What the hell is Soccer United Marketing?

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https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2018/2/8/16973944/soccer-united-marketing-sum-us-soccer-presidential-election-kathy-carter

What the hell is Soccer United Marketing?

U.S. Soccer sells its TV and sponsorship rights to a sports marketing company run by MLS owners. Here’s why that matters and how it affects the presidential election.

SUM is why MLS can charge a $150 million expansion fee

After paying a $150 million expansion fee, spending somewhere in the nine figures on a stadium and other facilities, and paying staff for multiple years before a team gets on the field, an MLS owner will be left with a team seemingly worth less than what was spent to get it off the ground. On top of that, most MLS teams report losing money year over year.

So why buy in? There’s a strong argument that it’s to get an equity stake in SUM, something currently much more valuable than an MLS team itself. Here’s an excerpt from a Forbes piece on MLS team valuations regarding SUM’s rapid growth:

Providence bought a 25% stake of SUM in 2012 for $150 million, valuing the property at $600 million. The recent sale of Providence’s remaining 20% stake – its holding had been diluted by the league’s expansion – was for a little over $400 million, valuing SUM at more than $2 billion, or a nearly 250% increase over the last five years.

In addition to U.S. Soccer and MLS, SUM also holds the marketing rights to the Mexico men’s national team games in the United States and the Gold Cup. It bought the rights to market the 2016 Copa America Centenario, which proved to be an enormous success. The company does not have a public listing of all its partners — such a list used to exist on SUMWorld.com, but that site now redirects to a general “advertising with MLS” page.

Even if MLS’s growth stagnates considerably and it never catches up to the more established American leagues in revenue, it’s clear that soccer as a whole is still growing in popularity. When you add up everything — men’s and women’s; youth, college and adult; club and international; TV viewership for domestic soccer, international tournaments, European leagues, South American leagues and Liga MX — soccer as a whole is a massive mainstream sport in the United States. MLS is only a small part of that, but its owners have figured out how to make money off a soccer audience who never engages with its core-owned-and-operated product.

A $150 million expansion fee for an MLS team is a bad deal, but a $150 million fee for an MLS team and an equity stake in SUM, one could argue, is a bargain.

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http://www.wtsp.com/article/sports/mlb/rays/rays-to-pursue-ybor-city-relocation/67-516225540

Rays to pursue Ybor City relocation

The Tampa Bay Rays will announce Ybor City as their preferred relocation site at a Friday afternoon press conference, opening the door for negotiations regarding financial subsidies.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7waae6/ybor_rays_team_ready_to_announce_tampa_ballpark/

Ybor Rays? Team ready to announce Tampa ballpark site, Hagan says (expected Friday) (tampabay.com)

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http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/Ybor-Rays-Team-ready-to-announce-Tampa-ballpark-site-Hagan-says_165299825

Ybor Rays? Team ready to announce Tampa ballpark site, Hagan says

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https://kxan.com/2018/02/08/major-league-soccer-announcement-expected-friday/

Major League Soccer announcement expected Friday

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An announcement concerning Major League Soccer in Austin is slated for Friday, according to the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Business and community leaders, as well as Precourt Sports Ventures President Dave Greeley (which owns the Columbus Crew SC), are expected to attend and “discuss the benefits of bringing Major League Soccer to Austin,” according to a release.

The city is in the midst of outlining appropriate sites to put an MLS stadium, one of the requirements for Precourt Sports Ventures to bring its team to a new city. Neighbors and some city council members are pushing to keep parkland like Guerrero Metro Park off the list, and while Butler Shores was originally highlighted by Precourt as a “perfect” location, it has since said it will not build a stadium there. Currently, that leaves 10414 McKalla Place near the Domain as a possible location.

The City Council was originally slated to discuss the stadium options at its Feb. 15 meeting, but will likely postpone the discussion to give the Austin Parks and Recreation Department more time to research other site options.

The announcement will happen at 9 a.m. and KXAN will stream it online and in the KXAN News app.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7w7z6k/how_do_you_have_your_rowdies_lineup_stacking_up/

How do you have your Rowdies lineup stacking up? (i.redd.it)

https://i.redd.it/6hau8tupw1f01.jpg

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7w7eub/rowdies_readying_for_first_preseason_test/

Rowdies Readying For First Preseason Test (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/884809?referrer_id=2824806

Rowdies Readying For First Preseason Test

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7w5hhl/rowdies_add_2017_nasl_young_player_of_the_year/

Rowdies Add 2017 NASL Young Player of the Year Jack Blake to Roster (On Loan from Jacksonville) (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/884679

Rowdies Add 2017 NASL Young Player of the Year Jack Blake to Roster

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7w6a99/kyle_porter_moving_back_to_rejoin_ottawa_fury_fc/

Kyle Porter moving back to rejoin Ottawa Fury FC (ottawafuryfc.com)

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http://www.ottawafuryfc.com/news_article/show/884718?referrer_id=2824815

Portilla, Porter officially join Fury FC ahead of 2018 season

Porter continued to navigate his pro career in North American featuring in over 125 matches split between FC Edmonton, D.C. United, Richmond Kickers, Atlanta Silverbacks, Ottawa Fury FC and most recently with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He has also featured in youth and senior competitions with Canada, including U-17 and U-20 CONCACAF Championships, and the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

“Kyle brings valuable experience in NASL and USL and he’s not here just to be a squad player,” said de Guzman. “We feel he has the ability to be in our starting eleven, whether it’s at right back or on the wing. He’s hungry and definitely ready to prove himself.”

“It feels like I had unfinished business,” said Porter of his return to Ottawa. “I’m an ambitious player and this is an ambitious club - I want to be here!”

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/884689?referrer_id=2364194-news-archive

Rowdies Bring Blake Aboard

Young standout arrives on season-long loan from Armada

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https://www.news4jax.com/sports/armada-sending-jack-blake-on-season-long-loan-to-tampa-bay-rowdies

Armada sending Jack Blake on season-long loan to Tampa Bay Rowdies

23-year-old led Jacksonville with nine goals in 2017

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https://socceramerica.com/publications/article/76708/usl-coaching-moves-rowdies-assistant-voss-replace.html

Rowdies assistant Voss replaces Becker at Penn FC

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http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/soccer/mls/ottawa-fury-fc/fury-fc-adds-trial-players-portilla-and-porter/wcm/0771a204-f243-4caa-8b09-29646efb3fd7

Fury FC adds players Cristian Portilla and Kyle Porter

Porter’s pro career continued in North America, with more than 125 matches split between FC Edmonton, D.C. United, Richmond Kickers, Atlanta Silverbacks, Fury FC in 2016 and most recently with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

“Kyle brings valuable experience in NASL and USL and he’s not here just to be a squad player,” de Guzman said. “We feel he has the ability to be in our starting 11, whether it’s at right back or on the wing. He’s hungry and definitely ready to prove himself.”

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https://www.thecowl.com/sports/beckham-to-create-new-mls-team

Beckham to Create New MLS Team

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https://www.courthousenews.com/us-soccer-under-fire-from-desanctioned-minor-league/

US Soccer Under Fire From Desanctioned Minor League

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https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/76696/despite-uncertainty-jacksonville-armada-signs-fou.html

Despite uncertainty, Jacksonville Armada signs four players for 2018

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https://www.news4jax.com/sports/armada-announce-return-of-4-veterans-for-2018

Armada announces return of 4 veterans for 2018

Team will play in NPSL in spring

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https://www.epluribusloonum.com/2018/2/8/16988242/closed-how-the-united-states-soccer-federation-needs-to-help-amateur-clubs-ussf-election-2018

CLOSED: How the United States Soccer Federation Needs to Help Amateur Clubs

The upcoming presidential election provides an opportunity for conversations to be had and for change to happen.

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http://www.espn.com/soccer/club/united-states/660/blog/post/3375552/inside-the-drama-of-the-us-soccer-presidential-election

Behind the scenes of the U.S. Soccer election

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https://playingfor90.com/2018/02/08/nasl-sues-us-soccer-losing-division-ii-status/

NASL sues US Soccer again after losing Division II status

The NASL filed another lawsuit against US Soccer this week. The league alleges that US Soccer explicitly acted to protect MLS and Soccer United Marketing.

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http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3376428/cincinnati-area-officials-pressure-mls-on-expansion-team-decision

Cincinnati area officials pressure MLS on expansion team decision

Ohio county officials are putting pressure on Major League Soccer to decide whether FC Cincinnati will join the league.

Hamilton County commissioners voted on Wednesday to renew an agreement to pay for a 1,000-car garage at the team's future stadium through Feb. 28.

The board's original agreement expired Dec. 31. The agreement was extended at the request of FC Cincinnati, which says it expects to hear from the league before March.

MLS previously said it would name two cities for expansion teams by the end of 2017. It selected Nashville to take the 25th spot in December, then pushed the decision on the next spot -- between finalists Cincinnati, Sacramento and Detroit -- into the new year.

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https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/02/08/us-soccer-president-election-orlando-votes-candidates

U.S. Soccer's Election Process Has Featured Everything–Except Any Certainty

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https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/nashvillesc/2018/02/08/nashville-sc-vs-atlanta-united-fc-what-know-inaugural-game/315960002/

Nashville SC vs. Atlanta United FC: What to know about the inaugural game

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/884768?referrer_id=2364194-news-archive

Veteran Broadcast Executive Brad Baker Joins USL

Baker brings MLS and NFL experience to USL Productions

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https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/02/08/nasl-us-soccer-board-directors-lawsuit-election

How NASL's New Lawsuit vs. U.S. Soccer Compares, Contrasts to Federal One

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https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2018/02/08/ua-system-trustees-to-consider-potential-lease.html

UA System trustees to consider potential lease with USL’s Birmingham Legion FC

The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees is considering a potential lease with Birmingham's new USL franchise.

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http://cincinnatisoccertalk.com/2018/02/08/fc-cincinnati-receives-praise-at-us-soccer-annual-meetings

FC Cincinnati Receives Praise at US Soccer Annual Meetings

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https://ghanasoccernet.com/las-vegas-lights-new-kit-brings-the-glitz

Las Vegas Lights' new kit brings the glitz

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https://socceramerica.com/publications/article/76710/usl-moves-nasl-young-player-of-the-year-blake-joi.html

USL Moves: NASL Young Player of the Year Blake joins Rowdies on loan

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http://ottawasun.com/sports/soccer/mls/ottawa-fury-fc/fury-fc-adds-trial-players-portilla-and-porter

Fury FC adds players Cristian Portilla and Kyle Porter

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http://www.gwinnettprepsports.com/sportsxchange/jeter-marlins-moves-are-for-betterment-of-team/article_06b4029a-319c-5111-9bbb-a37745b264e1.html

Jeter: Marlins' moves are for betterment of team

According to Jeter, the Marlins' status is even more dire than that of the expansion Major League Soccer team that David Beckham is bringing to Miami. Asked whether Beckham's club or the Marlins would win a championship first, Jeter replied, "We're starting from a deeper hole than he is. We'll see what happens."

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http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/uncle-luke-gentrification-is-coming-for-miamis-black-residents-10064162

As Developers Target Miami's Poorest Neighborhoods, Minorities Get Kicked Out

6. Then they announce a big-ass project that they claim will be an economic catalyst for the neighborhood. Case in point: David Beckham's proposed Major League Soccer stadium in Overtown. Even though the residents don't want the stadium because it will bring congestion and hordes of people who don't patronize local businesses, the project gets rammed down their throats.

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https://nesn.com/2018/02/marlins-co-owner-derek-jeter-depressingly-describes-current-state-of-franchise/

Marlins Co-Owner Derek Jeter Depressingly Describes Current State Of Franchise

Of course, Jeter really has no one to blame but himself in many ways for this fiasco. The club visibly has no direction and has gotten mostly poor returns for the trades of some of their biggest stars.

Furthermore, to admit that your team is in an even worse hole than a team that doesn’t even have stadium plans confirmed yet not only is wildly irresponsible, but a pretty big slap in the face to the fanbase.

The question now becomes: Is Jeter still with the Marlins by the time the David Beckham-led Miami MLS franchise begins play?

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http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/article199233744.html

Dwyane Wade is coming back — game on!

The Miami Heat’s announcement Thursday that it had acquired Wade from the Cleveland Cavaliers is the umpteenth big local sports story in recent months. It follows the resurrection of Miami Hurricanes football, the sale of the Miami Marlins, the arrival of former New York Yankees great Derek Jeter and David Beckham finally — finally — securing a site to build a stadium for his Major League Soccer team.

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https://sports.yahoo.com/u-s-soccers-2018-election-nears-last-contested-election-provides-stark-contrast-122602671.html

As U.S. Soccer's 2018 election nears, its last contested election provides stark contrast

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https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Ohio-officials-pressure-MLS-to-decide-on-FC-12561279.php

Ohio officials pressure MLS to decide on FC Cincinnati

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http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/van-der-wiel-professionalism-in-mls-ten-years-ahead-of/qfrnotp9un68162wj5eirf2lg

Van der Wiel: Professionalism in MLS ‘10 years ahead’ of Europe

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https://www.kawowo.com/2018/02/08/basena-kajoba-set-coaching-lessons-mls-side-new-york-red-bulls/

Basena, Kajoba set for coaching lessons at MLS side New York Red Bulls

Ugandan coaches Moses Basena and Fred Kajoba will travel to USA to link up with Ibrahim Sekagya for a short coaching stint at Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls.

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https://playingfor90.com/2018/02/08/nasl-sues-us-soccer-losing-division-ii-status/

NASL sues US Soccer again after losing Division II status

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https://www.10tv.com/article/ohio-officials-pressure-mls-decide-fc-cincinnati

Ohio officials pressure MLS to decide on FC Cincinnati

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http://hawaiipublicradio.org/post/soccer-pros-fill-aloha-stadium-excitement-will-it-last

Soccer Pros Fill Aloha Stadium with Excitement, but Will It Last?

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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2018/02/08/why-deadline-mls-hamilton-county-wouldnt-matter/320359002/

Why a deadline for MLS in Hamilton County wouldn't matter

Futbol Club Cincinnati President Jeff Berding is calling for patience with the Major League Soccer expansion process, but what capacity for patience remains after a nearly two-month-long delay in the league announcing a second expansion franchise?...

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http://www.kvue.com/sports/austin-chamber-of-commerce-to-make-mls-announcement-friday/516195888

Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce to make MLS announcement Friday

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https://www.prosoccerusa.com/expansion/ohio-officials-pressure-mls-make-decision-fc-cincinnati/

Ohio officials pressure MLS to make decision on FC Cincinnati

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http://www.statesman.com/sports/austin-chamber-urges-city-leaders-help-bring-mls-austin/1XqScGUP8spVKJw9l2xaSO/

Austin Chamber urges city leaders to help bring MLS to Austin

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http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/greater-austin-chamber-of-commerce-to-make-mls-announcement

Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce to make MLS announcement

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http://www.news-herald.com/article/HR/20180208/SPORTS/180209495

Ohio officials pressure MLS to decide on FC Cincinnati

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http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/new-york-city-fc-move-to-paperless-ticketing-under-stubhub-tie-up

New York City FC move to paperless ticketing under StubHub tie-up

Ebay-owned platform becomes MLS club's official ticket resale marketplace.

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http://www.thecourierexpress.com/sports/national/bc-us--soccer-ohio-st-ld-writethru-us/article_18a8a5f7-47d7-5804-a8e2-333fce5d1290.html

BC-US--Soccer-Ohio,1st Ld-Writethru, US

BC-US--Soccer-Ohio, 1st Ld-Writethru,129

Ohio officials pressure MLS to decide on FC Cincinnati

Eds: APNewsNow. Minor edits.

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http://www.espn.com/soccer/club/united-states/660/blog/post/3375552/inside-the-drama-of-the-us-soccer-presidential-election

Behind the scenes of the U.S. Soccer election

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https://sports.yahoo.com/still-no-idea-will-happen-saturdays-u-s-soccer-presidential-election-125905146.html

We still have no idea what will happen in Saturday's U.S. Soccer presidential election

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018/02/08/kick-can-katai-re-ignite-fire-neville-reportedly-could-coach-miami

Kick Off: Can Katai re-ignite Fire? | Neville reportedly could coach Miami

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http://www.sportstarlive.com/football/us-soccer-to-choose-new-president-after-world-cup-debacle/article22700482.ece

US soccer to choose new president after World Cup debacle

The USSF president stepped down in the aftermath of USA's failure to qualify for Russia 2018.

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/884906?referrer_id=2364194

Porter Returns for Second Stint with Fury FC

Watson reunited with Rennie after signing with Indy

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http://www.fox13news.com/sports/rays/commissioner-rays-choose-ybor-site-for-stadium

Buckhorn vows to make 'best deal' for Rays, taxpayers

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Commissioner Ken Hagan surprised the Rays, fellow commissioners, and the cities of St. Pete and Tampa by announcing Thursday what the team hoped to say on Friday.

"Stu Sternberg, the principal owner of the Rays, will (at) the press conference," said Hagan. "He is expected to state for the first time publicly that Ybor City is the team's preferred site."

Hagan also detailed for the first time how the team plans to raise a big portion of the projected $800 million for the stadium.

He says the push for corporate cash will be spearheaded by Tampa business bigwigs Charlie Sykes and Ron Christaldi.

"Unfortunately in St. Pete. ticket sales and corporate support has lagged through the years," said Hagan. "It is important that we show significant improvement in ticket sales and corporate sponsorships and community support."

Discussion of public funding sources, like special tourism districts or surcharges on travelers has been widespread.

The Tampa mayor is wary of the potential cost to taxpayers and took exception to Commissioner Hagan's leak ahead of Friday's press conference.

He said it was not productive in fostering cooperation or trust.

"It is bush league. It's not surprising. It's typical," said Buckhorn. "For me, it is always the long-term goal I care about. I can live with the minor league politicians. I am focused on whether this deal makes sense."

On his side of the bay, St. Pete mayor Rick Kriseman told city councilors that they should prepare to redevelop the Trop site without a stadium, but also that the Rays could still strike out in Tampa and come back to St. Pete.

"The easy part is picking a site," said Kriseman. "Now is when the real work begins.

It was last October when Hagan made a surprise announcement about a group of property owners who agreed to pool resources on a 14-acre site not far from the Port of Tampa.  The proposed site is bounded by Channelside Drive on the west, 4th Avenue on the north, 15th Street on the east, and Adamo Drive on the south.

It’s within the Channelside-Ybor corridor rumored to be a favorite of the team and Tampa civic leaders, and not far from Water Street Tampa, a planned overhaul of Channelside being directed by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinick.

But last fall’s announcement appeared to catch the team and even the mayor off guard.

FOX 13’s Kevin O’Donnell was the first to report Thursday that Hagan would announce support from a corporate coalition on Friday. Hagan also expects Rays owner Stuart Sternberg to officially announce their support of the Ybor site.

But until the team is satisfied with strong support from corporations for season tickets, they likely won't move ahead with discussing how to pay for the stadium.

“Financing still remains a major obstacle,” O’Donnell noted. “But agreeing to a location and building a corporate coalition was a key step in moving forward with plans to move the Rays to Tampa.”

The team’s lease with the city of St. Petersburg ties them to Tropicana Field until 2027, but St. Pete did agree to a potential buyout option in 2016.  That buyout would be as high as $24-million if the Rays left the county, with reduced amounts if they stayed in St. Pete.

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http://www.firstpost.com/sports/united-states-soccer-federation-to-vote-for-new-president-months-after-failure-to-qualify-for-2018-fifa-world-cup-4343009.html

United States Soccer Federation to vote for new president months after failure to qualify for 2018 FIFA World Cup

Open Letter: February 6, 2018

Open Letter: February 6, 2018 

February 6^th, 2018

Hello all; this is another quick open letter as part of my campaign to get the Tampa Bay Rowdies into MLS. As will be clear below, I am just mailing this to the owners of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Columbus Crew, Miami Beckham United, and MLS executives.

Below in bold is just a blog post which I typed out the other day, digesting the latest MLS news, and expressing my general frustration with the lack of news coming out of the Tampa Bay Rowdies currently, on the #MLS2StPete front.

So, don’t take this too seriously, but enjoy it (or not) in the spirit which engendered it – i.e., mid-winter’s blues, and lack of news.

Also, I would like to take a moment to congratulate David Beckham and the other owners of the Miami Beckham United project, for their recent announcement. I hope the letters that I have been sending did not annoy you all too much (if they were even noticed); my purpose wasn’t to steal Miami’s team from you but rather make more people aware of the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

My own suggestion for the new team name would be AFC Miami. As many of you no doubt know, AFC stands for Association Football Club, a name that was commonly used by British soccer clubs to distinguish themselves from clubs in the same city that played other codes of football (i.e., Rugby Football Clubs or RFC); Association Football being the official name for the sport (from the original Football Association established in 1863). Soccer itself is just a nickname derived from the abbreviation for Association: Assoc.

Fans of AFC Wimbledon in England have also suggested that the AFC abbreviation could stand for “A Fan’s Club”, which in their case, would be an appropriate name, if you read up on the history of that club, and how it came to be.  

“AFC Miami” also has the advantage that it scans very well if you break the syllables down into a chant, which is what the fans will inevitably try to do. It just works: “Ay-Eff-See-My-Am-Eee”. Try it for yourself. I think you will agree that it just works. 

Musical chairs; or the great MLS SSS NIMBY relocation/expansion swap meet, flea market, fish fry, bbq, gossip roundup & sewing circle. 

https://supportyourlocalfootballclub.blogspot.com/2018/02/musical-chairs-or-great-mls-sss-nimby.html

So, I have been watching the MLS expansion/relocation circus and letting my imagination run riot.

Beckham's Miami MLS team has been announced, but the local opposition to the Overtown stadium still hasn't been dealt with. Interesting to see how that works itself out.

FC Cincinnati is still working on their stadium situation. "Councilman Mann: Neighborhoods must have a say in FC stadium site" (see link below); so this situation could go on for a while and delay FC Cincinnati's move to MLS, which gives the Rowdies an opening.

MLS still wants Sacramento to get more and/or bigger investors, which also gives the Rowdies an opening.

MLS obviously does not like Detroit's idea to play in a concrete domed NFL stadium, instead of an open air soccer specific stadium (SSS), which gives the Rowdies an opening.

The Columbus to Austin proposed move puts San Antonio on hold, which gives the Rowdies an opening.

Finally, as shown in news links below, there's lots of local opposition in Austin to an MLS stadium, so, that potentially scuttles or delays Anthony Precourt's plans to move the Columbus Crew to Austin, Texas. That could also potentially give the Rowdies an opening in their MLS bid, if Bill Edwards plays his cards right and things fall together in a particular way (I'm wildly speculating, below, here, but hear me out).

I haven't commented much on the Columbus to Austin situation, as although I hate it, I did not want it to muddy the waters of my main project here, which is getting the Rowdies into MLS, i.e., #MLS2StPete #MLS2TampaBay #Rowdies2MLS ... but now is a good moment to comment: #SaveTheCrew ... 

MLS has used American and Canadian soccer supporter culture to grow its brand; it has implied that soccer is indeed different from other North American professional sports; but this business of letting Anthony Precourt buy the Crew with the intention to move them to Austin, ruins that narrative.

If MLS wants long term growth and support, it can't move teams on a whim like this. NFL can get away with this, but MLS can't. It is very short-sighted.

Now, if the move to Austin falls through, Anthony Precourt has also potentially upset the situation for himself in Columbus, if not also undermined the situation for the Crew in Columbus as well.

What would happen if the Columbus to Austin move does not happen? Would Anthony Precourt want to sell his shares of the Crew to remove himself from a bad situation in Columbus?

Some of the guys on The Unused Substitutes podcast (IIRC - or maybe I read it on reddit or somewhere else, and my memory is playing tricks on me; that is what happens when one listens to podcasts and browses the internet at the same time; in any case...) joked about Anthony Precourt moving the Crew to St. Petersburg and rebranding them as the Tampa Bay Rowdies (i.e. either partner with or buy out Bill Edwards).

As they were quick to add, and I agree, that would be bad. We want the Tampa Bay Rowdies in MLS, but we don't want to steal someone else's team to make it happen. To reiterate: #SaveTheCrew ... 

There is another option that occurs to me: Anthony Precourt sells his shares of the Columbus Crew to local Columbus and/or other investors, and uses that money for an expansion fee for a new MLS team somewhere else, i.e., in the Tampa Bay Area, so that he buys into Bill Edwards' #MLS2StPete ownership group and takes the Tampa Bay Rowdies to MLS.

Now, Anthony Precourt is an oil guy and probably he would prefer an MLS team in Texas, if this idea were possible he could also buy into the San Antonio FC ownership group and take them to MLS.

San Antonio FC are owned by the San Antonio Spurs, though, and they probably do not want to have a partner, especially not if Precourt insists on being the majority owner, which seems likely.

I know that some people (i.e., Rowdies fans, members of Ralph's Mob, etc.) assume that Bill Edwards wants to be in charge of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in MLS as majority owner, but due to his age, he is probably more concerned with his legacy in St. Pete and in the Tampa Bay Area, rather than in just running a major league sports club.

In other words, if Bill Edwards gets #MLS2StPete with the Tampa Bay Rowdies playing in MLS at Al Lang Stadium (however reconfigured or rebuilt), he's secured his legacy in St. Pete and it matters less who the other owners are, or who is majority owner. Or so I suppose (yes, I'm just spitballing here; this is my own idea; and I obviously have no inside information). 

Why would Anthony Precourt want to do an MLS deal for the Rowdies in St. Petersburg? Well, it isn't Texas, but St. Pete has the same hipsterish vibe as Austin (people mostly aren't aware of St. Pete's relatively recent changes, but it is a fact); the hipster/millennial demographic thing is partly what attracted Precourt and MLS to Austin in the first place, and when the Rays move out of St. Pete, as seems very likely, the Rowdies would not be sharing St. Pete with any other major league teams (which is also what makes Austin attractive to MLS), and the Tampa Bay Area is also a much bigger market than Austin. 

And, unlike Austin, the situation in St. Pete is all set up and ready to go, right NOW (with the Al Lang Stadium site already approved with an 87% 'yes' vote from the public, and with the full cooperation of local politicians and business leaders and neighborhood groups, etc.), and thus does not have the issues currently dogging and delaying other markets trying to move to MLS. 

Also, the Tampa Bay Area's close geographical proximity to the Orlando and Miami markets is another plus, and not a negative thing at all, as anyone who has been paying attention to the intense local Florida soccer rivalries should be well aware of (going all the way back to 1975). Maybe a bit too intense at times.  

With Beckham's new Miami team in MLS coming along in a few years, we could very well see some famous names coming to play in MLS in Miami (Messi and Ronaldo maybe, and other well known players) due to Beckham's influence.

Because of this, owning an MLS team only 4 hours drive away from Miami, in the largest TV market (Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, the #11 TV market) that does not currently have an MLS team, is an opportunity that should make potential MLS investors sit up and take notice.

The Tampa Bay Area being that geographically close to Miami means being much better placed to take advantage of Beckham's Miami situation (more scheduled local rivalry matches, more traveling away fans, more intense local media coverage, etc.), with all that that implies.

Having more local rivalries helps Beckham's Miami team as well, and would boost the marketing ability and visibility of the Tampa Bay Rowdies (locally, nationally, and internationally), which has greater potential being so geographically close to Miami, than other potential MLS markets have, who would not be able to take advantage of that kind of close geographical proximity to Miami. 

Also, if one is trying to attract famous international footballers to play in MLS, and a designated player (DP) spot is not open for them in Miami, well, St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Area are close enough to Miami as to make the Tampa Bay Rowdies in MLS a very tempting alternative. 

The Tampa Bay Rowdies also have the additional advantage of being a well known American soccer brand going back to 1975, which is still recognized internationally by older fans, especially in the UK.

What is currently lacking for #MLS2StPete, apparently, is that MLS wants a larger, richer ownership group for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and also seems to want a more ambitious Al Lang Stadium rebuilding plan (or so it seems to me, reading between the lines), i.e., not just adding to the existing structure, but building a complete new SSS from scratch on the old Al Lang Stadium footprint, which will take longer and cost more money than Bill Edward's existing #MLS2StPete proposal; and as a totally new Al Lang SSS structure would cost more money, that's another reason for taking on additional investors for the Rowdies.

Maybe Anthony Precourt could be sold on the idea?

I never hurts to ask.

I can already hear the REEEEEEE!!!-ing coming from some of the Ralph's Mob supporters reading this, who don't like Precourt for what he is trying to do to the Crew, and who would not want him as a Rowdies owner; but, if my wild proposal here actually came to pass, it would both #SaveTheCrew and also make #MLS2StPete happen, killing two birds with one stone as it were. 

Besides, some of the current (and former) Ralph Mobsters don't like Bill Edwards, either; but as long as the ownership group gets the Tampa Bay Rowdies into MLS and puts enough money into building a quality SSS and putting a quality, winning team on the pitch, they will learn to live with it. 

Of course, all of this crazy speculation of mine may all be moot if Anthony Precourt actually gets a new SSS built in Austin, or in Columbus, but all that is up in the air at the moment. 

In any case, Bill Edwards really needs to get more big investors, and soon, while this window of opportunity for MLS expansion is still open; hopefully, he can find some big investors who are also local Tampa Bay Area people, but at this point I'll take anyone, if it gets the Tampa Bay Rowdies into MLS. 

The Rowdies landing Anthony Precourt as an investor certainly sounds like a far fetched idea at the moment, but stranger things have happened.

So until Bill Edwards makes some kind of announcement, I throw stuff like this up against the wall in case some of it sticks.

It's February, there's no real Rowdies news, and I'm bored.

Pictured below: upset Ralph Mobster setting forth his reasoned objections to this, my lighthearted proposal.

MLS Expansion Update: Miami is in? Plus Sacramento, Cincinnati, Phoenix and Indy

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https://www.thebluetestament.com/2018/2/7/16983938/mls-expansion-update-miami-is-in-plus-sacramento-cincinnati-phoenix-and-indy-detroit

MLS Expansion Update: Miami is in? Plus Sacramento, Cincinnati, Phoenix and Indy

All the latest on MLS expansion including when team 26 will “hopefully” be announced by.

Time Frame for Who is Next?

After nearly a year of promising two teams would be announced for MLS Expansion by late December, the month came and went with only Nashville being announced. Miami came in late January, but they weren’t part of the 12 cities in the running. Sacramento, Cincinnati and Detroit are all still waiting.

Apparently they may be waiting for a bit. While speaking with Sports Illustrated (jump to 11:48 for Garber), MLS Commissioner Don Garber stated “hopefully before the start of the season,” when referring to team number 26. Hopefully. He added that there were “no issues” and they are just “dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s.” Hmmm.

Let’s discuss those three candidates first.

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https://www.brotherlygame.com/2018/2/7/16987314/penn-fc-names-raoul-voss-as-head-coach

Penn FC Names Raoul Voss as Head Coach

Voss most recently served as assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Rowdies

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http://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states/story/3374781/nasl-sues-us-soccer-directors-over-acting-to-protect-interests

NASL sues U.S. Soccer directors over acting to protect interests

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https://www.si.com/soccer/2018/02/07/planet-futbol-tv-champions-league-us-soccer-election-chelsea

Planet Fútbol TV: Champions League Picks, Chelsea's Woes, U.S. Soccer Election

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http://worldsoccertalk.com/2018/02/07/world-soccer-talk-endorses-eric-wynalda-kyle-martino-ussf-president/

World Soccer Talk endorses Eric Wynalda and Kyle Martino for USSF President

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https://www.sportsjoe.ie/football/david-beckham-reportedly-lining-gary-neville-manager-new-mls-miami-franchise-150112

David Beckham reportedly lining Gary Neville up as manager of new MLS Miami franchise

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https://www.joe.co.uk/sport/david-beckham-lining-gary-neville-up-as-manager-of-new-mls-miami-franchise-161675

David Beckham reportedly lining Gary Neville up as MLS Miami franchise manager

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http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/five-things-david-beckham-and-miami-fc-should-steal-from-other-local-teams-10053606

Five Ideas David Beckham's MLS Club Should Steal From Miami's Other Teams

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http://www.goal.com/en-sa/news/van-der-weil-professionalism-in-mls-ten-years-ahead-of/qfrnotp9un68162wj5eirf2lg

Van der Wiel: Professionalism in MLS ‘10 years ahead’ of Europe

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018/02/06/mls-becoming-more-enticing-destination-players-says-scottish-pundit

MLS becoming more enticing destination for players, says Scottish pundit

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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/02/07/hamilton-county-commissioners-want-mls-decision-fc-cincinnati-end-february/315325002/

Hamilton County commissioners want MLS decision on FC Cincinnati by the end of February

The Hamilton County commissioners want Major League Soccer to make a decision by the end of this month whether FC Cincinnati will join the league. ...

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https://williamsonsource.com/nashville-sc-sells-inaugural-game/

Nashville SC Sells Out Inaugural Game

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/884391?referrer_id=2349190

Carolina Challenge Cup to Air on beIN Sports

Battery’s historic preseason tournament kicks off on Feb. 17

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https://www.pocket-lint.com/tv/news/disney/143579-disney-s-espn-plus-streaming-service-what-s-the-story-so-far

Disney's ESPN Plus streaming service: What's the story so far?

It still sounds like the service will have tonnes of sports programming on deck, though, with about 10,000 live regional, national, and international games and events a year, including from Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, Grand Slam tennis, and college sports. Disney has confirmed you can also buy add-on packages like MLB.TV, NHL.TV, and MLS Live.

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https://ussoccerplayers.com/2018/02/lafc-youtube-tv.html

LAFC and YouTube TV

By Luis Bueno – RIVERSIDE, CA (Feb 7, 2018) US Soccer Players - Los Angeles Football Club has always seemed an interesting venture. With a slew of high-profile deep-pocketed owners, the club’s operations and marketing pathways seemed exciting. Money and a means to gain exposure were always assets in LAFC’s favor. How the club capitalized on them to set itself apart in MLS was always going to be the question.

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http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/article198917239.html

Jeter or Beckham? Who will be the first to bring a title to Miami?

Who will be the first to bring a title to Miami: Derek Jeter and his Marlins or David Beckham and his expansion Major League Soccer franchise?

The question is one for debate since the Marlins are rebuilding and the city’s new soccer team doesn’t begin playing until 2020.

But Jeter, the Marlins’ new CEO, doesn’t sound like he’s willing to risk a bet on the answer.

Speaking Wednesday to a Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce gathering, Jeter was asked whether he would be willing to make a gentleman’s wager with Beckham on which would be the first to raise a championship trophy.

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https://www.courthousenews.com/us-soccer-under-fire-from-desanctioned-minor-league/

US Soccer Under Fire From Desanctioned Minor League

MANHATTAN (CN) – A men’s soccer league that just lost its Division II sanction hit the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation with civil corruption claims Tuesday.

Just days away from a race to elect a successor to federation president Sunil Gulati, the North American Soccer League filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court against the 58-year-old Gulati and 14 other federation officials.

Represented by the firm Mayer Brown, the league notes that it fell out of grace with the league in late 2017 after six years of stymied opportunities.

“The NASL has long sought to compete for marketing and other business opportunities against the ‘Division I’ Major League Soccer Inc., whose interests defendants have furthered at the expense of and to the detriment of the NASL,” the complaint states. “This overt favoritism towards MLS has directly harmed the NASL and contravened the defendants’ duties to grow and promote soccer on behalf of the USSF membership in general.”

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http://khon2.com/2018/02/07/professional-soccer-returns-to-hawaii/

Professional Soccer Returns to Hawaii

The inaugural Pacific Rim Cup will feature some soccer’s greatest stars at Aloha Stadium!

This morning on Wake Up 2day, Pacific Rim Cup Tournament Director Takehiko Nakamura joined us in studio to talk about the event.

The cup is set for February 8th and 10th at Aloha Stadium and will feature international soccer stars from Japan, Canada and the U.S. going head to head for one championship title.

For the first time in 6 years, professional soccer is returning to the state of Hawaii. The last time that Major League Soccer (MLS) and Japan Professional Football League (J.League) competed in Hawaii was 2012. Hosting a soccer tournament of this caliber helps to position Hawaii as a sports destination and help boost tourism.

The four participating teams are Columbus Crew SC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo and Iwaki FC. While the Pacific Rim Cup includes teams from the U.S., Canada and Japan, the four participating teams currently have players that represent 23 countries, including the six confederations.

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http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/marek-warszawski/article198923944.html

‘Important name in soccer’ brings instant credibility to Fresno’s USL club

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http://www.fox19.com/story/37452982/commissioners-extend-fc-cincinnati-parking-garage-offer-still-no-word-from-mls

Commissioners extend FC Cincinnati parking garage offer, still no word from MLS

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) -

Hamilton County commissioners have extended funding for a possible FC Cincinnati stadium.

The county approved funding for infrastructure improvements at the site of a possible soccer-specific stadium in 2017. However, Major League Soccer has not yet extended an invitation for the club to join the league, so the team has been given an extension for that funding approval through Feb. 28.

The original agreement to build a 1,000-space parking garage at the site of a soccer stadium expired Dec. 31, according to our partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The team has said it would fund the stadium itself, which is estimated to cost around $200 million.

Team president and general manager Jeff Berding took to Twitter on Wednesday and said this:

As we have always stated, FCC is supportive of the MLS expansion process as we hope to join this brilliant, growing League.

FCC has no issues with the process or timing and we have not sought to inject "urgency" into the process.

FCC continues to work productively with MLS. While we know our fans and community are anxious for a resolution, I ask you to bear with us just a little longer while we work to drive this process to what we hope will be a winning conclusion.

In the meantime, we ask our @fccincinnati supporters to avoid conjecture & blame.

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http://www.fox19.com/story/37305660/mls-will-definitely-maybe-have-a-decision-on-fc-cincinnati-by-march

MLS will definitely maybe have a decision on FC Cincinnati by March

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) - Is FC Cincinnati about to get an MLS bid? There's a new report that says yes -- it even says when.

"Don't believe anything unless it's from me or MLS," FC Cincinnati's president and general manager Jeff Berding said in a text message this week.

He was responding to a question about a World Soccer Talk report, which cited sources and said the MLS expansion announcement would be made the first week of March. The report says Cincinnati is almost certain to be selected.

Nashville, Cincinnati, Sacramento, and Detroit were recently selected as finalists for two 2020 MLS expansion bids. Late in 2017, Nashville landed one of those bids.

Understand that MLS set a deadline to make the decision by the league's season opener on March 3, so this report is saying MLS won't make the call until that deadline.

There's good and bad there -- you likely don't want to wait long, but he is reporting Cincinnati is getting the bid.

Back to Jeff Berding, who spoke with FOX19 NOW this week and said not to believe anything unless it's from MLS or FC Cincinnati -- he believes they will have an answer before March.

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https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/derek-jeter-marlins-starting-from-a-deeper-hole-than-miami-mls-expansion-team/

Derek Jeter: Marlins starting from a 'deeper hole' than Miami MLS expansion team

Jeter wants everyone to know the Marlins are in trouble

In late January, Major League Soccer officially announced an expansion team was coming to Miami thanks to the efforts of David Beckham, among others.

Predictably, folks have began comparing and contrasting Beckham's acts and comments with those of Miami Marlins owner Derek Jeter. It's a natural reaction given both are now high-ranking officials with Miami teams who were legends during their playing days.

On Wednesday, Jeter weighed in on part of the debate, suggesting Beckham's team is better positioned to win a title than the Marlins -- that despite having no name, employing no players, and not intending to play a game until 2020:

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/7vyt62/raoul_voss_departs_rowdies_for_head_coaching/

Raoul Voss Departs Rowdies For Head Coaching Position at Penn FC (rowdiessoccer.com)

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http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/884357?referrer_id=2824806

Raoul Voss Departs Rowdies For Head Coaching Position

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https://www.reddit.com/r/MLS/comments/7vwskj/new_england_revolution_reveal_new_2018_kit_satire/

New England Revolution Reveal New 2018 Kit [Satire] (davesiknow.com)

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https://davesiknow.com/2018/02/07/breaking-new-england-revolution-reveal-new-2018-kit/

BREAKING: New England Revolution Reveal New 2018 Kit

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http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/business/article199022169.html

Ohio officials pressure MLS to decide on FC Cincinnati

CINCINNATI

Ohio county officials are putting the pressure on Major League Soccer to decide whether FC Cincinnati will join the league.

Hamilton County commissioners voted Wednesday to renew an agreement to pay for a 1,000-car garage at the team's future stadium through Feb. 28.

The board's original agreement expired Dec. 31. The agreement was extended at the request of FC Cincinnati, which says it expects to hear from the league before March.

MLS previously said it would select its 25th and 26th teams by the end of 2017. It selected Nashville, Tennessee to take the 25th spot in December, but said it would decide on the final spot next year.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.local10.com/sports/mlb/marlins/jeter-reaches-out-to-miami-business-leaders

Jeter reaches out to Miami business leaders

Marlins CEO continues to listen to fans

The legendary shortstop was also asked who would win a championship first, he or David Beckham's soccer team.  Jeter said the Marlins were starting from a bigger hole.