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http://www.sacbee.com/sports/mls/article212596239.html
‘Wish we could do a little bit more.’ Republic grapples with MLS on and off the pitch
Sacramento lost its expansion bid to join Major League Soccer last week, but the nation’s top professional soccer league will still be headed to the state capital Wednesday.
Seattle Sounders FC, coming off of back-to-back MLS Cup appearances, will play Republic FC of the United Soccer League for a spot in the round of 16 in the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The fourth-round match comes after Sacramento missed out on an expansion franchise for the second time in about six months. The MLS awarded Cincinnati its 26th franchise on May 29 after tabbing Nashville on Dec. 20.
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https://www.wpxi.com/sports/moving-up-cincinnati-latest-team-added-in-mls-expansion/759042991
Moving up: Cincinnati latest team added in MLS expansion
CINCINNATI (AP) - No longer just a pro baseball or football city. Not just a hotbed for college hoops. Thousands of soccer fans held a pep rally to celebrate Cincinnati's surprising ascendance on the pitch.
It's now a soccer city, too.
Major League Soccer added Cincinnati in its latest round of expansion Tuesday, rewarding a city that set attendance records during three seasons of United Soccer League play and has a stadium deal in place.
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https://sports.yahoo.com/domestic-league-sending-players-world-cup-005336094.html
Which domestic league is sending the most players to the World Cup?
How many going from Mexico?
Marquez is one of 22 players from Mexico’s Liga MX. Major League Soccer, which features 20 teams in the United States and three in Canada, is sending 19 players. Both North American leagues have fewer World Cup-bound players than they did four years ago. In 2014, 26 Liga MX reps and 21 from MLS went to Brazil.
All 19 MLS players going to Russia play for national teams other than the U.S. and Canada, both of which failed to qualify. Only the top leagues in England, Spain, Germany, France and Italy are sending more players who don’t play for the national squads of those countries.
England’s second-tier Championship contributes 24 players, the most of any lower division.
The French, Mexican and Spanish second divisions sent one player each, as did the English and Spanish third tiers and the top leagues in Honduras, Guinea, Finland, Iceland, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, Slovakia and South Africa.
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https://www.brotherlygame.com/2018/6/5/17428504/temple-university-graduate-has-spearheaded-independent-coverage-of-the-us-open-cup
For 15 years, Temple University graduate has spearheaded independent coverage of the U.S. Open Cup
Josh Hakala helped launch the site now known as TheCup.us shortly before moving to Philadelphia to attend Temple University
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https://www.theringer.com/2018/6/5/17428184/2018-world-cup-us-soccer-inside-story-jurgen-klinsmann-sunil-gulati-bruce-arena
Own Goal: The Inside Story of How the USMNT Missed the 2018 World Cup
In October, the United States failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in more than 30 years. A loss to Trinidad and Tobago sealed their fate, but according to players, coaches, commentators, and executives across American soccer, the disaster doesn’t come down to just one unfortunate result. No, it was the culmination of nearly a decade of mismanagement that broke the team’s spirit and condemned them to failure.
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https://www.curbed.com/2018/6/5/17428974/tampa-real-estate-development-water-street
Tampa’s multibillion-dollar downtown development boom starts on the waterfront
Ground-up new neighborhood offers city a chance to “reinvent itself—and even rebrand itself”
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn remembers how underutilized, underappreciated, and unattractive the city’s waterfront was when he first arrived in 1987.
The blocks of offices and surface parking lots located downtown, near the confluence of the Hillsborough River and the bay, provided few reasons to come downtown beyond work.
“The city had turned its back on the water,” Buckhorn says. “At the time, the waterfront was filled with broken-down wharfs and was more industrial than pedestrian. There was no Riverwalk, and Harbour Island, a neighborhood now home to 10,000 people, was a phosphate-dumping pit filled with weeds and rats.”
Today, Tampa’s waterfront is a magnet for investment: The city’s downtown has become the locus of a wave of construction projects that will bring an estimated $13 billion on investment to the Tampa region through 2022, according to Dodge Data & Analytics.
Its centerpiece, the new Water Street Tampa, is a $3 billion, 16-block mega-development, which recently broke ground on a new JW Marriott hotel and the $164.7 million University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, a new facility that backers hope will become the centerpiece of an emerging medical-tech cluster.
A project of Strategic Property Partners (which is a joint venture of Cascade Investment, owned by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and Jeffrey N. Vinik, the owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey franchise), Water Street is the largest and highest profile of a series of developments reshaping the city.
“This is bigger than just a bunch of buildings going up during a boom time,” says architect Robert M. MacLeod, professor at the University of South Florida School of Architecture & Community Design. “It’s a chance for Tampa to reinvent itself—and even rebrand itself—as a downtown that’s very walkable and pedestrian friendly.”
A thousand little things reshaping the city
The changes sweeping Tampa’s waterfront and urban core may seem relatively sudden. But today’s transformative developments were the result of decades of slow, methodical effort, what Buckhorn calls “a moment 20 years in the making.”
The 53-acre Water Street site, a former industrial zone situated in the Garrison Channel and Hillsborough Bay, had traditionally been plagued by many of the same planning and connectivity issues that held back other urban districts in the U.S.
Cut off by a large highway, the neighborhood was a jumble of surface parking, nondescript offices, and disconnected big-ticket projects, including a convention center, an aquarium and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s arena. It exemplified the ways Tampa had traditionally lagged behind when it come to urban development, and lacked a true sense of place downtown. Salon once called the city a “hot urban mess.”
When billionaire Jeffrey Vinik realized he could acquire 53 acres of land near his team’s arena and have a hand not only in developing a collection of properties, but also methodically creating a new neighborhood, he seized the opportunity. According to James Nozar, CEO of Strategic Property Partners, the construction team has spent the last two year redesigning and rebuilding the street grid, instituting road diets to create walkable and bikeable streets and sidewalks and landscaping waterfront paths along with nearly 13 acres of new parks.
It’s all part of an ambitious plan to make Water Street the first WELL-Certified district in the world, meaning it will meet a new, evolving standard that prioritizes design for health and well-being, and elements like daylighting, outdoor access, and air quality. A new development-wide cooling system will save energy and allow rooftops to trade AC units for green roofs and gardens.
According to Nozar, the grid redesign and green focus shows just how Vinik and others are building Water Street with a long-term vision. Eventually, when the development is complete in 2027, Water Street will contain one million square feet of cultural and retail space, 3,500 residential units, hotels, and innovation hubs.
But that’s far from the only project recently opened or under construction near downtown. According to a recent New York Times article, New York-based Bromley Company will develop a 1.8-million-square-foot mixed-use project called Midtown Tampa. BTI Partners, out of Fort Lauderdale, is building the $400 million Westshore Marina District, transforming a 52-acre formerly industrial parcel on the waterfront.
Coming on the heels of new creative reuse projects such as Tampa Armature Works, a former trolley car garage-turned-upscale food hall in the Tampa Heights neighborhood, and Ulele, a riverfront restaurant, as well as public space investments like the Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, these development underscore how Tampa’s urban core is creating the amenities to accommodate thousands of new residents.
Nozar has compared all the activity in the once-overlooked urban core as filing in a hole in a doughnut. But it can also be seen as a zipper: The new downtown core, as well as the development heading north along the Hillsborough River, will ideally pull together the neighborhoods on the east and west of the waterway.
“Leadership needed to get behind the idea that you could transform this unproductive part of the city into a vibrant neighborhood,” says Diane Egner, publisher and editor of 83 Degrees, a local news site. “It’s more about 1,000 little things than one big thing. Vinik and Water Street is important, but it’s the little things that all add up into a huge investment into our downtown.”
By the time the first round of buildings at Water Street open in early 2021, coinciding with Tampa welcoming Super Bowl 55, Nozar, Vinik, and others believe Water Street will have completely redefined downtown.
Riverwalk and redevelopment
Each of these new projects capitalizes on the renewed focus on the city’s waterfront. Like many reviving downtowns focused on walkable urbanism and economic development, Tampa directed investment and energy into its riverfront, hoping to create a focal point for the city. Buckhorn, the latest in a line of mayors who have worked for decades to stitch together downtown Tampa, says the riverwalk had a “generational impact” on Tampa.
“If we were going to attract business capital, and the young people fleeing Tampa for other cities, we had to create a downtown that was exciting and focused on the waterfront,” Buckhorn says. “I spent the last seven years trying to build that, and the critical piece was the 2.4-mile Riverwalk. It was six mayors and 40 years in the making.”
The resurgent waterfront and downtown have come into their own just as Tampa was, in Buckhorn’s words, “changing its economic DNA.” Once more focused on the service economy and real estate, the Tampa region has rapidly developed a new urban economy, says Egner, and becoming increasingly attractive to young professionals and tech workers and creating a pent-up demand for housing downtown. According to the Tampa Downtown Partnership, downtown’s population had doubled to 8,100 people between 2008 and 2016.
Tampa has been a leading city for job growth in Florida over the last few years, and in the last few years, companies such as Amgen, Johnson and Johnson, and Bristol Meyers Squibb have relocated down here. Buckhorn sees the resurgent downtown attracting more such employers, and views the under-construction medical center as the locus of a growing medical tech hub that can become a “mecca for intellectual capital.”
“This medical tech cluster will drive the economy for decades to come,” he says. “That’s a lot bigger than getting a baseball team in Tampa.”
Growing pains and transit challenges
While the growth that has fueled Tampa’s current downtown development has helped reshape the landscape, it’s also in danger of exacerbating existing issues. The city needs to focus more on affordable housing, especially in the face of rising real estate prices, says Egner.
Transportation presents another big challenge for a downtown expected to add thousands of new residents and become an even bigger job center. The city’s public bus system isn’t nearly robust enough or well-funded enough to accommodate the expected population growth.
“We do not have the mobility options we need if we’re going to continue to grow at this pace,” says Buckhorn. “Florida is a very car-centric state, and we need to look at a more robust bus system, as well as rail and bus rapid transit.”
Tampa’s current wave of redevelopment offers potential for both redevelopment and reinvention. MacLeod sees promise and peril in how these forthcoming towers reshape not just the city’s plain skyline, but its public realm. Can these large developments be more than just signature architecture, and help shape the street? Can they bolster the emerging sense that downtown Tampa can have its own sense of place?
“I tell my current students that they’re lucky,” says MacLeod. “They will watch a city being designed and built before their eyes.’”
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fc-edmonton-soccer-canadian-premier-league-1.4693263
Edmonton expected to join new Canadian soccer league
Canadian Premier League hints at the news in social media video
Edmonton's professional soccer team FC Edmonton, shown playing the Ottawa Fury in 2016, was formerly part of the North American Soccer League. (Steve Kingsman/Freestyle Photography)
A video released on social media Tuesday by the Canadian Premier League has kicked up the interest of Edmonton soccer fans.
The video suggests that an Edmonton team will be joining Canada's new professional soccer league, set to begin play next year.
Though no specifics about the team have been released, the Canadian Premier League (CPL) is inviting soccer fans to join them for a "special unveiling" Friday evening, in front of the Old Strathcona Farmers Market.
"We're planting the seeds for the future of professional soccer in Canada," reads the invite from the CPL.
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http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/professional/united/atl-utd-notes-goalkeeper-paul-wall-christensen-shows-consistency-with/article_3215468c-68ed-11e8-8f59-fb366de69450.html
ATL UTD 2 NOTES: Goalkeeper Paul "Wall" Christensen shows consistency with Atlanta United 2
Perhaps Atlanta United 2 has found a stable answer to its goalkeeping difficulties.
Coming off its first clean sheet in the road match against Tampa Bay Rowdies, goalie Paul Christensen reflected on what can be considered fairly a strange game.
Atlanta United 2 appeared to be doomed, down one man for the remainder of the first half and entire second half after left back Will Crain took his second yellow card and was sent off. Roughly three minutes later, the Rowdies’ Marcel Schafer was sent off with a straight red card after a kick to the back of the leg to Oliver Shannon was deemed violent conduct
Whatever the source, it’s a sight for sore eyes after a 4-0 defeat at North Carolina FC. Atlanta United 2's 25 goals conceded are tied for third most in the USL. Saturday's match was also the first time since 2016 the Rowdies had been shut out at home by a USL club.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5808987/David-Beckham-backs-exciting-led-bid-2026-World-Cup-Moscow-vote-edges-closer.html
David Beckham backs 'very exciting' US-led bid for 2026 World Cup as Moscow vote edges closer
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https://en.as.com/en/2018/06/06/football/1528289833_912706.html
David Beckham: ''Mexico, USA and Canada deserve World Cup''
The owner of the new MLS side in Miami spoke passionately about the 2026 Fifa tournament and the growing football interest in that region of the world.
David Beckham speaks with authority about the beautiful game and says that if the joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup by Mexico, Canada and the United States of America would be "very special".
Beckham knows the passion
In an interview with AP, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, PSG, AC Milan and LA Galaxy midfielder spoke highly of the three countries hoping to be granted Fifa's showpiece tournament.
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http://thecomeback.com/soccer/fc-cincinnati-fans-will-make-the-trip-to-columbus-crew-game-to-support-savethecrew.html
FC Cincinnati fans will make the trip to Columbus Crew game to support #SavetheCrew
Hopeful rival fanbases unite?
Imagine a scenario where Ohio State fans would make the trip up north to Ann Arbor, Michigan to show support for the Wolverines. Or Bears and Packers fans uniting for a common purpose. Red Sox and Yankees fans standing side by side cheering the same team in the same stadium? It would take a once-in-a-lifetime circumstance to see those fanbases who are intense rivals lay aside their differences and come together.
But that’s exactly what we’ll see on Saturday June 9th when FC Cincinnati fans will make the 100 mile drive up I-71 to Mapfre Stadium to show their support for the #SavetheCrew movement and keeping the Columbus Crew in Columbus.
FCC fans have a lot to celebrate with officially being named as a new MLS franchise after being a great success playing in the USL. In case you’re wondering what the #KeepHellReal hashtag means, it pays homage to the “Hell is Real” name given to the Cincinnati-Columbus rivalry. Hell is Real owes its name to the apocalyptic apocalyptic sign along I-71 that connects the two cities and vaults it into the top five derby names in world soccer.
This is a remarkable gesture from FC Cincinnati fans to show solidarity to MLS among Ohio soccer fans. The Buckeye state is not going to settle for having one team ripped away in Columbus to be “replaced” by FC Cincinnati. If Don Garber thinks that Crew fans will suddenly become FC Cincinnati fans overnight, he is badly, badly mistaken. Of course, Garber and all of MLS has been badly mistaken throughout the entire Crew relocation debacle. Sadly, that hasn’t stopped MLS from empowering monorail salesman Anthony Precourt from bumbling his way forward through this monumental, self-inflicted PR disaster.
While outside observers might see FCC as a death knell for the Columbus Crew, it actually should be the opposite. A Crew-FCC rivalry would immediately become one of the best in MLS alongside Portland-Seattle and lift both fanbases. As such a relatively young league with so much rapid expansion, it’s hard for MLS to actually create organic rivalries that mean something. Oftentimes, MLS’s attempt to manufacture rivalries out of nothing can feel contrived. There isn’t a pre-existing Columbus-Cincinnati rivalry in professional sports, but it would certainly come naturally. (Just ask Cincinnati sports fans their thoughts on Ohio State and you’ll see why.)
What makes this support from FC Cincinnati all the more meaningful is that it’s the only home game the Crew will have on national television this year. That is astounding considering the #SavetheCrew story is the biggest story in MLS this year and the team made the conference final last year. It’s almost like MLS wants to suppress fans in Columbus! This show of support from FCC fans for what could be their biggest rival should be one of the biggest feel-good stories in sports right now. At least for anyone outside of Precourt Sports Ventures or the MLS offices.
MLS and Anthony Precourt have done everything they can to demoralize Crew fans in attempting to rip one of the league’s own founding franchises out of its city. Precourt is letting Mapfre Stadium fall apart while spending $2 million trying to astroturf in Austin. Don Garber continues to offer little more than empty words while his league funds lobbyists in Austin and MLS/PSV lawyers bash Columbus in legal briefs.
At a time when Crew fans must feel like it’s Columbus Against the World, it’s reassuring to know that even their biggest rival fanbase is willing to stand alongside them in the fight to Save the Crew.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.columbusalive.com/entertainment/20180606/last-season-where-and-when-will-other-boot-drop
The Last Season?: Where and when will the other boot drop?
Feelings of inevitability starting to build in special season
The game highlights, in other words, were many, and given the way the week started, they were also majorly needed by the Crew faithful.
In the last week, You Know Who released his latest stadium renderings for his proposed venue in You Know Where.
Officials in You Know Where likewise released a study of the site that said it’d be suitable for a soccer stadium.
And MLS also granted an expansion team to FC Cincinnati. (Commissioner Don Garber was non-committal about what that addition meant for Crew SC.)
Another boot, it would appear, is about to drop. And if I were a betting man, I’d wager it’ll fall, when it does eventually fall, on You Know Who.
Do I have anything other than an educated guess to support this? Not at all.
But I can smell You Know Who’s fear. And like any good wolf pack, our comrades in Save the Crew are circling.
Can you sense it, too?
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http://www.ecns.cn/hd/2018-06-07/detail-ifyuyvzv3224898.shtml
Beckham tries ancient football in China (1/2)
Former professional football star David Beckham plays cuju, known as the origin of modern football, at the Bengbu Ancient Buildings Expo Park ahead of the 2018 G-EXPO Global Top Summit in Bengbu City, East China’s Anhui Province, June 6, 2018. (Photo: China News Service/Zhong Xin)
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http://www.ecns.cn/hd/2018-06-07/detail-ifyuyvzv3224898.shtml#
Beckham tries ancient football in China (2/2)
Former professional football star David Beckham plays cuju, known as the origin of modern football, at the Bengbu Ancient Buildings Expo Park ahead of the 2018 G-EXPO Global Top Summit in Bengbu City, East China’s Anhui Province, June 6, 2018. (Photo: China News Service/Zhong Xin)
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http://www.santafenewmexican.com/sports/pro-soccer-lands-in-new-mexico/article_8cc1950c-43d9-5be5-9840-c76da418ef46.html
Pro soccer lands in New Mexico
Peter Trevisani can see it now.
Under the glow of stadium lights, a black and white ball falls to the ground, a whistle blows, and a pack of muscular legs and fast-paced feet rush across a grassy field.
A breeze pulses through the bleachers, where crowds with face paint and handmade posters cheer. Young and old, wealthy and poor, women and men, families and couples, soccer enthusiasts and sport illiterates — a group of strangers are joined together as friends to share a passion, even if it’s just for a couple of hours.
This is the dream of New Mexico’s United Soccer League team — and Trevisani, the leader of its ownership group and a Santa Fe resident.
Chief Operating Officer Justin Papadakis awarded the newest USL franchise to New Mexico on Wednesday night, giving the state a pro soccer team that will begin its inaugural season in March 2019.
During the announcement at Albuquerque’s Fusion Theatre, Trevisani — who also is the team’s president — joked that the news is “New Mexico’s worst-kept secret,” since he said so many people knew about it already.
Founded in 2011, the United Soccer League is just one step below the Major Soccer League and currently has 33 teams, spanning from Las Vegas, Nev., to New York. Until 2017, the league was considered third-tier, but in the U.S. Soccer Federation named the league Division II.
Although the Albuquerque franchise doesn’t yet have a coach or even a nickname, Trevisani introduced the team’s first player, bringing Devon Sandoval — a former Albuquerque Eldorado and University of New Mexico star — to the stage.
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1004371171750469632
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Check out what our amazing medical staff provided by @BayCare's St. Anthony's Hospital brings to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. We're happy to have them as our official medical providers.
St. Anthony's Hospital - The Rowdies Official Medical Provider
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7:35 AM - 6 Jun 2018
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https://twitter.com/WFLADan/status/1004404811658391552
Dan Lucas
Verified account @WFLADan
Great chat today with @TampaBayRowdies Joe Cole, a 3-time World Cup player for England. He previews #WorldCup2018 with us this week on @WFLA Super Sports Sunday!
9:49 AM - 6 Jun 2018
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1004419439649943553
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
We caught up with Rowdies head coach @neillycollins3 after training. Hear what he had to say about the club's recent performances since he took over.
Neill Collins on the team's recent performance
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10:47 AM - 6 Jun 2018
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1004448624615534592
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
This afternoon, Neill Collins and his coaching staff hosted a training session with some of the best young local talent in the area, including several players from @tbusoccer.
12:43 PM - 6 Jun 2018
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Rowdies June 2 Photos
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http://www.mor-tv.com/article/rowdies-june-2-photos/21084469
Rowdies June 2 Photos
Team MOR joined the Tampa Bay Rowdies and gave away some swag, see photos of some great Rowdies Fans!
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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/924046
USL Power Rankings - Week 12
Positive runs by Reno, Charlotte, Nashville see clubs continue upward trajectory
Also receiving votes: Ottawa Fury FC 3, Tampa Bay Rowdies 3, Indy Eleven 2
Also receiving votes: Tampa Bay Rowdies (15)
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https://www.law360.com/articles/1049915/nasl-says-its-2019-soccer-season-is-off-if-suit-lags
NASL Says Its 2019 Soccer Season Is Off If Suit Lags
Law360 (June 4, 2018, 8:09 PM EDT) -- The North American Soccer League asked a New York federal judge on Monday to bump up an initial conference for its case alleging the U.S. Soccer Federation conspired with Major League Soccer to keep NASL from competing as a top professional league, saying it needs to meet sometime this week in order to save the 2019 season.
Although the parties are due to meet toward the end of June, if a schedule setting a December trial date isn't fixed this week or soon after, there won't be...
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https://www.thebentmusket.com/2018/6/5/17377702/us-open-cup-4th-round-new-england-revolution-brad-friedel-usl-louisville-city-fc
US Open Cup, 4th Round: New England visits USL champs Louisville City FC
It's homecoming time for Louisville native Andrew Farrell
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https://www.revolutionsoccer.net/post/2018/06/05/live-stream-revolution-louisville-city-fc
LIVE STREAM: Revolution at Louisville City FC
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https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/new-england-revolution/louisville-city-revolution-open-cup/
U.S. Open Cup: Louisville City FC stuns New England Revolution, 3-2
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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article212579099.html
Appeals court can rule any day on David Beckham stadium deal. Then it gets complicated.
David Beckham speaks at an event in January announcing that Major League Soccer is bringing an expansion team to Miami. The stadium site in Overtown was never mentioned during that ceremony. Weeks later, the Beckham partnership began pursuing a new stadium site at Miami's Melreese golf course. Lynne Sladky AP
Miami-Dade County on Tuesday fought for the right to sell David Beckham land for a stadium in a no-bid deal, making its case before an appeals court at a time when it's not clear the retired soccer star even wants the public property anymore.
Beckham's lawyers are using activist Bruce Matheson's lawsuit against the $9 million county land deal to delay making a $901,500 down payment on the three acres of Miami-Dade land in Overtown. Meanwhile, Beckham's negotiating team, now led by new partner Jorge Mas, is pursuing a different site several miles away at Miami's Melreese golf course.
Hours after the hearing in front of Florida's Third District of Appeal, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said that the county would postpone the June 8 payment until after the Matheson suit concludes. The decision avoids a showdown over a deadline for the Beckham group to keep intact a nine-acre stadium site the partners assembled off the Miami River in Overtown.
The site was picked and secured months before Mas and his brother José joined the venture and promptly began searching for other places to play Major League Soccer.
The bid for another site raises the stakes for the appeals decision, since a quick win for the county and Beckham could actually cause more complications than would a drawn-out wait for a ruling.
There's a chance the three-judge panel that heard arguments from both sides will rule swiftly and decisively for the county after Tuesday's oral arguments. That would also eliminate the justification for delaying $901,500 payment and force the Beckham group to pay up if it wants to keep the Overtown site in play.
Only one judge, Robert Luck, asked questions during the hearing, and he hit both sides with challenges to their legal arguments.
Weeks after county commissioners approved the deal in June 2017, Matheson sued to block the transaction, saying Miami-Dade wrongly cited Florida's economic-development law in justifying the no-bid sale. The Beckham partners made their first $450,000 down payment in August, despite the Matheson suit. The Mas brothers joined the partnership in the fall.
A trial court later ruled with Miami-Dade, saying Florida allows local governments to contribute property to recruit companies and support ventures that would create jobs and boost the economy.
"The competitive bidding statutes in Florida is one of the most important statutes on the books," said Richard Ovelmen, lead lawyer for Matheson. Heir to a family that was once a major land holder in Miami-Dade, Matheson owns property near the Overtown site and helped lead the opposition to county approval of Beckham's stadium plans there.
Luck pointed to examples of Florida law that allow governments to sell land without going through a competitive bidding process. He cited affordable housing statutes where developers can buy land for nominal amounts, and laws allowing other governments and non-profits to acquire county land for public purposes.
"You state at least 15 times in your brief that any property must go through this procedure" of competitive bidding, Luck said.
The line of questioning favored the county's reasoning that while Florida's economic-development statute does not explicitly allow for no-bid deals, it wouldn't make sense to subject job-creating projects to better offers. Oren Rosenthal, an assistant county attorney, told Luck that negotiating a deal to bring a company to county land would fall apart if another bidder could just step in and buy the designated site for a slightly higher price.
"This challenge is an attempt to legislate by litigation," Rosenthal said. "Mr. Matheson disagrees with what the county did with [the Beckham deal] and with what the state ultimately did in adopting its economic-development statute."
Luck asked why the economic-development statute doesn't spell out an exemption to the state law requiring competitive bidding for government land deals.
"Certainly the legislature knows how to use 'not withstanding.' They do it constantly when they want to say: 'Ignore everything else,' " Luck said. "In this instance, they didn't."
Luck's monopoly on the questioning suggests he'll draft the opinion for the three-judge panel that heard Matheson v. Miami-Dade. The Beckham partnership joined the suit as a co-defendant, and had a lawyer speak briefly at Tuesday's hearing.
The court's ultimate decision could extend the litigation timetable — giving the Beckham group more time to delay the $901,500 payment while it pursues Melreese. The court could send the case back to the trial level, or issue a ruling that the losing side could appeal to the Florida Supreme Court.
But the court could also end the case by issuing a ruling without a written decision. Those rulings aren't subject to further appeal, but also don't set precedent for future cases.
That kind of quick decision could leave the Beckham group having to pay nearly $1 million to keep the Overtown site alive as it pursues a far more uncertain deal for Melreese.
Securing the 140-acre city golf course requires striking a lease deal with Miami, and then winning voter approval in a city referendum expected in November. Should the Beckham group falter in those talks or at the polls, Overtown could emerge as a backup site. Jorge Mas has said publicly the nine-acre Overtown site, including six acres the Beckham group has already purchased, is too small for the for-profit hotel, entertainment and office complex he wants next to the stadium.
At Tuesday's County Commission meeting, Gimenez said county lawyers planned to send the Beckham group a letter delaying the $901,500 payment until after the court system issues a "final determination" in the Matheson suit. The soccer group would then have the option of making the down payment or notifying the county it wanted to pull out of the deal .
Gimenez said the county determined the original 2017 deal gives the stadium group the ability to delay payments in the face of litigation. "I believe they have that right," Gimenez said of Beckham and partners.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2018/6/5/17427672/columbus-crew-chicago-fire-usoc-2018-round-4-preview-news-projected-lineups-how-to-watch
Kings In Exile: Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire, USOC Round 4 Preview
The Fire face off against That Yellow Team in their 2018 US Open Cup debut
For all the pride that the club and its fans have taken in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup over the years, the Chicago Fire enter the 2018 edition of the tournament with relatively minimal fanfare. The team is treating it as Just Another Game in an otherwise punishing season thrust onto a thin and trundling squad. Enthusiasm among fans seems uncharacteristically muted this year, for reasons I won’t even try to guess at.
You can’t really make anyone care about something if they really don’t want to. If the players and Veljko Paunovic are viewing tomorow’s clash with Columbus as just more fixture congestion, we’re going to get the result we deserve. If the fans can’t get behind the team for this game, it’ll be hard to blame the players for not giving 100% either. We know what’s at stake here— a chance to redeem this season, a shot at a fifth USOC title, and potentially making That Yellow Team forever winless against us in the Cup.
This used to, and ought to be again, our tournament.
In all probability, though, Pauno is going to rest the starters and focus on making sure no one else gets hurt. The tyranny of lowered expectations.
Chicago Fire all-time USOC record vs Columbus Crew: 6-0-0, 15 GF / 8 GA
Chicago Fire away USOC record vs Columbus Crew: 1-0-0, 2 GF / 1 GA
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.mystatesman.com/sports/soccer/mayor-best-use-mckalla-help-facilitate-major-league-soccer/Xm5IwKqHxIAUTp6jYEOkyK/
Mayor: Best use of McKalla is ‘to help facilitate Major League Soccer’
Austin Mayor Steve Adler is hardly ready to kick the ball into the net, but he did express a preference Tuesday for Major League Soccer at McKalla Place.
Adler made his first public comments since the release of Friday’s city staff report on the 24-acre, city-owned North Austin property and a proposal by the Columbus Crew SC owner to build a 20,118-seat stadium on that site near the Domain.
“I was pleased to see that the report indicated McKalla was a viable location for soccer. It also pointed out there were other viable uses for it, and that doesn’t surprise me,” Adler said. “The council’s going to have to step in and wade through those competing priorities. My sense is that (soccer) is a really unique opportunity to gather all parts of our community in a public setting in ways that don’t happen now.
“While I’m a huge proponent of affordable housing — and will vote to expand the housing element of the bond and using much of our publicly available land for affordable housing — I think the best use of this property in this location is to help facilitate Major League Soccer.”
District 3 Council Member Sabino “Pio” Renteria wants to make an MLS deal work in Austin, but a tight timeline is a concern. Representatives of Precourt Sports Ventures, who operate the Crew SC, have said they need some kind of agreement this summer in order to move the team here in 2019. The City Council has meetings June 14 and June 28 before taking a break until Aug. 9.
“The way our session is filling up, it’s going to be very hard to get it done in two meetings,” Renteria said. “There are points in that proposal likely to be negotiated. We’re going to have a lot of questions for them. Unless they get right down to it, without a lot of back and forth, I just don’t see getting this done in less than a month. We have so much on our plate right now.”
Renteria, who identified himself a soccer and pro sports fan, said the sticking point could be who pays for $16 million in infrastructure improvements, including $13 million for a proposed Capital Metro rail station.
“The city report was encouraging for soccer, that it could generate a lot of money. I was pretty excited,” he said. “In the proposal, I was glad to see they’re making that commitment to Foundation Communities.”
Foundation Communities is a nonprofit that builds affordable housing in Austin.
“Then further down I saw the infrastructure costs they want paid up front, and that’s money we don’t have. For most development, we don’t go around waiving fees, unless we’re housing homeless people.”
Adler noted he’s been so tied up in CodeNext, Austin’s complicated attempt to rewrite its land development code, that he hasn’t covered the full report or proposal.
“There’s still more detail we need to get from the soccer team and from the league, and I need to better understand how we can still get some community benefits associated with affordable housing from this,” he said. “In addition to the ones in the report, I’m interested in knowing if we can dedicate sales tax generated from the site towards the affordable housing trust fund.”
Renteria said affordable housing at McKalla Place is not realistic at this point.
“I’m all for affordable housing, but we don’t have the money for that right now,” he said. “Maybe with some partnerships down the road. The funding is just not there at the moment.”
Renteria made a case for MLS at McKalla — with the right deal.
“I really want soccer. It would be a big plus for Austin,” he said. “Yet we need to protect the taxpayers. It comes down to whether we can afford the infrastructure improvements and the real costs. When they finance that stadium, we want to make sure we don’t get stuck.”
(Follow link for full article.)
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/soccer/soccer/2018/06/05/20-years-fc-dallas-in-the-lamar-hunt-us-open-cup
20 Years: FC Dallas in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.wusa9.com/article/sports/dc-united-fans-object-to-dc-sports-curse-chatter/65-561743324
DC United fans object to 'DC sports curse' chatter
Some people in D.C. say the city has plenty of championships... from Washington's soccer team.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/economicdevelopment/Tampa-Bay-area-mayors-Transportation-problems-hurt-economic-development_168884871
Tampa Bay area mayors: Transportation problems hurt economic development
Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos (left), Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman discussed transportation and economic development Tuesday during the annual CREW Tampa Bay lunch for women working in commercial real estate. RICHARD DANIELSON | Times
TAMPA — The mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater agreed Tuesday, as they have before, that not having a better transportation system is the most serious disadvantage the bay area has when it tries to recruit business.
"The biggest regret of my eight years, when I leave office next May, is the fact we haven’t moved the needle on transportation," Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told about 450 people at the annual lunch for CREW Tampa Bay, a networking group for women working in commercial real estate.
LAST YEAR: Government leaders urge businesses to become transportation leaders
That means the region should have bus rapid transit, ride-sharing, autonomous vehicles, "and, yes, for parts of the community, rail has got to be part of the solution," Buckhorn said. "Rail for urban areas is critical."
In Hillsborough, the County Commission should let voters countywide "choose for themselves what they want their future to look like," the mayor said. Similarly, he said, the Legislature should let individual cities like Tampa hold referendums on enacting a tax for transportation.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Tampa again comes up short in quest to hold city-only sales tax referendum for transit
Without a dedicated revenue source that can be used to match federal transportation funds and repay money borrowed from the bond market, "we’re just taping it together with duct tape," Buckhorn said.
"It’s not just a quality of life issue; it’s an economic development issue," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, who also supported having the authority to do a city-only referendum. "We are at a competitive disadvantage without having serious mass transit options available to us."
Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos, who spent years in Washington D.C. as an aide to U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, said new businesses have grown up around Metro stops there, while the bay area has watched congestion worsen.
"Maryland, D.C., and Virginia can get together and come up with a transit alternative system, and we can’t get two counties together to decide what to do and how to do it to benefit all of us," he said. "That’s an embarrassment for every one of us."
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1004001221152313345
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
It's time to find out if you are the winner of our Rowdies Riches Sweepstakes! It's up to $4,000! Make sure to grab your match program from this past Saturday and visit http://RowdiesRiches.com .
7:05 AM - 5 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/AngelWill21/status/1003352466090536966
Angel Williams, MPA
@AngelWill21
Thanks @LeonTTaylor for taking the time to sign autographs and take a picture with these teens from @tampaparksrec Stay and Play last night! #ClassAct
12:07 PM - 3 Jun 2018 from Al Lang Stadium
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1004010090960248832
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
A lovely day at work 😄
7:40 AM - 5 Jun 2018
http://www.mor-tv.com/article/rowdies-june-2-photos/21084469
Rowdies June 2 Photos
Team MOR joined the Tampa Bay Rowdies and gave away some swag, see photos of some great Rowdies Fans!
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/924046
USL Power Rankings - Week 12
Positive runs by Reno, Charlotte, Nashville see clubs continue upward trajectory
Also receiving votes: Ottawa Fury FC 3, Tampa Bay Rowdies 3, Indy Eleven 2
Also receiving votes: Tampa Bay Rowdies (15)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.law360.com/articles/1049915/nasl-says-its-2019-soccer-season-is-off-if-suit-lags
NASL Says Its 2019 Soccer Season Is Off If Suit Lags
Law360 (June 4, 2018, 8:09 PM EDT) -- The North American Soccer League asked a New York federal judge on Monday to bump up an initial conference for its case alleging the U.S. Soccer Federation conspired with Major League Soccer to keep NASL from competing as a top professional league, saying it needs to meet sometime this week in order to save the 2019 season.
Although the parties are due to meet toward the end of June, if a schedule setting a December trial date isn't fixed this week or soon after, there won't be...
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.thebentmusket.com/2018/6/5/17377702/us-open-cup-4th-round-new-england-revolution-brad-friedel-usl-louisville-city-fc
US Open Cup, 4th Round: New England visits USL champs Louisville City FC
It's homecoming time for Louisville native Andrew Farrell
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.revolutionsoccer.net/post/2018/06/05/live-stream-revolution-louisville-city-fc
LIVE STREAM: Revolution at Louisville City FC
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/new-england-revolution/louisville-city-revolution-open-cup/
U.S. Open Cup: Louisville City FC stuns New England Revolution, 3-2
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article212579099.html
Appeals court can rule any day on David Beckham stadium deal. Then it gets complicated.
David Beckham speaks at an event in January announcing that Major League Soccer is bringing an expansion team to Miami. The stadium site in Overtown was never mentioned during that ceremony. Weeks later, the Beckham partnership began pursuing a new stadium site at Miami's Melreese golf course. Lynne Sladky AP
Miami-Dade County on Tuesday fought for the right to sell David Beckham land for a stadium in a no-bid deal, making its case before an appeals court at a time when it's not clear the retired soccer star even wants the public property anymore.
Beckham's lawyers are using activist Bruce Matheson's lawsuit against the $9 million county land deal to delay making a $901,500 down payment on the three acres of Miami-Dade land in Overtown. Meanwhile, Beckham's negotiating team, now led by new partner Jorge Mas, is pursuing a different site several miles away at Miami's Melreese golf course.
Hours after the hearing in front of Florida's Third District of Appeal, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said that the county would postpone the June 8 payment until after the Matheson suit concludes. The decision avoids a showdown over a deadline for the Beckham group to keep intact a nine-acre stadium site the partners assembled off the Miami River in Overtown.
The site was picked and secured months before Mas and his brother José joined the venture and promptly began searching for other places to play Major League Soccer.
The bid for another site raises the stakes for the appeals decision, since a quick win for the county and Beckham could actually cause more complications than would a drawn-out wait for a ruling.
There's a chance the three-judge panel that heard arguments from both sides will rule swiftly and decisively for the county after Tuesday's oral arguments. That would also eliminate the justification for delaying $901,500 payment and force the Beckham group to pay up if it wants to keep the Overtown site in play.
Only one judge, Robert Luck, asked questions during the hearing, and he hit both sides with challenges to their legal arguments.
Weeks after county commissioners approved the deal in June 2017, Matheson sued to block the transaction, saying Miami-Dade wrongly cited Florida's economic-development law in justifying the no-bid sale. The Beckham partners made their first $450,000 down payment in August, despite the Matheson suit. The Mas brothers joined the partnership in the fall.
A trial court later ruled with Miami-Dade, saying Florida allows local governments to contribute property to recruit companies and support ventures that would create jobs and boost the economy.
"The competitive bidding statutes in Florida is one of the most important statutes on the books," said Richard Ovelmen, lead lawyer for Matheson. Heir to a family that was once a major land holder in Miami-Dade, Matheson owns property near the Overtown site and helped lead the opposition to county approval of Beckham's stadium plans there.
Luck pointed to examples of Florida law that allow governments to sell land without going through a competitive bidding process. He cited affordable housing statutes where developers can buy land for nominal amounts, and laws allowing other governments and non-profits to acquire county land for public purposes.
"You state at least 15 times in your brief that any property must go through this procedure" of competitive bidding, Luck said.
The line of questioning favored the county's reasoning that while Florida's economic-development statute does not explicitly allow for no-bid deals, it wouldn't make sense to subject job-creating projects to better offers. Oren Rosenthal, an assistant county attorney, told Luck that negotiating a deal to bring a company to county land would fall apart if another bidder could just step in and buy the designated site for a slightly higher price.
"This challenge is an attempt to legislate by litigation," Rosenthal said. "Mr. Matheson disagrees with what the county did with [the Beckham deal] and with what the state ultimately did in adopting its economic-development statute."
Luck asked why the economic-development statute doesn't spell out an exemption to the state law requiring competitive bidding for government land deals.
"Certainly the legislature knows how to use 'not withstanding.' They do it constantly when they want to say: 'Ignore everything else,' " Luck said. "In this instance, they didn't."
Luck's monopoly on the questioning suggests he'll draft the opinion for the three-judge panel that heard Matheson v. Miami-Dade. The Beckham partnership joined the suit as a co-defendant, and had a lawyer speak briefly at Tuesday's hearing.
The court's ultimate decision could extend the litigation timetable — giving the Beckham group more time to delay the $901,500 payment while it pursues Melreese. The court could send the case back to the trial level, or issue a ruling that the losing side could appeal to the Florida Supreme Court.
But the court could also end the case by issuing a ruling without a written decision. Those rulings aren't subject to further appeal, but also don't set precedent for future cases.
That kind of quick decision could leave the Beckham group having to pay nearly $1 million to keep the Overtown site alive as it pursues a far more uncertain deal for Melreese.
Securing the 140-acre city golf course requires striking a lease deal with Miami, and then winning voter approval in a city referendum expected in November. Should the Beckham group falter in those talks or at the polls, Overtown could emerge as a backup site. Jorge Mas has said publicly the nine-acre Overtown site, including six acres the Beckham group has already purchased, is too small for the for-profit hotel, entertainment and office complex he wants next to the stadium.
At Tuesday's County Commission meeting, Gimenez said county lawyers planned to send the Beckham group a letter delaying the $901,500 payment until after the court system issues a "final determination" in the Matheson suit. The soccer group would then have the option of making the down payment or notifying the county it wanted to pull out of the deal .
Gimenez said the county determined the original 2017 deal gives the stadium group the ability to delay payments in the face of litigation. "I believe they have that right," Gimenez said of Beckham and partners.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/2018/6/5/17427672/columbus-crew-chicago-fire-usoc-2018-round-4-preview-news-projected-lineups-how-to-watch
Kings In Exile: Columbus Crew vs Chicago Fire, USOC Round 4 Preview
The Fire face off against That Yellow Team in their 2018 US Open Cup debut
For all the pride that the club and its fans have taken in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup over the years, the Chicago Fire enter the 2018 edition of the tournament with relatively minimal fanfare. The team is treating it as Just Another Game in an otherwise punishing season thrust onto a thin and trundling squad. Enthusiasm among fans seems uncharacteristically muted this year, for reasons I won’t even try to guess at.
You can’t really make anyone care about something if they really don’t want to. If the players and Veljko Paunovic are viewing tomorow’s clash with Columbus as just more fixture congestion, we’re going to get the result we deserve. If the fans can’t get behind the team for this game, it’ll be hard to blame the players for not giving 100% either. We know what’s at stake here— a chance to redeem this season, a shot at a fifth USOC title, and potentially making That Yellow Team forever winless against us in the Cup.
This used to, and ought to be again, our tournament.
In all probability, though, Pauno is going to rest the starters and focus on making sure no one else gets hurt. The tyranny of lowered expectations.
Chicago Fire all-time USOC record vs Columbus Crew: 6-0-0, 15 GF / 8 GA
Chicago Fire away USOC record vs Columbus Crew: 1-0-0, 2 GF / 1 GA
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.mystatesman.com/sports/soccer/mayor-best-use-mckalla-help-facilitate-major-league-soccer/Xm5IwKqHxIAUTp6jYEOkyK/
Mayor: Best use of McKalla is ‘to help facilitate Major League Soccer’
Austin Mayor Steve Adler is hardly ready to kick the ball into the net, but he did express a preference Tuesday for Major League Soccer at McKalla Place.
Adler made his first public comments since the release of Friday’s city staff report on the 24-acre, city-owned North Austin property and a proposal by the Columbus Crew SC owner to build a 20,118-seat stadium on that site near the Domain.
“I was pleased to see that the report indicated McKalla was a viable location for soccer. It also pointed out there were other viable uses for it, and that doesn’t surprise me,” Adler said. “The council’s going to have to step in and wade through those competing priorities. My sense is that (soccer) is a really unique opportunity to gather all parts of our community in a public setting in ways that don’t happen now.
“While I’m a huge proponent of affordable housing — and will vote to expand the housing element of the bond and using much of our publicly available land for affordable housing — I think the best use of this property in this location is to help facilitate Major League Soccer.”
District 3 Council Member Sabino “Pio” Renteria wants to make an MLS deal work in Austin, but a tight timeline is a concern. Representatives of Precourt Sports Ventures, who operate the Crew SC, have said they need some kind of agreement this summer in order to move the team here in 2019. The City Council has meetings June 14 and June 28 before taking a break until Aug. 9.
“The way our session is filling up, it’s going to be very hard to get it done in two meetings,” Renteria said. “There are points in that proposal likely to be negotiated. We’re going to have a lot of questions for them. Unless they get right down to it, without a lot of back and forth, I just don’t see getting this done in less than a month. We have so much on our plate right now.”
Renteria, who identified himself a soccer and pro sports fan, said the sticking point could be who pays for $16 million in infrastructure improvements, including $13 million for a proposed Capital Metro rail station.
“The city report was encouraging for soccer, that it could generate a lot of money. I was pretty excited,” he said. “In the proposal, I was glad to see they’re making that commitment to Foundation Communities.”
Foundation Communities is a nonprofit that builds affordable housing in Austin.
“Then further down I saw the infrastructure costs they want paid up front, and that’s money we don’t have. For most development, we don’t go around waiving fees, unless we’re housing homeless people.”
Adler noted he’s been so tied up in CodeNext, Austin’s complicated attempt to rewrite its land development code, that he hasn’t covered the full report or proposal.
“There’s still more detail we need to get from the soccer team and from the league, and I need to better understand how we can still get some community benefits associated with affordable housing from this,” he said. “In addition to the ones in the report, I’m interested in knowing if we can dedicate sales tax generated from the site towards the affordable housing trust fund.”
Renteria said affordable housing at McKalla Place is not realistic at this point.
“I’m all for affordable housing, but we don’t have the money for that right now,” he said. “Maybe with some partnerships down the road. The funding is just not there at the moment.”
Renteria made a case for MLS at McKalla — with the right deal.
“I really want soccer. It would be a big plus for Austin,” he said. “Yet we need to protect the taxpayers. It comes down to whether we can afford the infrastructure improvements and the real costs. When they finance that stadium, we want to make sure we don’t get stuck.”
(Follow link for full article.)
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/soccer/soccer/2018/06/05/20-years-fc-dallas-in-the-lamar-hunt-us-open-cup
20 Years: FC Dallas in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.wusa9.com/article/sports/dc-united-fans-object-to-dc-sports-curse-chatter/65-561743324
DC United fans object to 'DC sports curse' chatter
Some people in D.C. say the city has plenty of championships... from Washington's soccer team.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/economicdevelopment/Tampa-Bay-area-mayors-Transportation-problems-hurt-economic-development_168884871
Tampa Bay area mayors: Transportation problems hurt economic development
Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos (left), Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman discussed transportation and economic development Tuesday during the annual CREW Tampa Bay lunch for women working in commercial real estate. RICHARD DANIELSON | Times
TAMPA — The mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater agreed Tuesday, as they have before, that not having a better transportation system is the most serious disadvantage the bay area has when it tries to recruit business.
"The biggest regret of my eight years, when I leave office next May, is the fact we haven’t moved the needle on transportation," Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told about 450 people at the annual lunch for CREW Tampa Bay, a networking group for women working in commercial real estate.
LAST YEAR: Government leaders urge businesses to become transportation leaders
That means the region should have bus rapid transit, ride-sharing, autonomous vehicles, "and, yes, for parts of the community, rail has got to be part of the solution," Buckhorn said. "Rail for urban areas is critical."
In Hillsborough, the County Commission should let voters countywide "choose for themselves what they want their future to look like," the mayor said. Similarly, he said, the Legislature should let individual cities like Tampa hold referendums on enacting a tax for transportation.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Tampa again comes up short in quest to hold city-only sales tax referendum for transit
Without a dedicated revenue source that can be used to match federal transportation funds and repay money borrowed from the bond market, "we’re just taping it together with duct tape," Buckhorn said.
"It’s not just a quality of life issue; it’s an economic development issue," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, who also supported having the authority to do a city-only referendum. "We are at a competitive disadvantage without having serious mass transit options available to us."
Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos, who spent years in Washington D.C. as an aide to U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, said new businesses have grown up around Metro stops there, while the bay area has watched congestion worsen.
"Maryland, D.C., and Virginia can get together and come up with a transit alternative system, and we can’t get two counties together to decide what to do and how to do it to benefit all of us," he said. "That’s an embarrassment for every one of us."
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1004001221152313345
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
It's time to find out if you are the winner of our Rowdies Riches Sweepstakes! It's up to $4,000! Make sure to grab your match program from this past Saturday and visit http://RowdiesRiches.com .
7:05 AM - 5 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/AngelWill21/status/1003352466090536966
Angel Williams, MPA
@AngelWill21
Thanks @LeonTTaylor for taking the time to sign autographs and take a picture with these teens from @tampaparksrec Stay and Play last night! #ClassAct
12:07 PM - 3 Jun 2018 from Al Lang Stadium
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1004010090960248832
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
A lovely day at work 😄
7:40 AM - 5 Jun 2018
Monday, June 4, 2018
Rowdies Home Attendance Thread - Game 5 vs. ATLUTD2 [6/2] (self.TampaBayRowdies)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8o9fcj/rowdies_home_attendance_thread_game_5_vs_atlutd2/
Rowdies Home Attendance Thread - Game 5 vs. ATLUTD2 [6/2] (self.TampaBayRowdies)
Another good night for us in comparison to last year. We had 5,953 show up last night. Honestly I was surprised - the place felt packed in comparison to the last two games. Weather was pretty close to perfect. I'd guess with the rain and the Lightning Playoff Run in Games 3 and 4 we had a significant amount of no shows – Ticketmaster showed strong sales for both of those matches, they just felt lighter than last night...
Honestly surprised we didn’t break 6k, felt very full. Curse of the half filled midfield strikes again!
I thought the same thing...I wouldn't have been surprised to see 6,500-ish.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8o5jf6/rowdie_takeaways_week_12_tbr_v_atl2/
Rowdie Takeaways Week 12 - TBR v ATL2 (self.TampaBayRowdies)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8oadf6/three_things_rowdies_0_0_atlanta/
Three Things: Rowdies 0 - 0 Atlanta (rowdiessoccer.com)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/923640?referrer_id=2824806
Three Things: Rowdies 0 - 0 Atlanta
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8o61k4/rowdies_held_to_00_draw_by_atlanta_united_2/
Rowdies Held To 0-0 Draw By Atlanta United 2 (rowdiessoccer.com)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/923541
Rowdies Held To 0-0 Draw By Atlanta United 2
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/923562?referrer_id=2333971
Tampa Bay, Atlanta End Deadlocked
Both sides reduced to 10 men in scoreless draw before 5,953
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/atlanta-united-plays-to-scoreless-draw-at-tampa-bay/article_e4f205d7-57be-5bfd-b928-1554483b9224.html
Atlanta United 2 plays to scoreless draw at Tampa Bay
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/78193/watch-birthday-boy-freddy-adu-score-his-first-goa.html
Watch: Birthday boy Freddy Adu score his first goal in more than five years
Freddy Adu's goal -- and a nice one at that -- in the Las Vegas Lights' 4-1 win over the Colorado Springs Switchbacks helped end a seven-game winless streak for the USL expansion team.
It was also notable in that Adu, who was celebrating his 29th birthday, had not scored a goal since September 2012 with MLS's Philadelphia. Between those goals, he had not scored during stints with teams in Brazil, Serbia and Finland and the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/long-awaited-skate-park-opens-up-in-st-petersburg/67-560893236
Long-awaited skate park opens up in St. Petersburg
After years of planning and meetings, the St. Petersburg Regional Skatepark has officially opened.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.cltampa.com/arts-entertainment/sports/media-gallery/21007664/st-petersburg-regional-skatepark-opens-in-campbell-park
St. Petersburg Regional Skatepark opens in Campbell Park
Hundreds braved the heat to attend the ceremony and risk falling embarrassingly in public.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.sportstalkflorida.com/soccer/mls/mls-is-still-waiting-for-detroit/
MLS Is Still Waiting For Detroit
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber did his best retired National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern impression last week following the announcement that FC Cincinnati will be joining the league as an expansion team in 2019. Stern once told New Jersey lawmakers that they blew it by not providing funding for a new arena for the New Jersey Nets in Newark. Garber was clearly irritated with the plans of the Detroit expansion bidders as the MLS is looking for a few good owners for expansion teams. The MLS has filled two of the four expansion slots in a search that began in February 2017. Nashville elected officials found a quarter of a billion dollars to help fund a soccer stadium in the city and were welcomed with open arms by Garber. Cincinnati politicians cut all sorts of deals paving the way for FC Cincinnati to enter the MLS. But Detroit is not cooperating.
Detroit bid backers originally had a site in mind where an unfinished jail is located. The original plan had the Detroit group take the land over but there was a change in plans and the backers decided that sharing a football stadium with the NFL Lions made much more financial sense. To Garber that was a betrayal. “It set them back. But in many ways, they have come together to retrofit the field, which could make it very MLS-ready and they can talk about what those ideas might be, but they were really front runners when they were looking at the jail site.” Cincinnati, Nashville, Sacramento and Detroit emerged as the four major contenders for MLS expansion teams after a search for cities with owners and stadiums that were acceptable for the MLS. St. Louis dropped out of the running when voters turned down providing assistance for a soccer stadium. Other markets either had owner or stadium problems. The expansion plans continue.
Detroit was once number 1 for an expansion team.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.espn.com/soccer/north-american-soccer-league/story/3515198/us-soccer-rejects-cosmos-owners-$500m-proposal-to-revamp-nasl
U.S. Soccer won't alter sanctioning process for Cosmos owner's $500m NASL proposal
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0HpE4v04EI
HIGHLIGHTS - Rowdies vs Atlanta United 2 - June 2, 2018
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on Jun 3, 2018
HIGHLIGHTS presented by Tampa International Airport
The Rowdies and Atlanta United 2 battled to a scoreless draw on Saturday, with both teams playing over 45 minutes with 10 men.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gisKjjI494w
Rowdies Front Row: Atlanta United 2
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on Jun 4, 2018
Relive all the action from Rowdies vs Atlanta United 2
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/RalphsMob/status/1003077712305688576
Ralph's Mob
@RalphsMob
. @JDL_87 in the house!
5:55 PM - 2 Jun 2018 from St Petersburg, FL
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/RalphsMob/status/1003078265022701568
Ralph's Mob
@RalphsMob
@JDL_87 in the Mob section! 🙌🏽 #TeamTampaBay
5:57 PM - 2 Jun 2018 from Al Lang Stadium
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003268099754188801
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
HIGHLIGHTS presented by @FlyTPA
The Rowdies and @atlutd2 battled to a scoreless draw on Saturday, with both teams playing over 45 minutes with 10 men.
#TBRvATL
6:32 AM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003282268922630144
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Check out the @TechVacations Rowdies Save of the Game, as @akirafitzgerald made a fantastic stop early in the first half.
7:28 AM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003322985888079872
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
The Rowdies were stifled to a scoreless draw on Saturday night against @atlutd2 in a rare home performance that didn’t produce a goal.
3 Things: http://bit.ly/2HfTHCe
10:10 AM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003335705127411712
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Hear what Head Coach @neillycollins3 and defender @HunterGorskie had to say after last night's tough match.
Post Game Recap: Atlanta United 2
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11:00 AM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003350726234464256
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Hear what Head Coach @neillycollins3 had to say to media after Saturday's scoreless draw vs @atlutd2.
Neill Collins Adressed Media After Match
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12:00 PM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003621976424865793
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
.@amorrell9 spoke to media after Saturday's scoreless draw against @atlutd2. Here's what he had to say.
#TBRvATL
Hear what Alex Morrell had to say about his chance
Powered by SnappyTV
5:58 AM - 4 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003686722570543105
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Congratulations to @akirafitzgerald for being voted Man of the Match after keeping his first clean sheet of 2018!
10:15 AM - 4 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003724289684762630
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
The Rowdies are happy to announce our newest Corporate Group location, our Corner Kick VIP Tent! Located field level, this is our most exclusive location!
Call the Group Sales Department at (727) 521-7267 to hear more or email groups@rowdiessoccer.com.
12:44 PM - 4 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/VSPC/status/1003630335765176320
St. Pete/Clearwater
Verified account @VSPC
From @TampaBayRowdies and @RaysBaseball games to a Greek fest in Tarpon Springs, here's what #LiveAmplified events are happening this week! ☀️🌴
6:31 AM - 4 Jun 2018 from St Petersburg, FL
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003732817073672192
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Check out the recap of Saturday night's match against @ATLUTD2 in the latest Rowdies Front Row.
Rowdies Front Row: Atlanta United 2
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1:18 PM - 4 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180604/crew-cuts-psv-mls-file-reply-in-opposition-to-city-state-motion-to-dismiss-appeal
Crew Cuts: PSV, MLS file reply in opposition to city, state motion to dismiss appeal
Attorneys for Crew ownership group Precourt Sports Ventures and Major League Soccer on Friday filed a memo in opposition to a motion filed by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein asking the court to throw out PSV and MLS’ appeal.
The appeal was filed by PSV and MLS last month after Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey M. Brown ordered a 90-day pause in the city and state’s lawsuit against PSV and MLS and included several provisions that might allow for a bona fide offer from a prospective buyer to purchase the Crew during that window.
PSV, which announced last October that it would explore the possibility of relocating the Crew to Austin, Texas following the 2018 season, and MLS then appealed that order, arguing the pause amounts to an injunction preventing a move and that the additional provisions included in the court’s order, what they described as a “court-ordered bidding process,” were uncalled for.
Columbus and Ohio last month asked the court to throw out the appeal even before the filing of an opening brief because, they argued, Brown’s order was neither final nor appealable.
PSV and MLS in their latest filing reiterated their point that the appeal focuses on their ability to make business decisions “concerning the operations of Columbus Crew SC...an MLS club that has received consistently disappointing financial support from a market with a dedicated, but small, fan base.”
They argue that the pause amounts to a “provisional remedy” granted to the city and state.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.montanasports.com/2018/06/04/former-msu-billings-soccer-coach-dan-mcnally-joins-mls-bound-fc-cincinnati/
Former MSU Billings soccer coach Dan McNally joins MLS-bound FC Cincinnati
BILLINGS – Since he won 71 games during an eight-year stint in charge of the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer program, things have only gone up for former Yellowjacket head coach Dan McNally.
Last Tuesday, a dream came true for the now-vice president of operations at FC Cincinnati, as Major League Soccer announced the addition of the club to the top professional league in the United States beginning in the 2019 season.
“It is amazing what we have achieved in Cincinnati,” said McNally, who has been involved with the organization since joining the staff in 2015. “In three years we have made a huge impact on soccer in the United States. I am very proud to be part of this journey to Major League Soccer.”
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8o189s/rowdies_notebook_refresh_button_tams_media_game/
Rowdies Notebook: Refresh Button, Tam’s Media Game, Cole Moves Closer to UEFA License (theunsubs.com)
Cool to see some of these vets figuring out the next stages of their career. Love to see Tam actually join the booth and become the color guy when he hangs it up...
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/06/02/rowdies-notebook-refresh-button-tams-media-game-cole-moves-closer-to-uefa-license/3900
Rowdies Notebook: Refresh Button, Tam’s Media Game, Cole Moves Closer to UEFA License
(Follow link for full article.)
http://cincinnatisoccertalk.com/2018/06/04/fc-cincinnati-gets-the-mls-call
FC Cincinnati Gets the MLS Call
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.spin.ph/football/news/everton-wayne-rooney-dc-united-transfer-mls-premier-league
Everton won't stand in way of Wayne Rooney moving to DC United in MLS, says manager
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8o9fcj/rowdies_home_attendance_thread_game_5_vs_atlutd2/
Rowdies Home Attendance Thread - Game 5 vs. ATLUTD2 [6/2] (self.TampaBayRowdies)
Another good night for us in comparison to last year. We had 5,953 show up last night. Honestly I was surprised - the place felt packed in comparison to the last two games. Weather was pretty close to perfect. I'd guess with the rain and the Lightning Playoff Run in Games 3 and 4 we had a significant amount of no shows – Ticketmaster showed strong sales for both of those matches, they just felt lighter than last night...
Honestly surprised we didn’t break 6k, felt very full. Curse of the half filled midfield strikes again!
I thought the same thing...I wouldn't have been surprised to see 6,500-ish.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8o5jf6/rowdie_takeaways_week_12_tbr_v_atl2/
Rowdie Takeaways Week 12 - TBR v ATL2 (self.TampaBayRowdies)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8oadf6/three_things_rowdies_0_0_atlanta/
Three Things: Rowdies 0 - 0 Atlanta (rowdiessoccer.com)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/923640?referrer_id=2824806
Three Things: Rowdies 0 - 0 Atlanta
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8o61k4/rowdies_held_to_00_draw_by_atlanta_united_2/
Rowdies Held To 0-0 Draw By Atlanta United 2 (rowdiessoccer.com)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/923541
Rowdies Held To 0-0 Draw By Atlanta United 2
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/923562?referrer_id=2333971
Tampa Bay, Atlanta End Deadlocked
Both sides reduced to 10 men in scoreless draw before 5,953
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/atlanta-united-plays-to-scoreless-draw-at-tampa-bay/article_e4f205d7-57be-5bfd-b928-1554483b9224.html
Atlanta United 2 plays to scoreless draw at Tampa Bay
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/78193/watch-birthday-boy-freddy-adu-score-his-first-goa.html
Watch: Birthday boy Freddy Adu score his first goal in more than five years
Freddy Adu's goal -- and a nice one at that -- in the Las Vegas Lights' 4-1 win over the Colorado Springs Switchbacks helped end a seven-game winless streak for the USL expansion team.
It was also notable in that Adu, who was celebrating his 29th birthday, had not scored a goal since September 2012 with MLS's Philadelphia. Between those goals, he had not scored during stints with teams in Brazil, Serbia and Finland and the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/long-awaited-skate-park-opens-up-in-st-petersburg/67-560893236
Long-awaited skate park opens up in St. Petersburg
After years of planning and meetings, the St. Petersburg Regional Skatepark has officially opened.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.cltampa.com/arts-entertainment/sports/media-gallery/21007664/st-petersburg-regional-skatepark-opens-in-campbell-park
St. Petersburg Regional Skatepark opens in Campbell Park
Hundreds braved the heat to attend the ceremony and risk falling embarrassingly in public.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.sportstalkflorida.com/soccer/mls/mls-is-still-waiting-for-detroit/
MLS Is Still Waiting For Detroit
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber did his best retired National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern impression last week following the announcement that FC Cincinnati will be joining the league as an expansion team in 2019. Stern once told New Jersey lawmakers that they blew it by not providing funding for a new arena for the New Jersey Nets in Newark. Garber was clearly irritated with the plans of the Detroit expansion bidders as the MLS is looking for a few good owners for expansion teams. The MLS has filled two of the four expansion slots in a search that began in February 2017. Nashville elected officials found a quarter of a billion dollars to help fund a soccer stadium in the city and were welcomed with open arms by Garber. Cincinnati politicians cut all sorts of deals paving the way for FC Cincinnati to enter the MLS. But Detroit is not cooperating.
Detroit bid backers originally had a site in mind where an unfinished jail is located. The original plan had the Detroit group take the land over but there was a change in plans and the backers decided that sharing a football stadium with the NFL Lions made much more financial sense. To Garber that was a betrayal. “It set them back. But in many ways, they have come together to retrofit the field, which could make it very MLS-ready and they can talk about what those ideas might be, but they were really front runners when they were looking at the jail site.” Cincinnati, Nashville, Sacramento and Detroit emerged as the four major contenders for MLS expansion teams after a search for cities with owners and stadiums that were acceptable for the MLS. St. Louis dropped out of the running when voters turned down providing assistance for a soccer stadium. Other markets either had owner or stadium problems. The expansion plans continue.
Detroit was once number 1 for an expansion team.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.espn.com/soccer/north-american-soccer-league/story/3515198/us-soccer-rejects-cosmos-owners-$500m-proposal-to-revamp-nasl
U.S. Soccer won't alter sanctioning process for Cosmos owner's $500m NASL proposal
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0HpE4v04EI
HIGHLIGHTS - Rowdies vs Atlanta United 2 - June 2, 2018
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on Jun 3, 2018
HIGHLIGHTS presented by Tampa International Airport
The Rowdies and Atlanta United 2 battled to a scoreless draw on Saturday, with both teams playing over 45 minutes with 10 men.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gisKjjI494w
Rowdies Front Row: Atlanta United 2
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on Jun 4, 2018
Relive all the action from Rowdies vs Atlanta United 2
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/RalphsMob/status/1003077712305688576
Ralph's Mob
@RalphsMob
. @JDL_87 in the house!
5:55 PM - 2 Jun 2018 from St Petersburg, FL
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/RalphsMob/status/1003078265022701568
Ralph's Mob
@RalphsMob
@JDL_87 in the Mob section! 🙌🏽 #TeamTampaBay
5:57 PM - 2 Jun 2018 from Al Lang Stadium
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003268099754188801
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
HIGHLIGHTS presented by @FlyTPA
The Rowdies and @atlutd2 battled to a scoreless draw on Saturday, with both teams playing over 45 minutes with 10 men.
#TBRvATL
6:32 AM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003282268922630144
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Check out the @TechVacations Rowdies Save of the Game, as @akirafitzgerald made a fantastic stop early in the first half.
7:28 AM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003322985888079872
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
The Rowdies were stifled to a scoreless draw on Saturday night against @atlutd2 in a rare home performance that didn’t produce a goal.
3 Things: http://bit.ly/2HfTHCe
10:10 AM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003335705127411712
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Hear what Head Coach @neillycollins3 and defender @HunterGorskie had to say after last night's tough match.
Post Game Recap: Atlanta United 2
Powered by SnappyTV
11:00 AM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003350726234464256
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Hear what Head Coach @neillycollins3 had to say to media after Saturday's scoreless draw vs @atlutd2.
Neill Collins Adressed Media After Match
Powered by SnappyTV
12:00 PM - 3 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003621976424865793
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
.@amorrell9 spoke to media after Saturday's scoreless draw against @atlutd2. Here's what he had to say.
#TBRvATL
Hear what Alex Morrell had to say about his chance
Powered by SnappyTV
5:58 AM - 4 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003686722570543105
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Congratulations to @akirafitzgerald for being voted Man of the Match after keeping his first clean sheet of 2018!
10:15 AM - 4 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003724289684762630
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
The Rowdies are happy to announce our newest Corporate Group location, our Corner Kick VIP Tent! Located field level, this is our most exclusive location!
Call the Group Sales Department at (727) 521-7267 to hear more or email groups@rowdiessoccer.com.
12:44 PM - 4 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/VSPC/status/1003630335765176320
St. Pete/Clearwater
Verified account @VSPC
From @TampaBayRowdies and @RaysBaseball games to a Greek fest in Tarpon Springs, here's what #LiveAmplified events are happening this week! ☀️🌴
6:31 AM - 4 Jun 2018 from St Petersburg, FL
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1003732817073672192
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Check out the recap of Saturday night's match against @ATLUTD2 in the latest Rowdies Front Row.
Rowdies Front Row: Atlanta United 2
Powered by SnappyTV
1:18 PM - 4 Jun 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180604/crew-cuts-psv-mls-file-reply-in-opposition-to-city-state-motion-to-dismiss-appeal
Crew Cuts: PSV, MLS file reply in opposition to city, state motion to dismiss appeal
Attorneys for Crew ownership group Precourt Sports Ventures and Major League Soccer on Friday filed a memo in opposition to a motion filed by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein asking the court to throw out PSV and MLS’ appeal.
The appeal was filed by PSV and MLS last month after Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey M. Brown ordered a 90-day pause in the city and state’s lawsuit against PSV and MLS and included several provisions that might allow for a bona fide offer from a prospective buyer to purchase the Crew during that window.
PSV, which announced last October that it would explore the possibility of relocating the Crew to Austin, Texas following the 2018 season, and MLS then appealed that order, arguing the pause amounts to an injunction preventing a move and that the additional provisions included in the court’s order, what they described as a “court-ordered bidding process,” were uncalled for.
Columbus and Ohio last month asked the court to throw out the appeal even before the filing of an opening brief because, they argued, Brown’s order was neither final nor appealable.
PSV and MLS in their latest filing reiterated their point that the appeal focuses on their ability to make business decisions “concerning the operations of Columbus Crew SC...an MLS club that has received consistently disappointing financial support from a market with a dedicated, but small, fan base.”
They argue that the pause amounts to a “provisional remedy” granted to the city and state.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.montanasports.com/2018/06/04/former-msu-billings-soccer-coach-dan-mcnally-joins-mls-bound-fc-cincinnati/
Former MSU Billings soccer coach Dan McNally joins MLS-bound FC Cincinnati
BILLINGS – Since he won 71 games during an eight-year stint in charge of the Montana State University Billings men’s soccer program, things have only gone up for former Yellowjacket head coach Dan McNally.
Last Tuesday, a dream came true for the now-vice president of operations at FC Cincinnati, as Major League Soccer announced the addition of the club to the top professional league in the United States beginning in the 2019 season.
“It is amazing what we have achieved in Cincinnati,” said McNally, who has been involved with the organization since joining the staff in 2015. “In three years we have made a huge impact on soccer in the United States. I am very proud to be part of this journey to Major League Soccer.”
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8o189s/rowdies_notebook_refresh_button_tams_media_game/
Rowdies Notebook: Refresh Button, Tam’s Media Game, Cole Moves Closer to UEFA License (theunsubs.com)
Cool to see some of these vets figuring out the next stages of their career. Love to see Tam actually join the booth and become the color guy when he hangs it up...
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/06/02/rowdies-notebook-refresh-button-tams-media-game-cole-moves-closer-to-uefa-license/3900
Rowdies Notebook: Refresh Button, Tam’s Media Game, Cole Moves Closer to UEFA License
(Follow link for full article.)
http://cincinnatisoccertalk.com/2018/06/04/fc-cincinnati-gets-the-mls-call
FC Cincinnati Gets the MLS Call
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.spin.ph/football/news/everton-wayne-rooney-dc-united-transfer-mls-premier-league
Everton won't stand in way of Wayne Rooney moving to DC United in MLS, says manager
Friday, June 1, 2018
Rowdies' Mob Creates Unifying Force in Tampa Bay (uslsoccer.com)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8ntdgi/rowdies_mob_creates_unifying_force_in_tampa_bay/
Rowdies' Mob Creates Unifying Force in Tampa Bay (uslsoccer.com)
Way to represent Mike!!! Thankyou as always for helping to lead the cause!
great little write up! Though....missed an opportunity for an "except Orlando" in the end there. :D
fuckorlando. Hmmm, I guess hashtags don’t show up.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/922910-rowdies-mob-creates-unifying-force-in-tampa-bay
Rowdies' Mob Creates Unifying Force in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay's supporters group has helped make Al Lang Stadium one of the league's toughest trips
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Teams often talk about turning their home venue into a fortress, and in the USL – like so many leagues around the world – ensuring maximum points are gained each time a side steps onto its field is a cornerstone for long-term success.
So while a lot has been made of the Tampa Bay Rowdies recent road form, the fact that the club has lost just once at Al Lang Stadium in the USL regular season since their arrival in the league prior to last season has shown the club to live up to its words.
The Rowdies are undefeated going into Saturday's game at Al Lang Stadium against ATL UTD 2, and their home fans have been a significant part of that form. Named in honor of the club's original mascot, Ralph Rowdie, Ralph’s Mob is the rowdiest of Rowdies fans, and thanks to the club’s history which dates back to the 1970s when it was the first professional team in the Tampa Bay area the fanbase knows what's expected on the field and in the stands.
“I think it’s a really engaged crowd overall – they’re pretty soccer savvy. They know the right moments to help give the team a pick-me-up and when to be outraged and be heard,” said Ralph’s Mob member Mike Pendleton. “Ralph’s Mob is perched right under the overhang on the goal end which amplifies all of the sound coming around the corner. Plus we’ve got one of the best drummers you’ll find anywhere.”
Even the might of Real Monarchs SLC, a side that has claimed four road victories already this season in taking the lead in the race for the USL Regular Season Championship, couldn’t get a result at Al Lang Stadium. The Rowdies are 14-1-5 in the USL regular season since the start of the 2017 season, making Al Lang Stadium one of the toughest road venues to visit in the league.
“The crowd is definitely a huge factor. Our guys love coming come to play in front of supporters they know they can count on,” said Pendleton. “The pitch is generally immaculate, which I think helps the style we tend to play. Plus it’s hot and humid. Going 90 minutes in Florida conditions is something you have to be mentally and physically prepared for. We live in it and train in it every day, so we’ll always have an advantage.”
That heat isn’t just tough on the players. It’s also tough on the fans, especially in the Mob's section where they’re jumping, moving, chanting, and drumming. There’s no real way to keep cool aside from the plentiful options for hydration from the vendors dotted around the venue, but having the group placed under the roof has helped according to Pendleton.
That roof is one of the notable features at Al Lang Stadium, which provides one of the most unique backdrops in North American sports. The stunning view of the Tampa Bay waterfront has been a feature since the venue was originally opened in 1947 to host Spring Training games for Major League Baseball teams that included the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. That link between the old and new is still relevant for those going to Rowdies games nowadays.
"It is purely our home. After the remodel of the stadium in 2015, improvements were made to the facility to make it soccer only and feel like it is through and through Rowdies,” said Pendleton. “It’s got a great vista of the bay – one of the best views you’ll find anywhere in domestic soccer. Another factor is the history of the stadium and the site itself. For over 100 years there has been an active stadium there for professional sports in St. Petersburg. We have a unique claim to say that we’ve had legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Didier Drogba, Raul, and Joe Cole all ply their trade on that same ground.”
For many in Ralph’s Mob the group has proved to be a second family, and in an area like Tampa Bay which has so many people moving in from different states and even different countries that has been vital in getting people settled into the area.
“Like many people who live in Florida, I was a transplant from somewhere else with roots to professional sports team from a home somewhere else,” said Pendleton. “The Rowdies helped make this area really feel like a home for me. It’s like a family you come to see every Saturday night. We’ve got lots of fans who followed the original Rowdies for 20 years and still come out for this run of nearly 10 years in the modern era. It’s a special experience in the Tampa Bay area.”
With a perfect stadium location, right in downtown St. Petersburg, there is plenty to do around the stadium, and with a welcoming supporters group away fans should find plenty to do and that’s what Pendleton urges visitors to do.
“One perhaps is to leave time to explore Downtown St. Pete. There’s a lot to do here – great places to eat and drink all the way up and down Central Avenue or right around the stadium. It’s the advice I always give. There’s also really no bad place to sit. We love our team, but I think we’re generally welcoming to fans of all teams.”
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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/900561?related-922910
The USL Q&A – Rob Stone, Tampa Bay Rowdies Fan
FOX Sports host talks Rowdies fanhood, soccer’s domestic growth, love of Al Lang Stadium
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies welcomed lifelong fan Rob Stone to be the guest emcee at Monday night’s official season kickoff party at the Mahaffey Theater in downtown St. Petersburg as the Fox Sports host told stories about his history with the club and hosted a Q&A with Rowdies Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & Governor Bill Edwards and players Joe Cole, Marcel Schafer and Georgi Hristov.
Stone, who will host Fox’s 2018 FIFA World Cup coverage this summer, also talked with USLSoccer.com about his history with the sport, which saw him compete collegiately at Colgate University, and the massive strides soccer has made since he first became a Rowdies fan as a youngster.
GROWING UP ROWDIES
Q: What does it mean to be part of this, the launch of a new season for a club that you have so much history with?
Rob Stone: Yeah, I think it just goes to show the growth of this game that there are now events that happen like this in American soccer, and that you get a turnout and a huge pop for this, it shows the continued growth at a really staggering rate. The beauty about the Rowdies is it’s one of those few iconic names and brands that has shown the legs to survive from the 70s, 80s, 90s to where we are now. It’s arguably the most iconic name and brand in American soccer, and it’s the oldest team that’s still around now, which is surreal that we’re talking in those kinds of terms.
Q: You grew up with the Rowdies, what was it like growing up as a soccer fan in that era when you had such incredible names playing for the club?
RS: When I grew up as a fan of soccer, it was a chase. It was a chase to find the game. It wasn’t everywhere on television, it was Soccer Made in Germany on PBS, it was a random NASL game maybe on ABC Sports, and you prayed to God your team was there so you could actually see them. I lived in North Carolina and Connecticut as a fan of the Rowdies, and I would chase them down and badger my parents to take me to New England Tea Men games, take me to New York Cosmos games when the Rowdies were in town.
I was that idiot kid in the green and yellow hooped socks, the full kit – yes, I was a full-kit w----r as a kid – because that was my team and I didn’t care. I didn’t care going into the den of Giants Stadium in the swamp of New Jersey all kitted out as a kid because that was my team and that’s what I cared about. I took a lot of heat from Cosmos fans, but it was a good lesson for me to stick up for what you believe in, and I’ve always believed in the Rowdies. It’s my first love in sports, so I’m going to stay with them.
Q: We’ve seen the hooped socks on broadcasts as well, is it fun to be able to transmit that to the national audience?
RS: It is fun, because sometimes we’re asked to do things and other times we want to do it and it’s purely organic, and whenever the Rowdies come up, no-one’s asking me to talk about them, I’m doing it of my own free will and I think you can hear the change in my volume and my energy level and my passion.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about Al Lang Stadium?
RS: The uniqueness of it. The view. I just love that opening, that odd opening in the stadium that really makes no sense, but I love how the Rowdies have embraced it. It makes it different, it sets it apart where you’ve got this gorgeous view of what Florida should be. If you close your eyes and you say Florida, you’re seeing palm trees, you’re seeing water, you’re seeing boats, you’re seeing flip flops and you’re seeing leisure, and you see all of that through the channel, and yet all you need to do is tilt your head down to another degree and you see top-level soccer, an amazing fanbase, and a history that really right now is second-to-none in American soccer.
SOCCER'S GROWTH IN THE UNITED STATES
Q: The thing I find most interesting right now is soccer is becoming a much greater part of community pride, and it’s not just at the Major League Soccer Level, it’s across the country. You with the Rowdies, Alexi [Lalas] with Detroit, everyone is proud to represent Cincinnati, Sacramento, Louisville, Nashville, wherever it is, it’s being embraced as a civic entity now.
RS: Yeah, you’re seeing that everywhere, and there’s no way you could have forecast that phenomenon maybe even 10 years ago. I remember going to Asheville, North Carolina to go watch a World Cup 2014 game, and it’s Asheville, North Carolina, it’s out in the mountains, it’s the Blue Ridge Parkway, it’s not where you thought soccer would be, and guess what? Soccer was staring me right in the face and it was a sold-out bar. I had to call ahead to reserve a table for me and my friends, and it’s everywhere now. The gospel has been spread.
It’s almost like the California Missions, spreading the gospel up the coast of California, well guess what, this is the Soccer Missions, and it’s infiltrated everywhere. I take great joy in seeing these “smaller, minor-league cities” saying we’re now worthy of a team. We have a population that wants it, we have a fan-base that deserves it, we have ownership that wants to do it, and we have enough talent that the American population can handle it. It’s just spreading and spreading, and what the USL is doing and now what I’m seeing with USL D-3 absolutely warms my heart.
I remember when I graduated college I did a road trip with my best friend, and we wanted to hit ballparks. We weren’t diehard baseball fans, but it just felt like the thing to do, and we were like “yeah, we want to hit a couple of major league parks, but we also want to hit some of the minor league parks too, really get the nuances of the Durham Bulls or the San Antonio Mission, whatever these smaller teams were. Now, you can do it with soccer, and I wish I was graduating college now so I could do a summer road trip to all of these wonderful growing soccer communities that will take you in as one of their own just by pulling into the parking lot.
Q: You see the places where it’s springing up now, Birmingham, Memphis, you’ve got all of these Southeastern cities where the game has come alive following the tradition of the Rowdies. I don’t think anyone quite expected what Atlanta’s done, but there seems to have been this groundswell in the Southeast that the Rowdies are part of?
RS: For a long time the Southeast was confusing the experts. Boy, we’ve got to have a market here but nothing seems to stick, and there’s no way it’ll work here or there or Point A or Point B, and I for one didn’t think Atlanta was a fully-wise decision soccer-wise. I got it for the ownership and the stadium concept where we can get two teams there, but I grew up opposed to playing on artificial surface and in a football stadium, that just rubbed me the wrong way, but Atlanta has single-handedly changed that dynamic in one year.
That is the South, my friend, that’s Waffle House, Cracker Barrell, that is not where you expect soccer to be growing up, and it’s there, and it’s alive and well, and I think it sends a strong message to potential ownership groups, to potential sponsors, to the population itself not just here in North America but overseas as well that, holy cow, there’s more than just New York and L.A. for soccer. We can go to Atlanta, we can go to Tampa, we can go to Nashville, we can go to Portland, we can go from coast to coast, and including Canada, and you’re going to see a passionate fanbase, ownership and crowd that you’re going to want to be part of.
LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
Q: Your playing career…
RS: … was awesome. It’s going to go down in the record books as one of the greatest Americans to ever play in the Patriot League!
Q: … what did you enjoy most about playing?
RS: I enjoyed the competition and the camaraderie. I love competing, and I loved fighting for a goal particularly with a team. It’s that team concept that I really miss. We replicate it to an extent in your workplace and I think we have a great team at Fox Sports, whether it’s my soccer team, or college football, or college basketball, but to be on stage tonight and see that team introduced one by one, and see the bond they have and the subtle looks they can give each other, and you know it means something, and the battles they’ve been through, the ups and the downs, that’s what I miss, and that’s what really drew me to the game, just this sense of “we’re all in this together, let’s fight for a good cause doing something that we absolutely love.”
Q: Your first World Cup was as a sideline reporter, now you’ve gradually moved up the food chain, what’s it going to be like sitting in the big chair this summer?
RS: This summer, I’ve been preparing for it mentally and physically for a long, long time and to be handed the keys to this World Cup castle is daunting, I don’t take it lightly, I think of the names that have had it, but I also think of the growth that those people have been part of, and to where it is now. This World Cup presentation will be nothing compared to what you would have seen eight years ago, and to a point four years ago. ESPN was a master steward for the sport, and what they did for the World Cup, elevating it to a massive level of importance, and when we covered it in ’98 there was this fear among the remotes that once the U.S. is out all the remotes were going to say, “no, thank you”, and turn off, and every four years that sentiment kinda got eroded, and they said, “wait a second, people understand these other teams, they can talk about Germany, they’re intrigued by what’s going on in South America, oh my goodness, look at the Asian explosion.”
Now we have for the first time in decades no U.S. National Team, and for the first time in decades this country can handle it because this country knows what’s at stake, they understand the game, they understand what it means, and they understand what an event it is. No longer do we have to “educate the viewership”, they know what they’re getting themselves into, and now we just have to present it properly. We are going to overdeliver this summer, that’s my one guarantee.
Q: Speaking of overdelivering, some good promises made out there by [Bill Edwards on a championship season]. Marcel [Schafer] wouldn’t go quite as far, but this team looks like it has the makings of a serious championship contender. You’ll be remote in Russia, remote in L.A., is it going to be fun watching this team, this season?
RS: I’m pulled in so many directions in my life, but if there was a pie graph of my life there’s a chunk there that’s Green and Gold and keeps an eye on what’s going on. I’ve got people who remind me, I’ve got a lot of good friends who still live in the Tampa Bay area who send me texts, who’ll send me pictures, send me videos in the moment, who’ll Facetime me from games, so even if I’m back in California or in Red Square this summer I will be keeping track on how the Green and Gold are doing this season.
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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2018/05/31/can-fc-cincinnati-make-transition-lower-league-mls-better/661006002/
FC Cincinnati isn't first team to jump to MLS from lower leagues. Can they do it better?
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https://www.smdailyjournal.com/sports/the-latest-tiffeny-milbrett-latest-inductee-to-soccer-hall/article_3739614c-53d0-5207-81dd-20bda83ee5e3.html
The Latest: Tiffeny Milbrett latest inductee to soccer Hall
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https://www.wpxi.com/sports/disgruntled-fans-break-into-brazil-preworld-cup-training/756736855
Disgruntled fans break into Brazil pre-World Cup training
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https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/cordeiros-first-100-days-u-s-soccers-new-president-163548800.html
Cordeiro's first 100 days: What has U.S. Soccer's new president been up to?
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http://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states/story/3514704/don-garber-brad-friedel-tiffeny-milbrett-head-us-soccers-hall-of-fame-class?src=com
Don Garber, Brad Friedel, Tiffeny Milbrett head U.S. Hall of Fame class
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https://theathletic.com/375715/2018/05/31/austin-berry-has-had-a-front-row-seat-to-the-rise-of-soccer-in-the-queen-city/
Austin Berry has had a front-row seat to the rise of soccer in the Queen City
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https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2018/05/31/Garber.aspx
Don Garber Set For National Soccer HOF Induction This Fall
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https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/5-elected-to-U-S-soccer-Hall-12958731.php
5 elected to U.S. soccer Hall
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https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2018/06/01/quest-for-mls-cincinnatis-win-another-blow-to-sas.html
Quest for MLS: Cincinnati's win another blow to SA's hopes
Major League Soccer has awarded a second team to Ohio, leaving only two expansion slots open.
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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2018/06/01/rooney-zlatan-nippert-opponents-fc-cincinnati-could-host-mls/663232002/
Zlatan or Rooney at Nippert? Players FC Cincinnati could play against in MLS in 2019
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http://mycn2.com/spectrum-sports/fc-cincinnati-fcc-joining-mls-for-2019-season
FC CINCINNATI | FCC Joining MLS for 2019 Season
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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2018/06/01/unbelievable-cosmos-b-gk-robinson-amazed-his-hometown-cincinnati-has-an-mls-team/
UNBELIEVABLE: Cosmos B GK Robinson amazed, proud his hometown Cincinnati has an MLS team
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https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/soccer/louisville-city-fc/2018/06/01/mls-could-louisville-city-fc-move-major-league-soccer/659931002/
Can LouCity move up to MLS? League is 'impressed' by fans' support
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http://www.espn.com/soccer/north-american-soccer-league/story/3515198/us-soccer-wont-alter-sanctioning-process-for-cosmos-owners-$500m-nasl-proposal?src=com
U.S. Soccer won't alter sanctioning process for Cosmos owner's $500m NASL proposal
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https://www.loudountimes.com/news/dc-united-soccer-stadium-training-facility-in-loudoun-overshadowed-by/article_5534c326-64d9-11e8-b48a-ef1f66a6f086.html
DC United soccer stadium, training facility in Loudoun overshadowed by infrastructure concerns
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http://www.espn.com/soccer/north-american-soccer-league/story/3515198/us-soccer-rejects-cosmos-owners-$500m-proposal-to-revamp-nasl
U.S. Soccer won't alter sanctioning process for Cosmos owner's $500m NASL proposal
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http://www.espn.com/soccer/north-american-soccer-league/story/3515198/us-soccer-wont-alter-sanctioning-process-for-cosmos-owners-$500m-nasl-proposal
U.S. Soccer won't alter sanctioning process for Cosmos owner's $500m NASL proposal
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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/923380?referrer_id=2333971
After Breakthrough, Rowdies’ Flemmings Confident of More
First two goals for Tampa Bay boosted side ahead of key three-game homestand
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https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/06/01/st-petes-first-regional-skate-park-opens-saturday.html
St. Pete's first regional skate park opens Saturday
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https://stpetecatalyst.com/citys-1-25-million-skatepark-to-be-unveiled-saturday/
City’s $1.25 million skatepark to be unveiled Saturday
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8nq1hj/the_identity_tampa_bay_a_vinikbacked_digital/
The Identity Tampa Bay, a Vinik-backed digital network, launches apps and influencer program (Video) (bizjournals.com)
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https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/05/31/the-identity-tampa-bay-a-vinik-backed-digital.html
The Identity Tampa Bay, a Vinik-backed digital network, launches apps and influencer program (Video)
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http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/soccer/steve-cherundolo-inexplicably-falls-well-short-of-u-s-soccer-hall-of-fame-entry-again-20180601.html
Steve Cherundolo inexplicably falls well short of U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame entry, again
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https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2018/06/01/mls-executives-san-antonio-still-a-contender-for.html
MLS executives: San Antonio still a contender for expansion team
Multiple league officials have made it clear the Alamo City remains in the hunt for a franchise.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2018/06/01/soccer-hall-of-fame-voting-bocanegra-and-markgraf-were-close-cherundolo-inexplicably-was-not/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.62f841fdcdc5
Soccer Hall of Fame voting: Bocanegra and Markgraf were close, Cherundolo inexplicably was not
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180601/crew-sc-soccer-speakeasy-podcast-trillium-cup
Crew SC Soccer Speakeasy podcast: Trillium! Cup
(Follow link for full article.)
https://uk.reuters.com/article/soccer-usa-halloffame/garber-friedel-named-to-national-soccer-hall-of-fame-idUKFLMhGC9s
Garber, Friedel named to National Soccer Hall of Fame
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1002256101923086337
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
We're proud to join @TheIdentityTB influencer network, bringing the best lifestyle and sports influencers all under one roof in Tampa Bay.
2:30 PM - 31 May 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TheIdentityTB/status/1002241938505027584
The Identity Tampa Bay
@TheIdentityTB
We have found Tampa Bay's Identity.
Be a part of the movement. #WatercoolerReady
DETAILS: https://bit.ly/2xsu3KU
1:34 PM - 31 May 2018 from Tampa, FL
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https://twitter.com/mnanchoff/status/1002381728562982913
Michael Nanchoff
Verified account @mnanchoff
Honored to be chosen as keynote speaker at tonight’s Swope, Rodante Vanguard Awards banquet. Congratulations to all students/athletes/coaches on your success! Shout out to MVP Travis representing @tbusoccer proudly 👏🏽
10:50 PM - 31 May 2018 from Tampa, FL
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1002569367916249088
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Final prep for @atlutd2 tomorrow night 💪
11:15 AM - 1 Jun 2018
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https://twitter.com/jochengraf/status/1002568668851658752
Jochen Graf
@jochengraf
🏡 🔜
🔰 Al Lang tomorrow night 🔰
#COYR
11:12 AM - 1 Jun 2018
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https://twitter.com/KennyMoralesTV/status/1002571406331334656
Kenny Morales
@KennyMoralesTV
The @TampaBayRowdies are getting in one final practice this morning before their home match against Atlanta United 2 tomorrow night.
Hear from head coach @neillycollins3 and @mnanchoff tonight on @SpecSports360.
11:23 AM - 1 Jun 2018 from St Petersburg, FL
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1002632355318812672
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Get a Rowdies/Lunazul mason jar with the purchase of a Rowdy-Rita at tomorrow night’s match!
3:25 PM - 1 Jun 2018
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https://twitter.com/TrevorDeGroot/status/1002674974392569856
Trevor DeGroot
@TrevorDeGroot
Don’t call it a comeback! (Well, okay yeah you can) I’ve returned to call @TampaBayRowdies soccer for the rest of 2018! Catch tomorrow’s game vs Atlanta United 2 on @whnz in Tampa or on the @iHeartRadio app! #COYR ⚽️🎙📻
6:15 PM - 1 Jun 2018 from Florida, USA
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https://twitter.com/USL/status/1002542785050730497
USL
Verified account @USL
"They know the right moments to help give the team a pick-me-up and when to be outraged and be heard."
@RalphsMob gives the @TampaBayRowdies that extra boost at home 🏟️.
9:30 AM - 1 Jun 2018
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http://www.kxan.com/video/renderings-released-of-what-mls-stadium-in-north-austin-could-look-like_20180601133426/1212551233
Renderings released of what MLS stadium in north Austin could look like
On Friday, Austin's city manager will present a report to city council detailing the benefits of a Major League Soccer stadium and team in the city.
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http://www.oregonlive.com/fifa-world-cup/index.ssf/2018/06/former_us_womens_national_team_1.html
Former U.S. Women's National Team forward and Pilots star Tiffeny Milbrett gets Hall of Fame nod
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https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2018/06/01/ussf-denies-commissos-500-million-nasl-proposal/
USSF denies Commisso’s $500 million NASL proposal
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2018/06/01/soccer-hall-of-fame-voting-bocanegra-and-markgraf-were-close-cherundolo-inexplicably-was-not/?utm_term=.441bd0c6a706
Soccer Hall of Fame voting: Bocanegra and Markgraf were close, Cherundolo inexplicably was not
(Follow link for full article.)
https://ussoccerplayers.com/2018/06/a-respectfully-rebellious-view-from-abroad-todd-beane-on-the-state-of-american-coaching.html
A “respectfully rebellious” view from abroad: Todd Beane on the state of American coaching
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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/05/23/episode-162-wheres-the-el-paso-money-jake/3892
Episode 162 – Where’s the El Paso money, Jake?
The guys get together to talk about Neill Collins’ first game in charge, the current Eastern Conference standings, some league and club news, and introduce a new segment: Patron Questions! All that and a running update on what would become an utterly disheartening hockey game…
In tonight’s show:
Rowdies 2:2 Pittsburgh
Eastern Conference Standings
Lineup changes
Rowdies home games on WHNZ
USL raising expansion fees & future of club/casino partnerships
Patron Questions!
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http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180601/study-finds-mckalla-place-suitable-for-stadium-psv-proposal-includes-1-per-year-lease
Study finds McKalla Place suitable for stadium; PSV proposal includes $1 per year lease
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http://www.startribune.com/for-mls-stadium-supremacy-the-roar-of-portland-is-king/484362121/
For MLS stadium supremacy, the roar of Portland is king
When fans at Providence Park yell goal, it's thrilling.
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https://communityimpact.com/austin/northwest-austin/city-county/2018/06/01/details-emerge-in-potential-mls-to-austin-move-what-you-need-to-know-from-city-staffs-report-psvs-proposal/
Details emerge in potential MLS to Austin move: What you need to know from city staff’s report, PSV’s proposal
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/two-important-reports-released-detailing-major-league-soccer-stadium-near-domain
Two important reports released detailing Major League Soccer stadium near Domain
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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-scotland-defender-neill-collins-12635802
Former Scotland defender Neill Collins on friendship with Joe Cole and starting a managerial career in USA
Collins has been playing in the States and was given the opportunity to manage Tampa Bay Rowdies.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.golocalworcester.com/sports/revolution-coach-friedel-to-be-inducted-into-national-soccer-hall-of-fame
Revolution Coach Friedel to be Inducted Into National Soccer Hall of Fame
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/2018/06/01/editorial-mls-decision-no-brainer-covington-diocese-overreacted-graduation-speech/659073002/
Editorial: MLS decision was a no-brainer; Covington Diocese overreacted to graduation speech
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/don-garber-finally-getting-soccer-hall-of-fame-induction/ar-AAy5mES
Don Garber finally getting Soccer Hall of Fame induction
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8ntdgi/rowdies_mob_creates_unifying_force_in_tampa_bay/
Rowdies' Mob Creates Unifying Force in Tampa Bay (uslsoccer.com)
Way to represent Mike!!! Thankyou as always for helping to lead the cause!
great little write up! Though....missed an opportunity for an "except Orlando" in the end there. :D
fuckorlando. Hmmm, I guess hashtags don’t show up.
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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/922910-rowdies-mob-creates-unifying-force-in-tampa-bay
Rowdies' Mob Creates Unifying Force in Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay's supporters group has helped make Al Lang Stadium one of the league's toughest trips
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Teams often talk about turning their home venue into a fortress, and in the USL – like so many leagues around the world – ensuring maximum points are gained each time a side steps onto its field is a cornerstone for long-term success.
So while a lot has been made of the Tampa Bay Rowdies recent road form, the fact that the club has lost just once at Al Lang Stadium in the USL regular season since their arrival in the league prior to last season has shown the club to live up to its words.
The Rowdies are undefeated going into Saturday's game at Al Lang Stadium against ATL UTD 2, and their home fans have been a significant part of that form. Named in honor of the club's original mascot, Ralph Rowdie, Ralph’s Mob is the rowdiest of Rowdies fans, and thanks to the club’s history which dates back to the 1970s when it was the first professional team in the Tampa Bay area the fanbase knows what's expected on the field and in the stands.
“I think it’s a really engaged crowd overall – they’re pretty soccer savvy. They know the right moments to help give the team a pick-me-up and when to be outraged and be heard,” said Ralph’s Mob member Mike Pendleton. “Ralph’s Mob is perched right under the overhang on the goal end which amplifies all of the sound coming around the corner. Plus we’ve got one of the best drummers you’ll find anywhere.”
Even the might of Real Monarchs SLC, a side that has claimed four road victories already this season in taking the lead in the race for the USL Regular Season Championship, couldn’t get a result at Al Lang Stadium. The Rowdies are 14-1-5 in the USL regular season since the start of the 2017 season, making Al Lang Stadium one of the toughest road venues to visit in the league.
“The crowd is definitely a huge factor. Our guys love coming come to play in front of supporters they know they can count on,” said Pendleton. “The pitch is generally immaculate, which I think helps the style we tend to play. Plus it’s hot and humid. Going 90 minutes in Florida conditions is something you have to be mentally and physically prepared for. We live in it and train in it every day, so we’ll always have an advantage.”
That heat isn’t just tough on the players. It’s also tough on the fans, especially in the Mob's section where they’re jumping, moving, chanting, and drumming. There’s no real way to keep cool aside from the plentiful options for hydration from the vendors dotted around the venue, but having the group placed under the roof has helped according to Pendleton.
That roof is one of the notable features at Al Lang Stadium, which provides one of the most unique backdrops in North American sports. The stunning view of the Tampa Bay waterfront has been a feature since the venue was originally opened in 1947 to host Spring Training games for Major League Baseball teams that included the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. That link between the old and new is still relevant for those going to Rowdies games nowadays.
"It is purely our home. After the remodel of the stadium in 2015, improvements were made to the facility to make it soccer only and feel like it is through and through Rowdies,” said Pendleton. “It’s got a great vista of the bay – one of the best views you’ll find anywhere in domestic soccer. Another factor is the history of the stadium and the site itself. For over 100 years there has been an active stadium there for professional sports in St. Petersburg. We have a unique claim to say that we’ve had legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Didier Drogba, Raul, and Joe Cole all ply their trade on that same ground.”
For many in Ralph’s Mob the group has proved to be a second family, and in an area like Tampa Bay which has so many people moving in from different states and even different countries that has been vital in getting people settled into the area.
“Like many people who live in Florida, I was a transplant from somewhere else with roots to professional sports team from a home somewhere else,” said Pendleton. “The Rowdies helped make this area really feel like a home for me. It’s like a family you come to see every Saturday night. We’ve got lots of fans who followed the original Rowdies for 20 years and still come out for this run of nearly 10 years in the modern era. It’s a special experience in the Tampa Bay area.”
With a perfect stadium location, right in downtown St. Petersburg, there is plenty to do around the stadium, and with a welcoming supporters group away fans should find plenty to do and that’s what Pendleton urges visitors to do.
“One perhaps is to leave time to explore Downtown St. Pete. There’s a lot to do here – great places to eat and drink all the way up and down Central Avenue or right around the stadium. It’s the advice I always give. There’s also really no bad place to sit. We love our team, but I think we’re generally welcoming to fans of all teams.”
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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/900561?related-922910
The USL Q&A – Rob Stone, Tampa Bay Rowdies Fan
FOX Sports host talks Rowdies fanhood, soccer’s domestic growth, love of Al Lang Stadium
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies welcomed lifelong fan Rob Stone to be the guest emcee at Monday night’s official season kickoff party at the Mahaffey Theater in downtown St. Petersburg as the Fox Sports host told stories about his history with the club and hosted a Q&A with Rowdies Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & Governor Bill Edwards and players Joe Cole, Marcel Schafer and Georgi Hristov.
Stone, who will host Fox’s 2018 FIFA World Cup coverage this summer, also talked with USLSoccer.com about his history with the sport, which saw him compete collegiately at Colgate University, and the massive strides soccer has made since he first became a Rowdies fan as a youngster.
GROWING UP ROWDIES
Q: What does it mean to be part of this, the launch of a new season for a club that you have so much history with?
Rob Stone: Yeah, I think it just goes to show the growth of this game that there are now events that happen like this in American soccer, and that you get a turnout and a huge pop for this, it shows the continued growth at a really staggering rate. The beauty about the Rowdies is it’s one of those few iconic names and brands that has shown the legs to survive from the 70s, 80s, 90s to where we are now. It’s arguably the most iconic name and brand in American soccer, and it’s the oldest team that’s still around now, which is surreal that we’re talking in those kinds of terms.
Q: You grew up with the Rowdies, what was it like growing up as a soccer fan in that era when you had such incredible names playing for the club?
RS: When I grew up as a fan of soccer, it was a chase. It was a chase to find the game. It wasn’t everywhere on television, it was Soccer Made in Germany on PBS, it was a random NASL game maybe on ABC Sports, and you prayed to God your team was there so you could actually see them. I lived in North Carolina and Connecticut as a fan of the Rowdies, and I would chase them down and badger my parents to take me to New England Tea Men games, take me to New York Cosmos games when the Rowdies were in town.
I was that idiot kid in the green and yellow hooped socks, the full kit – yes, I was a full-kit w----r as a kid – because that was my team and I didn’t care. I didn’t care going into the den of Giants Stadium in the swamp of New Jersey all kitted out as a kid because that was my team and that’s what I cared about. I took a lot of heat from Cosmos fans, but it was a good lesson for me to stick up for what you believe in, and I’ve always believed in the Rowdies. It’s my first love in sports, so I’m going to stay with them.
Q: We’ve seen the hooped socks on broadcasts as well, is it fun to be able to transmit that to the national audience?
RS: It is fun, because sometimes we’re asked to do things and other times we want to do it and it’s purely organic, and whenever the Rowdies come up, no-one’s asking me to talk about them, I’m doing it of my own free will and I think you can hear the change in my volume and my energy level and my passion.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about Al Lang Stadium?
RS: The uniqueness of it. The view. I just love that opening, that odd opening in the stadium that really makes no sense, but I love how the Rowdies have embraced it. It makes it different, it sets it apart where you’ve got this gorgeous view of what Florida should be. If you close your eyes and you say Florida, you’re seeing palm trees, you’re seeing water, you’re seeing boats, you’re seeing flip flops and you’re seeing leisure, and you see all of that through the channel, and yet all you need to do is tilt your head down to another degree and you see top-level soccer, an amazing fanbase, and a history that really right now is second-to-none in American soccer.
SOCCER'S GROWTH IN THE UNITED STATES
Q: The thing I find most interesting right now is soccer is becoming a much greater part of community pride, and it’s not just at the Major League Soccer Level, it’s across the country. You with the Rowdies, Alexi [Lalas] with Detroit, everyone is proud to represent Cincinnati, Sacramento, Louisville, Nashville, wherever it is, it’s being embraced as a civic entity now.
RS: Yeah, you’re seeing that everywhere, and there’s no way you could have forecast that phenomenon maybe even 10 years ago. I remember going to Asheville, North Carolina to go watch a World Cup 2014 game, and it’s Asheville, North Carolina, it’s out in the mountains, it’s the Blue Ridge Parkway, it’s not where you thought soccer would be, and guess what? Soccer was staring me right in the face and it was a sold-out bar. I had to call ahead to reserve a table for me and my friends, and it’s everywhere now. The gospel has been spread.
It’s almost like the California Missions, spreading the gospel up the coast of California, well guess what, this is the Soccer Missions, and it’s infiltrated everywhere. I take great joy in seeing these “smaller, minor-league cities” saying we’re now worthy of a team. We have a population that wants it, we have a fan-base that deserves it, we have ownership that wants to do it, and we have enough talent that the American population can handle it. It’s just spreading and spreading, and what the USL is doing and now what I’m seeing with USL D-3 absolutely warms my heart.
I remember when I graduated college I did a road trip with my best friend, and we wanted to hit ballparks. We weren’t diehard baseball fans, but it just felt like the thing to do, and we were like “yeah, we want to hit a couple of major league parks, but we also want to hit some of the minor league parks too, really get the nuances of the Durham Bulls or the San Antonio Mission, whatever these smaller teams were. Now, you can do it with soccer, and I wish I was graduating college now so I could do a summer road trip to all of these wonderful growing soccer communities that will take you in as one of their own just by pulling into the parking lot.
Q: You see the places where it’s springing up now, Birmingham, Memphis, you’ve got all of these Southeastern cities where the game has come alive following the tradition of the Rowdies. I don’t think anyone quite expected what Atlanta’s done, but there seems to have been this groundswell in the Southeast that the Rowdies are part of?
RS: For a long time the Southeast was confusing the experts. Boy, we’ve got to have a market here but nothing seems to stick, and there’s no way it’ll work here or there or Point A or Point B, and I for one didn’t think Atlanta was a fully-wise decision soccer-wise. I got it for the ownership and the stadium concept where we can get two teams there, but I grew up opposed to playing on artificial surface and in a football stadium, that just rubbed me the wrong way, but Atlanta has single-handedly changed that dynamic in one year.
That is the South, my friend, that’s Waffle House, Cracker Barrell, that is not where you expect soccer to be growing up, and it’s there, and it’s alive and well, and I think it sends a strong message to potential ownership groups, to potential sponsors, to the population itself not just here in North America but overseas as well that, holy cow, there’s more than just New York and L.A. for soccer. We can go to Atlanta, we can go to Tampa, we can go to Nashville, we can go to Portland, we can go from coast to coast, and including Canada, and you’re going to see a passionate fanbase, ownership and crowd that you’re going to want to be part of.
LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD
Q: Your playing career…
RS: … was awesome. It’s going to go down in the record books as one of the greatest Americans to ever play in the Patriot League!
Q: … what did you enjoy most about playing?
RS: I enjoyed the competition and the camaraderie. I love competing, and I loved fighting for a goal particularly with a team. It’s that team concept that I really miss. We replicate it to an extent in your workplace and I think we have a great team at Fox Sports, whether it’s my soccer team, or college football, or college basketball, but to be on stage tonight and see that team introduced one by one, and see the bond they have and the subtle looks they can give each other, and you know it means something, and the battles they’ve been through, the ups and the downs, that’s what I miss, and that’s what really drew me to the game, just this sense of “we’re all in this together, let’s fight for a good cause doing something that we absolutely love.”
Q: Your first World Cup was as a sideline reporter, now you’ve gradually moved up the food chain, what’s it going to be like sitting in the big chair this summer?
RS: This summer, I’ve been preparing for it mentally and physically for a long, long time and to be handed the keys to this World Cup castle is daunting, I don’t take it lightly, I think of the names that have had it, but I also think of the growth that those people have been part of, and to where it is now. This World Cup presentation will be nothing compared to what you would have seen eight years ago, and to a point four years ago. ESPN was a master steward for the sport, and what they did for the World Cup, elevating it to a massive level of importance, and when we covered it in ’98 there was this fear among the remotes that once the U.S. is out all the remotes were going to say, “no, thank you”, and turn off, and every four years that sentiment kinda got eroded, and they said, “wait a second, people understand these other teams, they can talk about Germany, they’re intrigued by what’s going on in South America, oh my goodness, look at the Asian explosion.”
Now we have for the first time in decades no U.S. National Team, and for the first time in decades this country can handle it because this country knows what’s at stake, they understand the game, they understand what it means, and they understand what an event it is. No longer do we have to “educate the viewership”, they know what they’re getting themselves into, and now we just have to present it properly. We are going to overdeliver this summer, that’s my one guarantee.
Q: Speaking of overdelivering, some good promises made out there by [Bill Edwards on a championship season]. Marcel [Schafer] wouldn’t go quite as far, but this team looks like it has the makings of a serious championship contender. You’ll be remote in Russia, remote in L.A., is it going to be fun watching this team, this season?
RS: I’m pulled in so many directions in my life, but if there was a pie graph of my life there’s a chunk there that’s Green and Gold and keeps an eye on what’s going on. I’ve got people who remind me, I’ve got a lot of good friends who still live in the Tampa Bay area who send me texts, who’ll send me pictures, send me videos in the moment, who’ll Facetime me from games, so even if I’m back in California or in Red Square this summer I will be keeping track on how the Green and Gold are doing this season.
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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2018/05/31/can-fc-cincinnati-make-transition-lower-league-mls-better/661006002/
FC Cincinnati isn't first team to jump to MLS from lower leagues. Can they do it better?
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https://www.smdailyjournal.com/sports/the-latest-tiffeny-milbrett-latest-inductee-to-soccer-hall/article_3739614c-53d0-5207-81dd-20bda83ee5e3.html
The Latest: Tiffeny Milbrett latest inductee to soccer Hall
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https://www.wpxi.com/sports/disgruntled-fans-break-into-brazil-preworld-cup-training/756736855
Disgruntled fans break into Brazil pre-World Cup training
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https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/cordeiros-first-100-days-u-s-soccers-new-president-163548800.html
Cordeiro's first 100 days: What has U.S. Soccer's new president been up to?
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http://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states/story/3514704/don-garber-brad-friedel-tiffeny-milbrett-head-us-soccers-hall-of-fame-class?src=com
Don Garber, Brad Friedel, Tiffeny Milbrett head U.S. Hall of Fame class
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https://theathletic.com/375715/2018/05/31/austin-berry-has-had-a-front-row-seat-to-the-rise-of-soccer-in-the-queen-city/
Austin Berry has had a front-row seat to the rise of soccer in the Queen City
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https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2018/05/31/Garber.aspx
Don Garber Set For National Soccer HOF Induction This Fall
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https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/5-elected-to-U-S-soccer-Hall-12958731.php
5 elected to U.S. soccer Hall
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https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2018/06/01/quest-for-mls-cincinnatis-win-another-blow-to-sas.html
Quest for MLS: Cincinnati's win another blow to SA's hopes
Major League Soccer has awarded a second team to Ohio, leaving only two expansion slots open.
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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2018/06/01/rooney-zlatan-nippert-opponents-fc-cincinnati-could-host-mls/663232002/
Zlatan or Rooney at Nippert? Players FC Cincinnati could play against in MLS in 2019
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http://mycn2.com/spectrum-sports/fc-cincinnati-fcc-joining-mls-for-2019-season
FC CINCINNATI | FCC Joining MLS for 2019 Season
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https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2018/06/01/unbelievable-cosmos-b-gk-robinson-amazed-his-hometown-cincinnati-has-an-mls-team/
UNBELIEVABLE: Cosmos B GK Robinson amazed, proud his hometown Cincinnati has an MLS team
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https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/soccer/louisville-city-fc/2018/06/01/mls-could-louisville-city-fc-move-major-league-soccer/659931002/
Can LouCity move up to MLS? League is 'impressed' by fans' support
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http://www.espn.com/soccer/north-american-soccer-league/story/3515198/us-soccer-wont-alter-sanctioning-process-for-cosmos-owners-$500m-nasl-proposal?src=com
U.S. Soccer won't alter sanctioning process for Cosmos owner's $500m NASL proposal
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https://www.loudountimes.com/news/dc-united-soccer-stadium-training-facility-in-loudoun-overshadowed-by/article_5534c326-64d9-11e8-b48a-ef1f66a6f086.html
DC United soccer stadium, training facility in Loudoun overshadowed by infrastructure concerns
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http://www.espn.com/soccer/north-american-soccer-league/story/3515198/us-soccer-rejects-cosmos-owners-$500m-proposal-to-revamp-nasl
U.S. Soccer won't alter sanctioning process for Cosmos owner's $500m NASL proposal
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http://www.espn.com/soccer/north-american-soccer-league/story/3515198/us-soccer-wont-alter-sanctioning-process-for-cosmos-owners-$500m-nasl-proposal
U.S. Soccer won't alter sanctioning process for Cosmos owner's $500m NASL proposal
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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/923380?referrer_id=2333971
After Breakthrough, Rowdies’ Flemmings Confident of More
First two goals for Tampa Bay boosted side ahead of key three-game homestand
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https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/06/01/st-petes-first-regional-skate-park-opens-saturday.html
St. Pete's first regional skate park opens Saturday
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https://stpetecatalyst.com/citys-1-25-million-skatepark-to-be-unveiled-saturday/
City’s $1.25 million skatepark to be unveiled Saturday
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8nq1hj/the_identity_tampa_bay_a_vinikbacked_digital/
The Identity Tampa Bay, a Vinik-backed digital network, launches apps and influencer program (Video) (bizjournals.com)
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https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/05/31/the-identity-tampa-bay-a-vinik-backed-digital.html
The Identity Tampa Bay, a Vinik-backed digital network, launches apps and influencer program (Video)
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http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/soccer/steve-cherundolo-inexplicably-falls-well-short-of-u-s-soccer-hall-of-fame-entry-again-20180601.html
Steve Cherundolo inexplicably falls well short of U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame entry, again
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https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2018/06/01/mls-executives-san-antonio-still-a-contender-for.html
MLS executives: San Antonio still a contender for expansion team
Multiple league officials have made it clear the Alamo City remains in the hunt for a franchise.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2018/06/01/soccer-hall-of-fame-voting-bocanegra-and-markgraf-were-close-cherundolo-inexplicably-was-not/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.62f841fdcdc5
Soccer Hall of Fame voting: Bocanegra and Markgraf were close, Cherundolo inexplicably was not
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180601/crew-sc-soccer-speakeasy-podcast-trillium-cup
Crew SC Soccer Speakeasy podcast: Trillium! Cup
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https://uk.reuters.com/article/soccer-usa-halloffame/garber-friedel-named-to-national-soccer-hall-of-fame-idUKFLMhGC9s
Garber, Friedel named to National Soccer Hall of Fame
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1002256101923086337
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
We're proud to join @TheIdentityTB influencer network, bringing the best lifestyle and sports influencers all under one roof in Tampa Bay.
2:30 PM - 31 May 2018
(Follow link for full article.)
https://twitter.com/TheIdentityTB/status/1002241938505027584
The Identity Tampa Bay
@TheIdentityTB
We have found Tampa Bay's Identity.
Be a part of the movement. #WatercoolerReady
DETAILS: https://bit.ly/2xsu3KU
1:34 PM - 31 May 2018 from Tampa, FL
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https://twitter.com/mnanchoff/status/1002381728562982913
Michael Nanchoff
Verified account @mnanchoff
Honored to be chosen as keynote speaker at tonight’s Swope, Rodante Vanguard Awards banquet. Congratulations to all students/athletes/coaches on your success! Shout out to MVP Travis representing @tbusoccer proudly 👏🏽
10:50 PM - 31 May 2018 from Tampa, FL
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1002569367916249088
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Final prep for @atlutd2 tomorrow night 💪
11:15 AM - 1 Jun 2018
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https://twitter.com/jochengraf/status/1002568668851658752
Jochen Graf
@jochengraf
🏡 🔜
🔰 Al Lang tomorrow night 🔰
#COYR
11:12 AM - 1 Jun 2018
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https://twitter.com/KennyMoralesTV/status/1002571406331334656
Kenny Morales
@KennyMoralesTV
The @TampaBayRowdies are getting in one final practice this morning before their home match against Atlanta United 2 tomorrow night.
Hear from head coach @neillycollins3 and @mnanchoff tonight on @SpecSports360.
11:23 AM - 1 Jun 2018 from St Petersburg, FL
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https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/1002632355318812672
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Verified account @TampaBayRowdies
Get a Rowdies/Lunazul mason jar with the purchase of a Rowdy-Rita at tomorrow night’s match!
3:25 PM - 1 Jun 2018
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https://twitter.com/TrevorDeGroot/status/1002674974392569856
Trevor DeGroot
@TrevorDeGroot
Don’t call it a comeback! (Well, okay yeah you can) I’ve returned to call @TampaBayRowdies soccer for the rest of 2018! Catch tomorrow’s game vs Atlanta United 2 on @whnz in Tampa or on the @iHeartRadio app! #COYR ⚽️🎙📻
6:15 PM - 1 Jun 2018 from Florida, USA
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https://twitter.com/USL/status/1002542785050730497
USL
Verified account @USL
"They know the right moments to help give the team a pick-me-up and when to be outraged and be heard."
@RalphsMob gives the @TampaBayRowdies that extra boost at home 🏟️.
9:30 AM - 1 Jun 2018
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http://www.kxan.com/video/renderings-released-of-what-mls-stadium-in-north-austin-could-look-like_20180601133426/1212551233
Renderings released of what MLS stadium in north Austin could look like
On Friday, Austin's city manager will present a report to city council detailing the benefits of a Major League Soccer stadium and team in the city.
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http://www.oregonlive.com/fifa-world-cup/index.ssf/2018/06/former_us_womens_national_team_1.html
Former U.S. Women's National Team forward and Pilots star Tiffeny Milbrett gets Hall of Fame nod
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https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2018/06/01/ussf-denies-commissos-500-million-nasl-proposal/
USSF denies Commisso’s $500 million NASL proposal
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2018/06/01/soccer-hall-of-fame-voting-bocanegra-and-markgraf-were-close-cherundolo-inexplicably-was-not/?utm_term=.441bd0c6a706
Soccer Hall of Fame voting: Bocanegra and Markgraf were close, Cherundolo inexplicably was not
(Follow link for full article.)
https://ussoccerplayers.com/2018/06/a-respectfully-rebellious-view-from-abroad-todd-beane-on-the-state-of-american-coaching.html
A “respectfully rebellious” view from abroad: Todd Beane on the state of American coaching
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http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2018/05/23/episode-162-wheres-the-el-paso-money-jake/3892
Episode 162 – Where’s the El Paso money, Jake?
The guys get together to talk about Neill Collins’ first game in charge, the current Eastern Conference standings, some league and club news, and introduce a new segment: Patron Questions! All that and a running update on what would become an utterly disheartening hockey game…
In tonight’s show:
Rowdies 2:2 Pittsburgh
Eastern Conference Standings
Lineup changes
Rowdies home games on WHNZ
USL raising expansion fees & future of club/casino partnerships
Patron Questions!
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http://www.dispatch.com/sports/20180601/study-finds-mckalla-place-suitable-for-stadium-psv-proposal-includes-1-per-year-lease
Study finds McKalla Place suitable for stadium; PSV proposal includes $1 per year lease
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http://www.startribune.com/for-mls-stadium-supremacy-the-roar-of-portland-is-king/484362121/
For MLS stadium supremacy, the roar of Portland is king
When fans at Providence Park yell goal, it's thrilling.
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https://communityimpact.com/austin/northwest-austin/city-county/2018/06/01/details-emerge-in-potential-mls-to-austin-move-what-you-need-to-know-from-city-staffs-report-psvs-proposal/
Details emerge in potential MLS to Austin move: What you need to know from city staff’s report, PSV’s proposal
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/two-important-reports-released-detailing-major-league-soccer-stadium-near-domain
Two important reports released detailing Major League Soccer stadium near Domain
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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-scotland-defender-neill-collins-12635802
Former Scotland defender Neill Collins on friendship with Joe Cole and starting a managerial career in USA
Collins has been playing in the States and was given the opportunity to manage Tampa Bay Rowdies.
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.golocalworcester.com/sports/revolution-coach-friedel-to-be-inducted-into-national-soccer-hall-of-fame
Revolution Coach Friedel to be Inducted Into National Soccer Hall of Fame
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/2018/06/01/editorial-mls-decision-no-brainer-covington-diocese-overreacted-graduation-speech/659073002/
Editorial: MLS decision was a no-brainer; Covington Diocese overreacted to graduation speech
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/don-garber-finally-getting-soccer-hall-of-fame-induction/ar-AAy5mES
Don Garber finally getting Soccer Hall of Fame induction
Coming to St. Pete for TBR v LOU (July 7th) , looking for suggestions (self.TampaBayRowdies)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8nmnwp/coming_to_st_pete_for_tbr_v_lou_july_7th_looking/
Coming to St. Pete for TBR v LOU (July 7th) , looking for suggestions (self.TampaBayRowdies)
Looking for recommendations for things to do and stuff, also any discounts for tickets? They're a bit more than my country bumpkin self was expecting.
Coming in on Friday morning and leaving Monday morning!
If you're a student you could get tickets for 11$ if you're a run of the mill adult you could get tickets for 11$ on Ticketmaster.
If you’re getting a bite around the stadium before the game I have some suggestions for ya: The avenue Red mesa Engine no.9
We get multiple queries like this every season; here's a thread from last year:
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/5ttxfj/stlfc_fan_here_where_to_go_in_tampa/
Things to do: if you like museums, downtown St. Pete has a ton of them. Al Lang Stadium is a very short walk away from the Salvador Dali Museum.
There's the Chihuly Collection, the Morean Arts Center, the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, and coming next year the Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, to name a few.
Visit Old Florida roadside attraction, Sunken Gardens, a short drive north of Al Lang.
Food and drink options within walking distance of Al Lang are too numerous to mention them all; the Mob meets before games at The Thirsty First. There's a number of brew pubs along 1st and Central Avenues.
I highly recommend the Cuban sandwich at Bodega on Central, and The Notorious P.I.G. at Central Melt grilled cheese, also on Central Avenue.
I have made random discoveries like a Poke Bowl at PIN Wok & Bowl on Central. You can take random walks around downtown St. Pete and discover all sorts of things worth trying.
There's a couple of Kahwa Coffees in downtown St. Pete; good coffee and IMO far better than Starbucks. Genaro Coffee also gets rave reviews, but I have not tried it yet.
Besides craft breweries, there are a number of craft distilleries in St. Pete too, and if you don't have time to tour them, you can still pick up their products in downtown St. Pete liquor stores, products which you probably won't be able to find outside of Florida.
There's Central Cigars, if you're into that sort of thing.
There's the Saturday Morning Market, held in the Al Lang Stadium parking lot, except in the summer when it moves north a few blocks to Williams Park.
Lots more things one could mention, depending on your interests and how much time you have.
Thanks for this, that's...extensive
There's also the Sundial, a mall owned by Rowdies owner Bill Edwards, just north of Al Lang; if you are looking for Rowdies souvenirs, gear, jerseys, etc., there is a Rowdies gear shop at Al Lang Stadium, and another one at The Sundial.
Say "hi" to Nancy, the store manager, who is a big Rowdies fan, like I am, going back to the original Rowdies in the 1970's. She has an extensive collection of Rowdies memorabilia from the 1970s.
Good guide to Tampa Bay Area breweries:
http://www.thebrewerybay.com/
Article on local distilleries:
http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2017/tbt/ultimate-bar-guide-2017/local-spirits-distilleries/
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8nq1hj/the_identity_tampa_bay_a_vinikbacked_digital/
The Identity Tampa Bay, a Vinik-backed digital network, launches apps and influencer program (Video) (bizjournals.com)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/05/31/the-identity-tampa-bay-a-vinik-backed-digital.html
The Identity Tampa Bay, a Vinik-backed digital network, launches apps and influencer program (Video)
The Identity Tampa Bay, a digital network backed by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, has officially launched its next phase: App-based, local video content that can be watched on your smartphone or TV via platforms like Roku.
The Identity, which is under the umbrella of Vinik's Tampa Bay Entertainment Properties, started as a sports and lifestyle newsletter in early March. The app is now available for iOS, Android, AppleTV and Roku.
TBEP launched in 2017 with a 10-year multimedia rights partnership with the University of South Florida.
In addition to the official launch of its apps, The Identity also revealed a group of Tampa Bay social media influencers who will share content with The Identity. The influencers — most of whom are video based — range from local food bloggers to organizations like ZooTampa and Visit Tampa Bay as well as the Tampa Bay Rowdies. (See full list below.)
The Identity will also produce its own content by covering local events. The overarching goal is that the content has a feeling of authenticity and organic quality. Eventually, advertising will be incorporated into The Identity. Bill Abercrombie, executive vice president of business development for TBEP, said work is beginning on the advertising component.
"We know all of the underlying culture that exists in this marketplace," said Matt Samost, senior director of new ventures for TBEP. "There are so many great outlets doing content creations, and this is just another chance to add buoyancy and depth. We have to have that critical eye for it not feeling sponsored or promoted, so we’re very happy with where it is."
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/922908?referrer_id=3485885
Nanchoff Earns Fans’ Choice Goal of the Week
Half-volleyed long-range strike for Rowdies claims top spot in weekly fan poll
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/visualarts/st-pete-sculpture-museum-announces-move-to-central-avenue/2334127
St. Pete Sculpture Museum announces move to Central Avenue
Sculptor Jon Hair with his 26-foot lion sculpture. Hair's St. Pete Sculpture Museum will soon move to a prominent spot on Central Avenue, Hair said. [Courtesy of Jon Hair]
Another museum is joining the mix in St. Petersburg's downtown Central Arts District.
The St. Pete Sculpture Museum has signed a lease on a 3,200-square-foot space in the same Central Avenue building that's now home to the Chihuly Collection, sculptor Jon Hair said.
Hair opened his museum and sculpting studio at 290 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N in late 2016, but said he's hoping the new location at the corner of 8th Street and Central Avenue across from the Morean Arts Center will boost the museum's profile.
"It's exciting, it's unusual, and there's nothing like it in the country, because you get to see how sculptures are made," Hair said. "We're just not getting the traffic right now because we're too far off Central."
The museum's current location is in the Fringe District where its home to around 200 of Hair's bronze sculptures and original clay masters, including a 9-foot-tall Neil Armstrong, several U.S. presidents, galloping horses and a 26-foot-long lion.
"You can see bronzes anywhere, but you never see the original clay master sculptures, which are the part that's actually shaped by the artists's hand," Hair said.
SEARCH: Dozens of art exhibits and fun art events in our database
Hair plans to begin moving into the new space in October and be open by Christmas. He hopes to use the higher ceilings to display his art with more dramatic effect.
Hair is an award-winning sculptor with more than 100 commissions completed over the past 12 years, including work for U.S. Olympic Committee, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and dozens of universities across the country.
He's currently working on what he said is the largest college mascot sculpture in the country, a massive, bronze gamecock going up at the University of South Carolina.
He grew up in St. Petersburg, but left as a teenager and returned to the city last year when he opened the museum.
Just five blocks east at 100 Central Avenue, the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art is set open in early 2018. Its 30,000 square feet of gallery space will house around 400 pieces from philanthropists Tom and Mary James' extensive art collection.
"I think when the sculpture museum and the Tom James museum opens it will help everyone," said Roger Ross, chief financial officer for the Morean Arts Center, which owns and operates the Chihuly Collection. "St. Pete has become a big destination for museums now, people can spend a couple days here seeing them all."
COMING SOON: James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in downtown St. Pete
LOOK INSIDE: Chihuly Collection's new location in St. Petersburg
INDOOR FUN: 21 fun places to escape the heat (or rain) and chill indoors in Tampa Bay
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/events/21-fun-places-to-escape-the-heat-and-chill-indoors-in-tampa-bay/2331349
21 fun places to escape the heat (or rain) and chill indoors in Tampa Bay
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2018/05/30/st--pete-regional-skatepark-grand-opening-this-weekend
St. Pete Regional Skatepark grand opening this weekend
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/mls-names-fc-cincinnati-latest-expansion-team/
MLS names FC Cincinnati latest expansion team
(Follow link for full article.)
https://us.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2018053049044/david-beckham-net-worth-revealed/
What is David Beckham's net worth and how does he make his money?
His football salary, brand endorsements and more revealed…
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.813area.com/events/top-10-things-to-do-this-weekend-in-tampa-bay-june-1st-june-3rd.html
Top 10 Things to Do This Weekend in Tampa Bay | June 1st- June 3rd
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Atlanta United II
On Saturday the Tampa Bay Rowdies play against Atlanta United II in Saint Petersburg at Al Lang Stadium . The game begins at 7:30pm. It looks likely that they’ll win according to both teams statistics. Atlanta has only won two games out of the 11 they’ve played this season but the Rowdies have won almost half. So come out and get rowdy for your favorite team in Tampa!
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/05/30/as-st-pete-moves-forward-with-cross-bay-ferry.html
As St. Pete moves forward with Cross Bay Ferry return, Tampa mayor opposes funding
The city is moving forward with plans to continue the service with the same operator they used for the pilot.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.nevadabusiness.com/2018/06/ole-the-business-of-soccer-in-nevada/
Ole! The Business of Soccer in Nevada
Llamas are a quintessential piece of the Las Vegas Lights Football Club (LVFC). However odd that might sound, two live llamas, Dolly and Dotty, are a staple at LVFC games and events and embody the spirit the management wants to bring to Las Vegas with soccer.
Likewise, a smiley face waits on the inside of their jerseys for when a player scores and flips it over his head to celebrate. The fluorescently colored jerseys are sponsored by Zappos, the same company who introduced the llamas to the team at an early event. Owner Brett Lashbrook was so taken by the animals and the vibe they brought, he told the company to keep them around. So they’ve stuck around.
While many United Soccer League teams are affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS) organizations, Lashbrook wanted to stay independent, to be able to have fun and, potentially down the line, advance to the top league.
“We want to be fiercely independent,” said Steve Pastorino, the team’s vice president of corporate partnerships. “We don’t want a technical director in some MLS city telling us who our coach will be or which players need to play.”
He went on to add, “That doesn’t fly when we want to do unique things, have a uniform with a crazy design, cool game presentation and having llamas roaming around. We want to put on a show and we want to reflect Las Vegas and did not see a benefit to affiliating with an MLS team; it’s not in our DNA.”
Team management doesn’t think much about a jump to a higher league, yet. They’re using this first year to figure out if soccer works for a full season in Las Vegas, particularly in the heat of a July night.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8nmnwp/coming_to_st_pete_for_tbr_v_lou_july_7th_looking/
Coming to St. Pete for TBR v LOU (July 7th) , looking for suggestions (self.TampaBayRowdies)
Looking for recommendations for things to do and stuff, also any discounts for tickets? They're a bit more than my country bumpkin self was expecting.
Coming in on Friday morning and leaving Monday morning!
If you're a student you could get tickets for 11$ if you're a run of the mill adult you could get tickets for 11$ on Ticketmaster.
If you’re getting a bite around the stadium before the game I have some suggestions for ya: The avenue Red mesa Engine no.9
We get multiple queries like this every season; here's a thread from last year:
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/5ttxfj/stlfc_fan_here_where_to_go_in_tampa/
Things to do: if you like museums, downtown St. Pete has a ton of them. Al Lang Stadium is a very short walk away from the Salvador Dali Museum.
There's the Chihuly Collection, the Morean Arts Center, the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, and coming next year the Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, to name a few.
Visit Old Florida roadside attraction, Sunken Gardens, a short drive north of Al Lang.
Food and drink options within walking distance of Al Lang are too numerous to mention them all; the Mob meets before games at The Thirsty First. There's a number of brew pubs along 1st and Central Avenues.
I highly recommend the Cuban sandwich at Bodega on Central, and The Notorious P.I.G. at Central Melt grilled cheese, also on Central Avenue.
I have made random discoveries like a Poke Bowl at PIN Wok & Bowl on Central. You can take random walks around downtown St. Pete and discover all sorts of things worth trying.
There's a couple of Kahwa Coffees in downtown St. Pete; good coffee and IMO far better than Starbucks. Genaro Coffee also gets rave reviews, but I have not tried it yet.
Besides craft breweries, there are a number of craft distilleries in St. Pete too, and if you don't have time to tour them, you can still pick up their products in downtown St. Pete liquor stores, products which you probably won't be able to find outside of Florida.
There's Central Cigars, if you're into that sort of thing.
There's the Saturday Morning Market, held in the Al Lang Stadium parking lot, except in the summer when it moves north a few blocks to Williams Park.
Lots more things one could mention, depending on your interests and how much time you have.
Thanks for this, that's...extensive
There's also the Sundial, a mall owned by Rowdies owner Bill Edwards, just north of Al Lang; if you are looking for Rowdies souvenirs, gear, jerseys, etc., there is a Rowdies gear shop at Al Lang Stadium, and another one at The Sundial.
Say "hi" to Nancy, the store manager, who is a big Rowdies fan, like I am, going back to the original Rowdies in the 1970's. She has an extensive collection of Rowdies memorabilia from the 1970s.
Good guide to Tampa Bay Area breweries:
http://www.thebrewerybay.com/
Article on local distilleries:
http://www.tampabay.com/projects/2017/tbt/ultimate-bar-guide-2017/local-spirits-distilleries/
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/8nq1hj/the_identity_tampa_bay_a_vinikbacked_digital/
The Identity Tampa Bay, a Vinik-backed digital network, launches apps and influencer program (Video) (bizjournals.com)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/05/31/the-identity-tampa-bay-a-vinik-backed-digital.html
The Identity Tampa Bay, a Vinik-backed digital network, launches apps and influencer program (Video)
The Identity Tampa Bay, a digital network backed by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, has officially launched its next phase: App-based, local video content that can be watched on your smartphone or TV via platforms like Roku.
The Identity, which is under the umbrella of Vinik's Tampa Bay Entertainment Properties, started as a sports and lifestyle newsletter in early March. The app is now available for iOS, Android, AppleTV and Roku.
TBEP launched in 2017 with a 10-year multimedia rights partnership with the University of South Florida.
In addition to the official launch of its apps, The Identity also revealed a group of Tampa Bay social media influencers who will share content with The Identity. The influencers — most of whom are video based — range from local food bloggers to organizations like ZooTampa and Visit Tampa Bay as well as the Tampa Bay Rowdies. (See full list below.)
The Identity will also produce its own content by covering local events. The overarching goal is that the content has a feeling of authenticity and organic quality. Eventually, advertising will be incorporated into The Identity. Bill Abercrombie, executive vice president of business development for TBEP, said work is beginning on the advertising component.
"We know all of the underlying culture that exists in this marketplace," said Matt Samost, senior director of new ventures for TBEP. "There are so many great outlets doing content creations, and this is just another chance to add buoyancy and depth. We have to have that critical eye for it not feeling sponsored or promoted, so we’re very happy with where it is."
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/922908?referrer_id=3485885
Nanchoff Earns Fans’ Choice Goal of the Week
Half-volleyed long-range strike for Rowdies claims top spot in weekly fan poll
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/visualarts/st-pete-sculpture-museum-announces-move-to-central-avenue/2334127
St. Pete Sculpture Museum announces move to Central Avenue
Sculptor Jon Hair with his 26-foot lion sculpture. Hair's St. Pete Sculpture Museum will soon move to a prominent spot on Central Avenue, Hair said. [Courtesy of Jon Hair]
Another museum is joining the mix in St. Petersburg's downtown Central Arts District.
The St. Pete Sculpture Museum has signed a lease on a 3,200-square-foot space in the same Central Avenue building that's now home to the Chihuly Collection, sculptor Jon Hair said.
Hair opened his museum and sculpting studio at 290 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N in late 2016, but said he's hoping the new location at the corner of 8th Street and Central Avenue across from the Morean Arts Center will boost the museum's profile.
"It's exciting, it's unusual, and there's nothing like it in the country, because you get to see how sculptures are made," Hair said. "We're just not getting the traffic right now because we're too far off Central."
The museum's current location is in the Fringe District where its home to around 200 of Hair's bronze sculptures and original clay masters, including a 9-foot-tall Neil Armstrong, several U.S. presidents, galloping horses and a 26-foot-long lion.
"You can see bronzes anywhere, but you never see the original clay master sculptures, which are the part that's actually shaped by the artists's hand," Hair said.
SEARCH: Dozens of art exhibits and fun art events in our database
Hair plans to begin moving into the new space in October and be open by Christmas. He hopes to use the higher ceilings to display his art with more dramatic effect.
Hair is an award-winning sculptor with more than 100 commissions completed over the past 12 years, including work for U.S. Olympic Committee, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and dozens of universities across the country.
He's currently working on what he said is the largest college mascot sculpture in the country, a massive, bronze gamecock going up at the University of South Carolina.
He grew up in St. Petersburg, but left as a teenager and returned to the city last year when he opened the museum.
Just five blocks east at 100 Central Avenue, the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art is set open in early 2018. Its 30,000 square feet of gallery space will house around 400 pieces from philanthropists Tom and Mary James' extensive art collection.
"I think when the sculpture museum and the Tom James museum opens it will help everyone," said Roger Ross, chief financial officer for the Morean Arts Center, which owns and operates the Chihuly Collection. "St. Pete has become a big destination for museums now, people can spend a couple days here seeing them all."
COMING SOON: James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in downtown St. Pete
LOOK INSIDE: Chihuly Collection's new location in St. Petersburg
INDOOR FUN: 21 fun places to escape the heat (or rain) and chill indoors in Tampa Bay
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/events/21-fun-places-to-escape-the-heat-and-chill-indoors-in-tampa-bay/2331349
21 fun places to escape the heat (or rain) and chill indoors in Tampa Bay
(Follow link for full article.)
http://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2018/05/30/st--pete-regional-skatepark-grand-opening-this-weekend
St. Pete Regional Skatepark grand opening this weekend
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/mls-names-fc-cincinnati-latest-expansion-team/
MLS names FC Cincinnati latest expansion team
(Follow link for full article.)
https://us.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2018053049044/david-beckham-net-worth-revealed/
What is David Beckham's net worth and how does he make his money?
His football salary, brand endorsements and more revealed…
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.813area.com/events/top-10-things-to-do-this-weekend-in-tampa-bay-june-1st-june-3rd.html
Top 10 Things to Do This Weekend in Tampa Bay | June 1st- June 3rd
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Atlanta United II
On Saturday the Tampa Bay Rowdies play against Atlanta United II in Saint Petersburg at Al Lang Stadium . The game begins at 7:30pm. It looks likely that they’ll win according to both teams statistics. Atlanta has only won two games out of the 11 they’ve played this season but the Rowdies have won almost half. So come out and get rowdy for your favorite team in Tampa!
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/05/30/as-st-pete-moves-forward-with-cross-bay-ferry.html
As St. Pete moves forward with Cross Bay Ferry return, Tampa mayor opposes funding
The city is moving forward with plans to continue the service with the same operator they used for the pilot.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.nevadabusiness.com/2018/06/ole-the-business-of-soccer-in-nevada/
Ole! The Business of Soccer in Nevada
Llamas are a quintessential piece of the Las Vegas Lights Football Club (LVFC). However odd that might sound, two live llamas, Dolly and Dotty, are a staple at LVFC games and events and embody the spirit the management wants to bring to Las Vegas with soccer.
Likewise, a smiley face waits on the inside of their jerseys for when a player scores and flips it over his head to celebrate. The fluorescently colored jerseys are sponsored by Zappos, the same company who introduced the llamas to the team at an early event. Owner Brett Lashbrook was so taken by the animals and the vibe they brought, he told the company to keep them around. So they’ve stuck around.
While many United Soccer League teams are affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS) organizations, Lashbrook wanted to stay independent, to be able to have fun and, potentially down the line, advance to the top league.
“We want to be fiercely independent,” said Steve Pastorino, the team’s vice president of corporate partnerships. “We don’t want a technical director in some MLS city telling us who our coach will be or which players need to play.”
He went on to add, “That doesn’t fly when we want to do unique things, have a uniform with a crazy design, cool game presentation and having llamas roaming around. We want to put on a show and we want to reflect Las Vegas and did not see a benefit to affiliating with an MLS team; it’s not in our DNA.”
Team management doesn’t think much about a jump to a higher league, yet. They’re using this first year to figure out if soccer works for a full season in Las Vegas, particularly in the heat of a July night.
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