect traffic or parking if the Rays and Rowdies are playing on the same night. That way you have no worries about scheduling conflicts at all.

You lost me at 'new ballpark able to hold both teams.' No thanks.

Agreed. I hope this is just Auld speaking off the cuff, as it were, and not some kind of an actual plan.

Baseball and soccer do not mix well in the same facility at the same time. We relearned that lesson already when we shared Al Lang with the St. Pete Baseball commission.

I'm sure the Rays are thinking in terms of financing, that it would be cheaper to build one stadium rather than two.

If financing is a problem they really should be looking at taking on additional investors for an MLS bid. MLS isn't going to accept some kind of a baseball-soccer hybrid stadium. The NYCFC situation was just supposed to be temporary, after all, and I really don't think MLS wants to repeat that situation.

Great article, and I would love to see more of these in depth Rowdies pieces in the future. The Athletic does such a good job. Some thoughts.

Hate hate hate the idea of the Rays and Rowdies sharing a ballpark, and I would really be disappointed if it happens. I get why it would be attractive for them, but soccer just doesn't work in a baseball stadium well at all.

Interesting that even with the reduced salaries the Rowdies won't be breaking even this year. That says a lot IMO about the financial state of a lot of USL teams since the Rowdies are likely one of the best positioned USL sides financially.

Women's soccer would be awesome to have. I would honestly rather them add on a women's team to the USL team than take a run at an MLS team.

Women's soccer would be awesome to have. I would honestly rather them add on a women's team to the USL team than take a run at an MLS team.

Well, up until this season Rowdies-affiliate Tampa Bay United had a very good WPSL team. Apparently the funding wasn't there to run the team out again this summer, which is really odd to me considering TBU's super-close ties with the Rowdies (TBU's Jack Casey & Robbie Soronellas played vs The Villages).

The Rowdies are doing a lot more of the right things since the Rays came in (youth movement, better scouting, etc) but the fact that TBU couldn't have some cash floated their way to play an entirely in-state WPSL schedule is still concerning.

If you're interested in supporting local women's soccer, the Tropics WPSL team will be playing at Walter Fuller in St Pete on 6/19, and they'll be south of the Skyway at Premier Sports in Lakewood Ranch on 6/6.

“I don’t think (exploring a Tampa-area MLS franchise) is out of the question down the road. I hope when that decision comes, we have a brand new ballpark capable of hosting both teams.”

This is a huge take away for both Rays and Rowdies fans. Rays fans should take heart that the team looks to be positioning themselves for more revenue by doubling the number of tenants in a local stadium.

EDIT: I thought it was great in-depth article from the Athletic. I wanted to share, hopefully the format isn't too hard to follow. In the actual article there are some cool photos/videos in the locker room

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Brian Auld put his draft beer in his cup holder and took a few steps up to a perch just above midfield at Al Lang Stadium.

Auld, 41, the president of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, was watching his unbeaten Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer club against the Kansas City-based Swope Park Rangers on Saturday, May 25. The Stanford grad became co-chairman of the Rowdies when the Rays purchased the United Soccer League team in October, but he looked more like a fan on this breezy evening on the sprawling St. Pete waterfront.

Auld had shed his suit for shorts and a green, long-sleeved Rowdies T-shirt. And while Auld kept an eye on the Rays game in Cleveland on the MLB app of his iPhone, he seemed as locked into the soccer match as the fans in the drum-beating, constantly chanting “Ralph’s Mob” section. You can see how soccer was Auld’s first love: The former high school all-conference midfielder (pictured below) recalled waking up at 4 a.m. to watch the 2002 World Cup in Korea.

“Put a goal in!”

“How’d that stay out?”

“I love that I get to be a fan here,” Auld said. “I don’t think you’ll see me screaming obscenities on the field, but I’m looser than I am at baseball games. Don’t think I’ve worn shorts to a Rays game. Ever.

“But this has been a blast.”

When the Rays purchased the Rowdies, it raised some eyebrows. Was this a tax write-off for principal owner Stuart Sternberg, or a sneaky split to resuscitate hopes of a waterfront ballpark?

In reality, it has been the perfect partnership, with the synergy both on and off the field sparking the stunning rise of the Rowdies to the top of the USL. Rowdies VP Lee Cohen, 37, and player-turned-coach Neill Collins have been given full autonomy, but they’ve taken several pages from the Rays’ playbook in terms of player procurement and development, not to mention analytics. The Rowdies’ budget has been cut more than 50 percent since the reign of former owner Bill Edwards, but — like the Rays — the soccer club has found ways to get more bang for its buck. They overhauled the roster, which is one of the youngest in the league (average age 24), and their face of their franchise is now 22-year-old Panamanian Juan Tejada instead of former Premier League star Joe Cole.

“We just wanted the opportunity to paint what we wanted on a canvas, and they gave us the blank sheet and said, ‘Go for it,'” Cohen said. “No objections were put in place. We picked their brains because their approach to baseball is a lot different to other major markets. Some things we already had in place — other things gave us an edge.

“They said, ‘Just because someone else doesn’t want (a player), it doesn’t mean they can’t fit the way you want to. If your eye tells you one thing, there’s a reason for it. You can’t underestimate the amount of times these guys encouraged us to really turn over every rock.”

The Athletic decided to go behind the scenes to see how the Rays-Rowdies transformation took hold.

4:42 p.m.: Al Lang parking lot

The Skyway Casuals always arrive early, setting up tailgates a Hail Mary pass away from the stadium entrance.

The Rowdies fans, most of whom drive over the Skyway Bridge from places like Sarasota and Bradenton, join Ralph’s Mob as the heart/drum beat of the franchise. They play cornhole and beer Frisbee, grilling a delicacy of the opposing team’s city. In this case, it was smoked chicken with a Kansas City rub, along with potato salad and cherry-wine cake.

“Help yourself,” said Skyway Casuals president Ian Linn. “More than enough to go around.”

The Rowdies have a rich history in the Bay Area, with fans flocking to Tampa Stadium from 1975 to 1993 to see the franchise compete, most notably, in the North American Soccer League. The club played in various indoor and outdoor leagues after the NASL folded, eventually going dark in 1994 before getting revived in St. Petersburg in 2008. Unlike the other local pro sports franchises, where fans can get attached to long-time stars like Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and former Rays pillars David Price and Evan Longoria, the Rowdies constantly churn a transient roster.

The Rowdies used to be the Yankees of the USL — but without the perennial success. They’d outspend most teams under Edwards, prioritizing known quantities like Cole, who played for Chelsea and Liverpool in England, Marcel Schäfer and Georgi Hristov. With last offseason’s roster overhaul, just four Rowdies players remain from the one that kicked off the 2018 season.

“The cool thing is there are no big-name players out there, yet we’re dominating the league,” said Rowdies fan Mike Faulkner, 39, from Pasco. “We don’t have the Europeans on the final tour.”

Rowdies fans have bought in: Their average attendance of 5,963 (larger than the gathering of 5,786 to see the Rays host the Blue Jays last Tuesday night) is down less than 1 percent from last year. They drew 7,210 for the May 18 match against the New York Red Bulls. Linn said there has been a “drastic” difference in atmosphere since the Rays bought the team.

They can see it in many ways, like the team sending them scarfs with season ticket packages and offering seat licenses. Instead of regular team-run concessions, the Rowdies have brought in food trucks from several local businesses and inserted a Big Storm Brewing beer garden, which now pours a “Rowdies” beer.

“They’ve turned it into an event,” Linn said. “Not just a game.”

Linn showed a sneak peek of a surprise for that night’s game. The Skyway Casuals and Ralph’s Mob combined the previous three nights to craft a joint Tifo painting, they were planning to roll it out in the stands right before kickoff. It was 25 feet by 25 feet and featured the forceful images of Godzilla (since the movie just came out) and Rodan.

“Godzilla was Ralph’s Mob and we’re Rodan,” Linn said. “We’re the beasts of the East.”

5:14 p.m.: Rowdies coaches room

Two hours before kickoff, the Rowdies brass gathered around a circular glass table wearing T-shirts and shorts. A few pulled up their laptops, and an MLS game was playing on television in the background.

The starting lineup, along with a headshot of each player, had been put up on the white grease board to the left.

The “lads,” as Scotland-born Collins often calls them, aren’t the most well-known or experienced group in the league. But they are theirs, built from an identity of youth, aggressiveness and relentlessness. Collins, who went from wearing the captain’s armband to becoming coach in a two-day span last May, once told me he wanted players “that would kick their grannies to get the Rowdies back.”

Collins pointed to his stomach to express the key component of his players’ DNA (other than skill): hunger.

“With youth, you get the ability to mold the person you want,” Collins said. “But there’s also potential. Unfortunately, as much as me, Joe, Marcel, we were good players, but we didn’t have any potential. We were going one way. We need players going up. I felt all these young boys were sprinkled with experience. It’s the hunger and desire the club needed. They fear nothing.”

Collins tapped into his contacts in Europe to bring in defender Caleb Richards, a 20-year-old on loan from Norwich City, and Jordan Doherty, an 18-year-old midfielder from Collins’ former club, Sheffield United. Doherty thought it was a joke when his agent first mentioned moving across the globe to Tampa, but he and Richards have been loving life since, making side trips on days off to Busch Gardens, the mall and Clearwater Beach. Richards has played nearly every meaningful minute of every match at one of the game’s toughest positions.

“It’s been like a dream,” he said.

Taking the Rays’ advice to think “outside the box,” Collins and several other staff members went on a weeklong trip to Argentina in the offseason to watch six or seven matches. They didn’t return with any players but got a better feel for the competitive level in leagues there, just in case one becomes available.

“The world is a small place,” Collins said.

Rowdies exec Lee Cohen (left) chats with coach Neill Collins (right) during warmups. There’s no official general manager of the Rowdies, with Cohen, Collins and assistants Stuart Dobson, Martin Paterson and Cheyne Roberts all responsible for helping to find players. Cohen, a Flagler College graduate who never played competitive soccer, is the top dog, however.

Having worked his way up from intern to director of the Premier Development League, Cohen joined the Rowdies in 2010 as a “jack of all trades.” The first thing he was asked upon arriving was, “Do you have a truck?” The club didn’t have an equipment manager, so Cohen had to pitch in where he could.

What Cohen and company have learned over the years is how best to utilize their roster. The highest-paid players are no longer guaranteed starts — unlike in previous seasons when Edwards had input on lineups. The Rowdies’ salaries have leveled out and are now more in line with the league average, between $30,000-$40,000 a season.

The key, like the Rays have found with their payroll of under $70 million, is how to get the most out of them. When defender David Najem tore his ACL last May, the Rowdies could have cut him loose, knowing he wouldn’t be ready to start the season. But they held onto him and were rewarded when Najem scored in his first game back in April. The team went nuts in jumping all over him, a galvanizing moment that’s immortalized in a photo on the wall on the way to the locker room.

“That’s who we are as an organization — unturning everything,” Cohen said. “Let’s actually understand these guys.”

The Rowdies’ starting goalkeeper, John McCarthy, had been buried on the bench for his hometown Philadelphia Union (in Major League Soccer), playing in just 21 matches over the last four years. Cohen said they saw potential in McCarthy if he got an expanded opportunity. The club then brought in keeper Chris Konopka, 33, the only Rowdies player older than 28, to be a veteran presence (like Cliff Floyd and Eric Hinske with the Rays in 2008).

Veterans Leo Fernandes and Sebastián Guenzatti take turns as captains. Fernandes was moved from midfielder to left wing-back, as the Rowdies have hoped to tap into his versatility for team betterment, not unlike the Rays morphing shortstop Ben Zobrist into an All-Star utilityman.

“They may not be the best players in the marketplace,” Cohen said. “But they’re the best players for us.”

6:08 p.m.: Rowdies locker room

Panamanian attacking midfielder Juan Tejada stretches out prior to the match. The Rowdies play in the Rays’ former long-time spring training home, and they utilize the same locker spaces in which Longoria, Price, Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton used to hang their gloves.

Rap music blares from the speakers as players mill around and stretch. Some sign jerseys and scarfs that are set up on a table in the middle of the room. Others grab typical pregame fuel like granola bars or pop in a stick of gum.

“Who is the psychopath who did this?” joked Zach Steinberger, holding up a piece of gum that was split in half.

A few guys laugh.

Players step on a scale to weigh in before each match so the staff knows how much water weight they lose during play. Pete Calabrese, the performance coach hired this season, looks at his laptop to record and peruse data. Calabrese’s role, as well as that of a sports science intern, are parts of the Rowdies’ growing use of analytics.

It’s not quite as voluminous as baseball’s under-the-curtain numbers, but it’s still helpful. One key stat they track? How far each player runs during the match. Collins’ theory is that if the team combines for 100,000 meters or more, they’ll win.

Collins gathered the team in front of a projector screen, and though he often uses film sessions to teach his players, he did not this time. Only a 45-second chat.

“It’s about being relentless,” Collins told them. “Every day. Playing. Training. It doesn’t happen overnight. You have to be relentless.”

8:02 p.m.: Al Lang Stadium, the match Nobody embodies both the team’s relentlessness and forward-thinking approach better than Tejada.

The 5-foot-7, 155-pound rookie has been a fan favorite for his curly, shoulder-length black hair and endless motor. Ralph’s Mob has created its own song for Tejada, chanting his last name instead of “Tequila” to the tune of The Champs’ long-ago hit.

“He looks like a pest,” one fan said. “He doesn’t give up for 60 minutes.”

“During preseason, we were like, ‘Is he old enough to play?'”

Tejada, 22, was born in Panama, but he has strong ties to the area. He played high school soccer at IMG Academy and then played four years at Eckerd College in St. Pete. Tejada also played for the Lakeland Tropics in USL League Two last season.

“He’s the most infectious person on and off the soccer field,” said Eckerd coach Ian Cameron. “He’s got a bubbly personality, plays with a lot of heart and passion. You could always see he had massive potential.”

But Tejada was one of those players who the Rowdies, in previous seasons, never would have gone after.

“Not a chance,” Cohen said. “We didn’t expand our net that far.”

Even though he played in St. Pete?

“But he wasn’t known,” Cohen said.

With the Rowdies going for a younger team this year, they organized their first-ever combine in December, inviting a select group of players to try out.

“Juan stuck out right away,” Cohen said. “(Assistant) Martin Paterson was like a kid in a candy store. He’s like, ‘This kid has got it.’ He made it so hard for us to say no.”

Tejada’s tryout went from a goodwill gesture to a legit recruiting effort. They brought him in for preseason, then considered putting him on a League One team to monitor. Then came a match against Orlando City, when Tejada made an unbelievable play on a header off a set piece.

“Neill and I look at one another and said, ‘Who is telling him he’s going to League One?” Cohen said, laughing. “He’s done everything from that point on.”

The fact that the Rowdies have taken a chance on more local players — even suiting up high school kids from their youth program (Jack Casey and Robbie Soronellas) in a U.S. Open Cup match — has made an impression. Besides being more involved in the local academies like Tampa Bay United and Clearwater Chargers, the Rowdies also have created closer ties to area colleges like USF and the University of Tampa, which could help supply them with players in the future.

“I think Neill and his staff have done an amazing job of engaging the community,” Cameron said. “They’ve made a real grass-roots effort to identify and matriculate local talent.

“Credit the Rowdies for bravery to put their money where their mouth was and give the young lad (Tejada) an option.”

Tejada was buzzing all over Swope Park’s side of the field during the first half, as the Rowdies held 65 percent of the possession. They hit a few posts. They got robbed by some fantastic saves. But it was still 0-0 after 45 minutes.

“Just play our game,” Collins told the team at halftime. “Stop fucking around and get on with it. You’ve done it every other game. Let’s fucking do it again.”

8:45 p.m.: Ralph’s Mob The Rowdies appear to be on the ropes, and it looks like the Rangers could potentially steal a victory.

But in the 81st minute, Fernandes is tripped inside the box and awarded a penalty kick. He leaves no doubt, slotting it home himself and setting off a boisterous celebration in the Al Lang stands.

“ROWDIES! ROWDIES!”

Auld stays to the end, moving over from his seats to a midfield perch where Cohen and other team officials are standing. Cohen, Auld and Rays president Matt Silverman talk daily through a group text-message chain, going over game plans, roster/injury updates and business ideas. A lot of times, Silverman will send Cohen links to sports science articles.

Auld, who shares an office with Silverman at Tropicana Field, said they both attend as many Rowdies games as they can and often bring their young families.

“We’re having an absolute blast,” Auld said.

The “fun” aspect was a main motivator for buying the team, Auld said, with obvious financial benefits of cross-promotion (the teams share several sponsors) and staff synergy (many of the Rays’ marketing and social media staffers are helping out with the Rowdies, as well). You’ll often see a Rowdies polo shirt in the Rays’ executive offices and vice-versa.

Auld said they likely won’t break even this year with the Rowdies but hope to next year or soon after. He insists the Rowdies purchase was a long-term commitment and that he is open to delving into women’s soccer or a potential MLS expansion franchise in coming years if the situation is right.

“We really take pride in knowing what we don’t know, and we don’t know anything about that right now,” Auld said. “We’re dipping our toes into that, we want to earn the USL, succeed in the USL, and that may open some doors.

“I don’t think (exploring a Tampa-area MLS franchise) is out of the question down the road. I hope when that decision comes, we have a brand new ballpark capable of hosting both teams.”

With the Rays’ latest ballpark proposal in Ybor City falling through, there’s a bit of an uncertain future about where they may be playing when their lease with Tropicana Field ends in 2027. The first place this Rays ownership group pitched for a stadium was on the Al Lang site back in 2008, but it didn’t pass the muster of voters. Auld didn’t rule out another run at the area for a baseball stadium: “Everything is on the table unless someone tells us it is absolutely not.”

For now, Rowdies (and Rays) officials would gladly take a repeat of that 2008 season, when the start of a remarkable run from worst to the World Series began on this very turf. The Rowdies’ last title was in 2012 — in the newer incarnation of the NASL.

“We’ve gotten really lucky here, not unlike we did with the Rays,” Auld said. “We did not have 2008 as the year we were going to click. Things just happened a little sooner (than we expected).”

On this Saturday, it’s a soccer haven with a happy ending for the home crowd.

After the final whistle, Rowdies players lined up along the fence to sign autographs for about a half hour. Tejada signed jerseys, shirts, hats and programs before getting called in for media interviews. He went back outside before a mandatory team meeting. When Collins wrapped up his speech, telling the players to enjoy their Sunday off as “you’ll spend the next six days with me,” Tejada made a beeline for the field again.

“I’ve got to finish,” he said.

But with the lights turned off and fans already ushered out of the gates, there were no hands left to shake, no smiles left to create.

As Tejada returned to the victorious Rowdies locker room, he flashed a smile.

“Next time.”

Joe Smith can be reached at jsmith@theathletic.com. Follow @JoeSmithTB.

But Tejada was one of those players who the Rowdies, in previous seasons, never would have gone after.

“Not a chance,” Cohen said. “We didn’t expand our net that far.”

Even though he played in St. Pete?

“But he wasn’t known,” Cohen said.

Wow, how incredibly bad did the Rowdies scouting had to have been to not have Tejada on the radar? He was tearing it up for 4 years right in St Pete, plus another 2 seasons of legendary summer ball in Lakeland.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://theathletic.com/1005476/2019/06/03/behind-the-rays-inspired-rise-for-the-tampa-bay-rowdies-atop-the-united-soccer-league/

Behind the Rays-inspired rise of the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the top of the United Soccer League

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Brian Auld put his draft beer in his cup holder and took a few steps up to a perch just above midfield at Al Lang Stadium.

Auld, 41, the president of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, was watching his unbeaten Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer club against the Kansas City-based Swope Park Rangers on Saturday, May 25. The Stanford grad became co-chairman of the Rowdies when the Rays purchased the United Soccer League team in October, but he looked more like a fan on this breezy evening on the sprawling St. Pete waterfront.

Auld had shed his suit for shorts and a green, long-sleeved Rowdies T-shirt. And while Auld kept an eye on the Rays game in Cleveland on the MLB app of his iPhone, he seemed as locked into the soccer match as the fans in the drum-beating, constantly chanting “Ralph’s Mob” section. You can see how soccer was Auld’s first love: The former high school all-conference midfielder (pictured below)...

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/bwbc16/usl_power_ratings_june_3_2019_oc/

USL power ratings: June 3, 2019 [OC]

Unsurprisingly, the Rowdies maintain their comfortable margin atop the East.

Unreal!

(Follow link for full article.)

https://clubcountryusa.com/2019/06/03/usl-power-ratings-june-3-2019/

USL power ratings: June 3, 2019

Welcome to the USL power ratings! Don’t forget to follow the site on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for all the content on USL, US Soccer, and Nashville SC.

Table Power

This rating method combines points per game with the quality of opposition played (also measured in points per game). It’s blind to home/away splits as well as scoring margin. The goal is to project a final table based on the games already played.

USL East power rankings:

Tampa Bay – 73.48 projected points
Saint Louis – 68.37 points
Indy – 67.28 points
NYRB2 (+2) – 62.39 points
Ottawa (-1) – 61.43 points
Nashville (-1) – 60.18 points
Louisville City (+2) – 51.86 points
North Carolina (-1) – 50.44 points
Charleston Battery (-1) – 47.50 points
Pittsburgh – 41.31 points
Birmingham – 38.11 points
Atlanta 2 – 35.92 points
Bethlehem – 32.06 points
Loudoun – 31.98 points
Memphis – 27.20 points
Swope Park (+1) – 23.43 points
Charlotte (-1) – 22.66 points
Hartford – 16.45 points

Not a ton of movement in the East. The biggest shifts were two whole spots, with Red Bull 2 leapfrogging Nashville and Ottawa (even though a win over Bethlehem is not the most impressive in a vacuum), and Louisville City using a win over Pittsburgh to pass North Carolina and Charleston – aided by North Carolina’s draw against Hartford. Red Bulls are still within a few spots of where they have been, and while Louisville is in uncharted territory for 2019, it’s really just getting them back to where we expected preseason.

Pittsburgh’s loss to Indy (even if they became the visiting first club to score in Lucas oil Field) drops them into something of a danger zone: Birmingham is within range of overtaking them for the final playoff position in the conference.

The lack of major movement was partially because some of the teams’ bye weeks (Nashville and Loudon, while the Saint Louis/Memphis game was postponed due to weather), and partially because it was largely a week full of matchups between top and bottom teams, and chalk mostly held.

The situation remains the same as it has been, with the minor changes detailed above: Tampa is in a tier by itself, positions 2-6 are a tier that could ultimately finish in any order pending who finds a run of form, 7-9 are pretty solidly in the playoffs, while No. 10 is suddenly a battle between Pittsburgh and Birmingham (perhaps with Bethlehem and Loudoun competing for that last spot, as well). Major changes in form can affect the outlook – we’re barely over a third of the way through the season, after all – but assuming teams basically are who we’ve seen to date, that’s where we stand.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.thenational.scot/sport/17679629.collins-relishing-task-of-lifting-the-rowdies-to-new-heights/

Collins relishing task of lifting the Rowdies to new heights

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JANUARY 08: Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Neill Collins (3) settles the ball during the first half of a Florida Cup soccer game between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and VFL Wolfsburg on January 08, 2017, at Al Lang Stadium in Tampa, FL. (Photo

IN May 2018, Neill Collins was preparing for a low-key cup tie amid the tranquil calm of Florida, the club captain of a once headline name in American soccer getting ready for the old banana skin of lower-league opposition. By the next day, the Tampa Bay Rowdies had been humbled by their hosts, their boss had lost his job, and Collins’ boots were up on the dressing room peg to stay, his backside now parked in the manager’s office.

Twelve months on, Collins was the man preparing the Tampa players for a second round US Open Cup match against a lower-tier side, only this time the opposition in question hailed from even further down the food chain.

“When the opportunity came to be the head coach, it came out of the blue,” the Troon native, whose footballing journey started at Queen’s Park, recalled of last year’s slip-up in the hours before his first cup tie as manager. “It was actually about a year ago to the day, we were playing in the same competition and, having been on a bad run, we also suffered a couple of upsets. The owner spoke to me and asked me my opinion on a couple of things, and ended up offering me the job. It was completely unexpected but it was something that I knew further down the line I knew I wanted to do, and it was too good an opportunity to turn down.”

The sudden switch from integral team member to man in charge -- taking over from fellow Scotland U-21 cap Stuart Campbell -- has not been in vain. As it transpired, Collins avoided the potential banana skin, safely negotiating a 4-1 win against Florida amateurs The Villages. More to the point, the result was in keeping with an unbeaten start to the season that was only ended after 13 games when they were knocked out of the cup in the following round against fellow USL side Oklahoma City Energy. That makes Tampa the only remaining undefeated side at the time of writing in the USL Championship, the American second tier.

Tampa and the USL Championship might be on the fringes of the world game, marooned in a still somewhat unfashionable theatre. But, in this off-radar environment, the image of another young Scottish coach quickly finding his feet amid a rapidly shifting American soccer landscape has emerged.

“Going back to last year, I took over and everything that could go wrong, went wrong,” the 35-year-old said. “We had serious injuries, you had people retiring on top of me having to retire to take the job. So all these things just constantly piled up on top of each other and compounded everything.

“What’s different this year is we had the opportunity to have a pre-season. We had an opportunity to change the squad into a group of players who I felt could implement what I was looking for and also just to change the face of the Rowdies. We’re a lot younger. The average age is down from about 29 to about 24.

“And without sounding boring, the boys have just worked extremely hard. We’ve reaped the rewards so far because of that. But we know there’s a lot of room for improvement and a lot of the season still to play.”

Collins earned his stripes at Dumbarton after moving on from Queen’s Park, going on to carve out a successful playing career in the English Championship and League One with clubs including Sunderland, Wolves and Sheffield United before winding down his latter years on Florida’s gulf coast.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies name is celebrated in the annals of US soccer as one of the sides that competed in the 1970s heyday of the NASL with its world-class contingent that included the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff.

The idiosyncrasies of US soccer mean there is no means for promotion or relegation between divisions. But as MLS continues to expand by other means, Collins sees a place in the top tier for an outfit like Tampa somewhere down the line.

“Going to MLS is not really related to what you’re doing on the field, it’s more the factors of ownership, finances, stadium and supporter numbers,” he added.

“I think the thing the Rowdies has, that we have the potential to be strong on, is that we have such a historic name and brand.

“From my point of view, I just need to make the team better... and I think right now we’re in a league that’s perfect for us and a league that’s growing. You don’t want to go into MLS until you’re 100% ready to do so.”

Collins, meanwhile, continues to learn, bearing an eclectic data bank of coaches he played under to reference whenever the need may arise.

Managers like John McCormack at Queen’s Park. And in particular, Roy Keane at Sunderland, and Mick McCarthy at both Sunderland and Wolves, both of whom he greatly admires.

The latter pair form an intriguing signpost in not just his personal journey but also the folk history of the game.

Collins was about to move from a Keane-managed Sunderland to McCarthy’s then Wolves side. As he delicately put it: “Anyone who’s not been on the moon knew about their rivalry, or fallout I should say”.

In the course of the transfer, Collins got a lesson. “I think it tells you a lot about both men the fact that the deal happened,” Collins said. “That Roy, although he wanted me to stay at the time, was big enough to go and let me play for the manager that brought me to Sunderland in the first place.”

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article231106638.html

David Beckham visited his Inter Miami youth academy

More than five years after announcing his intention to bring a Major League Soccer team to Miami, Beckham was at Central Broward Regional Stadium on June 2, 2019, watching his club’s 150 hand-picked youth academy players as they scrimmaged.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://en.as.com/en/2019/06/03/football/1559592964_631941.html

INTER MIAMI

David Beckham sets date for Miami Freedom Park launch

David Beckham sighseeing Inter Miami youth and venues

@INTERMIAMICF

The English star arrived in Miami to check on the progress of his team. There is already a date for the opening of his stadium, and he gave details on designated players.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.hastingstribune.com/sports/dave-hyde-for-jorge-mas-and-david-beckham-the-soccer/article_84e8ca49-e216-5b67-8cc4-22bcb4263142.html

Dave Hyde: For Jorge Mas and David Beckham, the soccer goal is finally in sight

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2019/06/03/Franchises/Beckham.aspx

Beckham Surprised At Difficulty In Getting MLS Team Off The Ground

Beckham said that getting the MLS club up and running has taken longer than he initially expected Photo: GETTY IMAGES It has been more than five years since David Beckham announced his intention to bring an MLS franchise to Miami, and he admitted that he had "'no idea' how difficult it wo...

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/you-can-soon-make-a-deposit-for-austin-fc-season-tickets-ahead-of-their-first-season-in-2021/2049372986

You can soon make a deposit for Austin FC season tickets ahead of their first season in 2021

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/06/02/garber-valeri-warm-praise-spectacular-new-providence-park

From Garber to Valeri, warm praise for "spectacular" new Providence Park

PORTLAND, Ore. – It was a moment years in the making when the Portland Timbers took the field on Saturday night.

The last few months must have felt like years to the Timbers, as construction on the expanded and refurbished Providence Park forced the team to play their first 12 games on the road to open the season, leading to an incredible buildup – throughout both the organization and the city – for their 2019 home opener, vs. LAFC.

“The renovation is spectacular,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber, on hand for the Providence Park reopening. “The place is rocking as it always is, only even louder with more fans showing their passion for the team.”

The $85 million dollar project that added about 4,000 new seats and a towering new presence on the east side of the stadium was formally unveiled to “Soccer City USA” when the Supporters’ Shield leaders rolled into town intent on spoiling the fun.

“We know it’s a big day for them,” said LAFC forward Carlos Vela. “It was a party, and so we said ‘let’s go and enjoy the party,’ and that’s why we came out and played the way we did.”

The visitors pressed Portland early, seizing a 2-0 halftime lead. But the Timbers fought back valiantly and after a Brian Fernandez bicycle-kick goal in the 85th minute that cut the deficit to the eventual 3-2 final score, the added energy of the reborn stadium gave fans the hope that they could push the team forward to add to the list of magical moments that the corner of SW 18th & Morrison St has seen over the years.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2019/06/02/bruce-arena-builds-front-office-staff-as-onalfo-joins-revolution/

Bruce Arena builds front office staff as Onalfo joins Revolution

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article231051773.html

Beckham visits Inter Miami academy, half-jokes he’d love to play again

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/transfer-news/1111563/reports-barcelona-star-receives-big-offer-from-david-beckham-mls-side/

Reports: Barcelona star receives big offer from David Beckham’s MLS side

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.srqmagazine.com/srq-daily/2019-06-04/10810_Sarasota-Bradenton-Scores-Its-First-Soccer-Franchise

Sarasota-Bradenton Scores Its First Soccer Franchise

Sarasota Metropolis FC (Football Club) is the region’s first minor league soccer franchise—one of the 72 teams currently competing in the USL League Two (USL2). The USL2 is unofficially considered to be the fourth tier of professional soccer, behind Major League Soccer, USL Championship and USL League One. Upon being founded January 2019, Metropolis FC conducted extensive research before selecting the Sarasota-Bradenton area. Factors included a strong soccer community of youth clubs, supporter groups and proficient facilities, contributing to a new home at the IMG Academy in Bradenton.

“Once we discovered the soccer community in the area, we decided to include Metropolis in our name because of our commitment to embrace and unify soccer fans in Sarasota and Manatee Counties,” says Victor Young, Club Founder and President. “A ‘metropolis’ was considered the mother city of a vast region in ancient Greece, so we thought it was fitting.” The Blue Dragon mascot was incorporated from legendary myths regarding fire-breathing protectors of said Grecian metropolis. Young has been a business leader in the area for over a decade, and is the co-owner of Lamborghini Sarasota. Determined to find a fun way to give back to the community and “leave a legacy of opportunity and unity, while promoting the sport of soccer in the Sarasota-Manatee Metro,” he used his own money, got a team together and convinced the United Soccer League to franchise Sarasota in League 2.

Tryouts were held through March, after which the team comprised a mix of top local talent and college recruits from around the world who play at D1 university programs. Nearly all have professional ambitions to work in the soccer industry. An individual who knows a little something about playing professionally is Massimo Marazzina, a retired footballer who played as a striker for Italy’s national team. “We felt like we won the lottery when we were able to land Massimo Marazzina, Italian soccer legend, as our Head Coach and Director of Soccer,” Assistant General Manager Jordyn Young says.

The USL2 has been dubbed the “path to pro” in the North American soccer industry, and important stepping-stone for 80% of Major League Soccer players throughout the world. “I’m delighted with how Sarasota Metropolis FC brings together passion for the community as well as sporting ambition," says USL2 Vice President Joel Nash. "We know that this team will give incredible opportunities for the local and regional player, since there is a real talent pool in the area.”

Metropolis’ inaugural game on May 8, had nearly 200 people show up to watch as they defeated the visiting Florida team Weston FC. They will continue to play their 2019 season home games at both Robert Taylor Sports Complex and IMG Academy, in order to serve fans in both counties. Root the Blue Dragons on at the next home game—this Wednesday, June 5 at 7pm, against the Treasure Coast Tritons.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/transfer-news/1111563/reports-barcelona-star-receives-big-offer-from-david-beckham-mls-side/

Reports: Barcelona star receives big offer from David Beckham’s MLS side

The United States of America have become an interesting proposition for football players entering the twilight years of their career. Over the past seasons, several of Europe’s former greats have flown across the Atlantic to see out the remainder of their career. And reports suggest, one Barcelona star has an offer to do the same.

According to Catalunya Radio, David Beckham’s Major League Soccer side Inter Miami has made an offer to Barcelona star Luis Suarez, to join them for their debut campaign. The Miami-based side will officially be a part of the MLS from 2020 and want the Uruguayan to lead them into the season.

Meanwhile, the report further states that the offer presented to Suarez is of four years and is ‘more than interesting’. However, the Barcelona man has declined the proposal at the moment.

Suarez has been with Barcelona since 204, joining them from English club Liverpool. He has since been a key member of the first team and has formed an impressive partnership with Lionel Messi. During his time in Spain, the Uruguayan has won one UEFA Champions League title and four La Liga titles. However, concerns over his age mean that the Blaugrana have started looking for his replacements.

FOX Sports Asia Probability Rating: 2/5; If the player himself is not interested in a move then there is nothing a club can do. However, Suarez might consider the proposition sometime in the future, once Barcelona find a striker suitable to replace him. According to reports, that could happen pretty soon, with the Blaugrana linked with a move for Spain international Rodrigo.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.espn.com/soccer/la-galaxy/story/3867402/fuhgettaboutit-ibra-plays-down-bicycle-kick-goal

Fuhgettaboutit: Ibra plays down bicycle-kick goal

Zlatan Ibrahimovic said his spectacular bicycle-kick goal on Sunday should be forgotten "as soon as possible" after the Galaxy slumped to a 2-1 home defeat against the New England Revolution.

The former Sweden international scored a wonderful goal in the 84th minute at the StubHub Center, when he chested Joe Corona's lifted ball in the box, volleyed back to himself and executed a perfect overhead kick to give the Galaxy their only score of the game.

The goal was his 11th of the season but could not help LA complete a comeback on the night after the Revolution, in Bruce Arena's first match in charge, struck twice within the first hour of the match.

The loss was LA's third straight at home where they have been outscored 5-1 in that span, and Ibrahimovic suggested the poor result meant his remarkable individual effort wasn't worth remembering.

"This one is to forget as soon as possible, even if you score the goal of the year. This one is to forget," he said.

Ibrahimovic was instead more focused on his team's performance on a night in which he said the Galaxy had every opportunity to take home the three points.

"It's very disappointing and very irritating also. It was not a difficult game. I think everybody was underperforming," he said. "When you do that, it's difficult to get the outcome like we want.

"We had a couple of chances and we didn't utilize the chances we had. They got chances and they got goals, not difficult goals to score but they scored. Every game is a new game and today is a completely different game. We were playing at home and I felt that we were dominating in the beginning, but we let them play and come into the game.

"They score a goal and it's difficult because you have to chase all the time. We should have won, no excuses. We should have won today."

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.joe.co.uk/football/david-beckham-suarez-inter-miami-233887

David Beckham makes Luis Suarez offer to join Inter Miami for debut MLS season

This is never going to happen. But then again David Beckham is extremely handsome, so who knows? That can be very persuasive sometimes

Inter Miami, the newest expansion team of the MLS owned by a business consortium headed by David Beckham, is all set to join the league in 2020.

As a result, they have already been eyeing up potential franchise players to kick things off with a bang, with Barcelona striker Luis Suarez reportedly the first to receive a sizeable offer from the club.

Well, you might as well aim high, surely? Even if you are going to end up with Ross McCormack and Shane Long leading the line away at Minnesota United in your very first game.

According to Catalunya Radio, Beckham and his 'Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami', as they like to call themselves, have made an offer to Suarez to try and lure him away from La Liga by the time they enter the league.

It's a four-year contract at a presumably hefty salary, which, given the fact that Suarez will be 33 by the time the deal starts, is "more than interesting".

Unsurprisingly, however, the Uruguayan international has turned it down for the time being. Whether that could all change by January of next season, with Barcelona rumoured to be looking to a sign a new long-term number 9 this summer or next, remains to be seen.

It certainly wouldn't be a bad decision to go and see out his career in sunny Florida, whilst also desperately trying to stop himself from biting random passers-by on the world-class beaches of Miami, that's for sure.

And given that Zlatan Ibrahimovic, currently at LA Galaxy, Beckham's former team, is still doing things like this, it can't be that bad. Bradley Wright-Phillips has scored 107 goals over there. Bradley Wright-Phillips! The not very good one of the Wright-Phillips brothers!

Although they do still call a clean sheet a 'shutout'. They need to stop doing that. Have a word please, Becks. That just can't continue.