Many obstacles stand in the way of Tampa Bay Rays making Montreal their part-time baseball home

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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/article-many-obstacles-stand-in-the-way-of-tampa-bay-rays-making-montreal/

Many obstacles stand in the way of Tampa Bay Rays making Montreal their part-time baseball home

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https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2019/08/03/kriseman-confirmes-tampa-bay-rays-didnt-ask-for-permission-to-explore-montreal-idea/

Kriseman confirms Tampa Bay Rays didn’t make a “formal request” to explore Montreal idea

But the mayor did say the team “asked to explore the Montreal concept.” Just not formally.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman enters City Hall ahead of a meeting with Tampa Bay Rays principle owner Stu Sternberg on July 23. It was their first meeting since Sternberg announced his intent to explore the idea of splitting the season with Montreal. [JOSH SOLOMON | Times]

ST. PETERSBURG — Mayor Rick Kriseman last week confirmed what Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg already said: the Rays didn’t ask for “formal” permission from Kriseman to explore their...

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http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/a-longer-shifted-runway-at-albert-whitted-is-worth-studying-editorial-20190802/

A longer, shifted runway at Albert Whitted is worth studying | Editorial

St. Petersburg is a changed city. A master plan for Albert Whitted should let the airport plot a future that dovetails with the city’s evolution.

By shifting Albert Whitted’s main runway to the east, the protection zone could be moved onto airport property and off of USF St. Petersburg. That could allow buildings now just one or two stories tall to be replaced by three- to 10-story buildings. This rendering shows how a shifted -- and longer -- runway might look if it extended out into Tampa Bay. (Rendering via GAI Consultants)

Downtown St. Petersburg has changed radically in the 16 years...

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https://www.tampabay.com/business/dozens-of-vehicles-possibly-damaged-or-ruined-as-valet-garage-of-st-petes-vinoy-hotel-floods-20190802/

Video: Vinoy hotel valet garage floods, possibly damaging dozens of vehicles

Torrential rain and high tide left hotel guests with an unpleasant surprise Friday. One guest said the water reached the windows of her Cadillac sedan. Hotel and parking officials aren’t talking about what happened.

ST. PETERSBURG — Torrential rains combined with high tide...

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https://therealdeal.com/miami/2019/08/04/miami-developer-dan-kodsi-plans-large-st-petersburg-project-that-could-cost-2b/

Miami developer Dan Kodsi plans large St. Petersburg project that could cost $2B

Dan Kodsi and a rendering of Paramount Miami Worldcenter

A company led by Miami developer Dan Kodsi is planning a major residential development just south of downtown St. Petersburg that could cost $2 billion, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Kodsi  leads Miami-based Royal Palm Companies, which one year ago began approaching property owners in an area spanning about 50 acres to solicit their interest in selling.

The Times also reported that executives of Royal Palm  did not respond to requests for comment.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/clx3jm/rowdies_dont_seem_to_be_the_subject_of_much/

Rowdies don't seem to be the subject of much discussion outside of this sub.

For the life of me I don't understand how our utter domination and form is not the talk of the general USL sub to some degree. No one seems to be talking about us or our players. Just seems strange. Not even haters.

honestly, I kinda like it that way. Let everyone else talk about dollar beer nights, deep open cup runs, inevitable MLS assimilation, llamas, etc. and we'll just hang out over here on the waterfront winning game after game

*sip

While that’s going on; I went to international mall yesterday and the amount of Bucs marketing is ridiculous and the season hasn’t started yet.

The official Rowdies online store has been down all season. They need to sort that out as I'm sure alot of fans would use it with the success of the team this season...

Hey, RumblesUbambaa, just a quick heads-up:
alot is actually spelled a lot. You can remember it by it is one lot, 'a lot'.
Have a nice day!

The online store isn’t a problem (I feel bad for the international fans though) it’s just getting the name out in the public like the ads at international mall.

As an international fan myself it is a problem and there are also plenty of fans who live outside of Florida who would use the store. However they do now have a few items on sale and are included in a promotional video at the Tampa airport so some effort has been made.

Thank you. It absolutely matters to those of us who live outside Florida. It’s a big problem. We want to support this club financially. This is our biggest way to do that. And frankly it’s embarrassing when my cousin in New York who I converted to a Rowdies fan this year calls the team store to order something because the online store is nonexistent and they tell him they’re not taking orders over the phone. I’ve asked about the online store a couple times and it doesn’t seem like anyone has any idea when it will be up. Hopefully they’ve made progress since I last asked.

There is a 'supporters summit' apparently being held in the locker room of Al Lang coming up soon. It will be brought up, along with other issues as well.

Hopefully the answer is better than “we don’t know. it’s out of our hands. It’s been contracted out to a third party.” That’s basically what I got.

I empathize with your situation. One would think with the Rays ownership coming in the merchandising would get more professional, not regress...

Well, their preseason does start this week and regular season kicks off in a month. It makes sense.

I would at least like to see something in return; we are in the playoffs spot (knocking on wood furiously) while the other team continues to fumble it year after year.

I hear you. Personally, I think I’d rather see more targeted digital advertising. More bang for your buck, IMO.

That depends so much on digital cookies and data gathering though it doesn’t work if no one is looking up the name in the first place without seeing the name in person.

there are Rowdies shirts at Walmarts now! :-D

I seen the pictures online just not in person yet lol. Still good to know :)

I’ve noticed this too. My feeling is the Rowdies have been dominant in terms of results, but not so much in terms of performances. Apart from a few exceptions, they haven’t blown many teams away. They’ve just gotten the job done. There is a handful of teams who have scored more goals than the Rowdies. After starting with a ton of clean sheets, they failed to secure one for two months and have now been surpassed by Phoenix in that category. They also don’t have one player standing out like Phoenix does with Asante in the Golden Boot race. The team is the star.

Asante is sick. Kid is what, 5 foot 2?! Or something crazy like that

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/clzkit/charelston_highlights/

Charelston Highlights???

No highlights posted on Rowides and USL's YouTube accounts? The rest of the leagues matches are there. What gives? Would love to see some of that 5 goal action. Especially by Lucky in the 1' and 4' minutes.

They had posted on Twitter that it might be a bit to post highlights, cause the feed went down or something.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/clx0je/the_bench_volume_4_issue_5_the_unused_substitutes/

THE BENCH Volume 4 Issue 5 – The Unused Substitutes (OC)

We've got a interview with Juan Tejada about his debut for Panama's U23s in this issue.

Great issue, and I very much appreciate seeing all the record stuff... I figured it was Seba and Leo that would be the next closest to hitting 100 caps, but looks like it's going to be some time yet before we get to make a new tifo for that!

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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2019/08/04/the-bench-volume-4-issue-5/4497

THE BENCH Volume 4 Issue 5

Posted on August 4, 2019 Author Matthew Cox

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/clqge4/ralphs_mob_and_skyway_casuals_away_to_charleston/

Ralph's Mob and Skyway Casuals away to Charleston for last visit to their historic grounds!

A “Don’t Tear it Down” chant started up near the end of the match...was very cool. Then we sang it with the Regiment at the end of the match. Awesome moment.

Really sore about not making this one..

yeeeeaaaap.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/cm2w3b/j_kings_corner_week_22_chs_v_tbr_05/

J King's Corner (Week 22) CHS v TBR 0-5

Rowdies on a Roll- I could barely believe my eyes when I flipped on the Rowdies game last night and the ball was already in the back of the net. Before I could catch my bearings Mkosana was #2. I don't think the loss last week was a huge set back for the team, but rather a reminder that there are two eastern teams that are going to be hell to face in the playoffs. Baby Bulls and Indy Eleven. Most other teams look like they're fighting for survival, fighting for draws when they clash with the Rowdies.

Out of Batteries- Charleston has typically given the Rowdies fits in the past by playing physical and being a nuisance in the midfield. For whatever reason, the Battery's defense was abysmal. When the Battery had possession deep in Rowdies territory they had moments where they strung together some passes and put crosses into the box but absolutely nothing was really on or dangerous for them. There was a solid 20 minutes in the first half where it seemed like they might recover but then their keeper lets the Johnson corner slip right through his hands and that was all she wrote.

Has Poku reclaimed elite staus- I know this is USL competition for Poku but just last year he was struggling to dribble the ball. One offseason and a team and culture change and all of the sudden he's arguably in MLS form playing against USL competition. Poku's passing through the middle of the park is sublime. The Rowdies tweeted out one of his classy moments where he touched a ball out past one defender, sped right around another and played a through ball on the money to Guenzatti's feet. I've been watching Poku play like this in all of his minutes this season. One of the big changes was that Poku was moved back in central midfield where last season he was an attacking midfielder. At his current ability he could play either role well but he's a better fit further back where he can dribble past one or two defenders and play passes forward that stretch the defense.

Poku is arguably the best player in the best form on the Rowdies. A lot of offensive burden was on playing the ball through Fernandes, and that still happens a fair bit, but the addition of Johnson on the other wing now opens up two wings for the Rowdies to play through. Poku is the conduit in the middle.

Tinari back, Steinberger has a night- The centre mid spot becomes congested again with a healthy Tinari ready to go. Steinberger struggled against Baby Bulls and was back in form with a goal and two assists in Charleston. The second assist was more ceremony than it was Steinberger playing a pass to Lucky. His first assist came from good defense and a pretty simple feed but still, he put the pass right where it needed to be. His goal was also fairly simple as Johnson put a ball right at his feet in the box and Steinberger put a quality strike on it. Nonetheless, it was a high energy night for Steinberger who, like Guenzatti, is one of the better work rate guys on the defensive end. If Tinari is healthy I'd expect to seem him back in the centre attacking mid role before long but Steinberger remains a good option especially against mid-table teams.

Laundry is done- Finally a clean sheet is back in the Rowdies favor after the defense had a quiet night which was exactly what was needed with no Diakite. Doherty especially can be a quiet presence in defensive midfield which is pretty amazing since he's an 18-year old. He doesn't force anything. Kone was also quiet while Morad had a good bounce-back game and Richards gets better every week.

McCarthy- Any update on him. Injury report? Adam Schefter got anything?

Player Value update- Oh yeah, I still track player value every game and I have the data for the last two weeks, I just need to add it all. Planning to do that in the middle of this week. Work has been crazy. The Baby Bulls game might be the first team negative game, it'll be close.

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https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/49189011

Inter Miami: David Beckham MLS franchise expect to sign English players

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2019/08/01/adding-to-his-legacy-nine-years-later-diosa-still-making-an-impact-for-the-cosmos/

ADDING TO HIS LEGACY: Nine years later, Diosa still making an impact for the Cosmos

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https://www.narcity.com/sports/us/fl/miami/david-beckham-inter-miami-team-hints-at-new-coach

Jorge Mas And David Beckham Give Clues On Who Inter Miami's First Coach Will Be

Inter Miami is keeping busy ahead of its debut season

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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2019/08/02/executive-privilege-county-exec-curran-visits-cosmos-a-day-before-final/

EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE: County Exec Curran visits Cosmos a day before final

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https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1038652

Player of the Month Nominees – July

A BUSY MONTH OF ACTION BROUGHT SOME STANDOUT PERFORMERS, WHICH ONE GETS YOUR VOTE?

Sebastian Guenzatti, Tampa Bay Rowdies – Guenzatti recorded three goals, two assists, six shots on target and six key passes to help keep the Rowdies at the top of the Eastern Conference.

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https://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/17810247.tributes-paid-popular-footballer-michael-balson/

Tributes paid to popular footballer Michael Balson

In 1986-87, Mike played his final season as a professional for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, capping off a playing career stretching 25 years.

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https://rbnn.us/2019/08/02/john-tolkin-is-the-future-now/

RB ACADEMY

John Tolkin: Is the future now?

“We know that he’s got some special talents, and there was a reason why he he’s with us,” said Wolyniec ahead of a match with the first place Tampa Bay Rowdies. “And there’s a reason why he ends up on the field. He’s got abilities, and now it’s just kind of measuring those abilities and where they are right now, and how they fit in with us.”

Tolkin earned another start right away in a big time matchup against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Rowdies entered the match in first place, and soundly defeated NYRBII at home earlier this season. Despite Wolyniec stating before the match that he is not a guy that’s gonna show up on the stat sheet every week, Tolkin did just that. Reading a Mathias Jorgenson run perfectly, he slipped in a perfectly measured pass, recording his 3rd assist in 4 games.

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https://www.wfla.com/news/rowdies-forward-nominated-for-usl-championship-player-of-the-month/

Rowdies forward nominated for USL Championship player of the month

Swope Park Rangers defender Mark Segbers(43) and Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Sebastian Guenzatti(13) battle for the ball during a USL soccer game, Sunday, May 26, 2019, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rowdies defeated the Rangers 1-0. (Kim Hukari/Image of Sport via AP)

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Sebastian Guenzatti is nominated for the USL Championship Player of the Month for the month of July. Voting is open on the league website through 12:00 pm on Monday  August 5th.

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https://www.al.com/sports/2019/08/birmingham-legion-fc-plays-scoreless-draw-at-ottawa.html

Birmingham Legion FC plays scoreless draw at Ottawa

Birmingham plays again on the road next week against the conference-leading Tampa Bay Rowdies at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10.

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https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/articles/2019/8/1/could-soccer-be-sarasota-s-next-great-investment

Could Soccer Be Sarasota’s Next Great Investment?

According to a 2018 Gallup poll, soccer is expected to overtake baseball in spectator popularity and become the third most-watched sport in America.