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Hey, I did not notice the new 2017 lower league thread! Bumping it up. In a move that surprised no one, Rowdies 2 in NPSL is now Rowdies U23 in PDL: quote:Rowdies U23 to Compete in USL’s Premier Development League
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Feb 4, 2017 02:44
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all-Rush mixtape posted:FC Edmonton - made the playoffs, yet finished next-to-last in attendance, ahead of only Fort Lauderdale (holy gently caress, what happened there?) Speaking of, what is going on with the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. Last I heard PSG were going to buy them and Bill Edwards had some kind of lawsuit, but have not heard anything in a few months. Supposedly they may be able to return for the Fall 2017 season? quote:Miami FC - created to poke Beckham in the eye, EXTREMELY Italian And that poke is proving to be a worthwhile gamble so far, as today, Feb. 5th, marks the 3rd year anniversary of the Beckham/MLS/Miami announcement, and they are no closer to getting an MLS team in Miami than they were three years ago. quote:Saint Louis FC - probably going to MLS in 2020, if the stadium is built (Chicago) I know no one believes me, but the Tampa Bay Rowdies are also probably going to MLS; and they don't have to ask the taxpayers for money for a stadium either. quote:Phoenix Rising FC - get it?!?!?!? No one liked my clever idea: Phoenix XI.  quote:Below Division II in the US and Canada are the semi-pro leagues, and below that are the amateurs, but no one really talks about those leagues except in rare circumstances, so I'll skip them. If you want to talk about San Diego Zest FC or Toronto Skillz FC and any other Z-based team, be my guest. There's ah....whataretheycalled....UPSL that announced they are going to have promotion/relegation within their own leagues. There's NPSL which is a sort of alternative to PDL (a U-23 league in USL). Others I can't recall. There's still a league out there that uses the "soccer football" name for the sport, the San Francisco Soccer Football League, established in 1902, and is "the oldest American soccer league in continuous existence": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Soccer_Football_League There are the two CSL's: Cosmopolitan Soccer League, in New York, and Canadian Soccer League, in Canada (kicked out of CSA for illegal match fixing/gambling). There's the Canadian Premier League which is supposed to happen in a few years. awyeahz posted:Jacksonville Armada - Have an inflatable octopus mascot named Squid Vicious. Noice. quote:New York Cosmos - NASL's newest franchise, founded in January 2017. Planned to build a $400 million stadium at Belmont Park, which there was no public support for. Won the 2016 NASL championship at historic Belson Stadium, which failed to sell out with 2,150 in attendance. Moving to Coney Island's Brooklyn Cyclones baseball stadium. Average attendence: 3,775 (bad). Cosmos did draw well the first few years at Hofstra. The move to Brooklyn is none too soon, though, as attendance was dropping steadily at Hofstra. Per the previous thread the pitch at MCU may not be too bad given that it is artificial (which is a different kind of bad, though); what really is bad are the viewing angles for the fans. If you Google the setup the Cosmos had at their game at MCU Park last year, it isn't great. It is a baseball stadium where the two stands come together at an acute angle so there's no way to really make the soccer pitch line up correctly with the stands. But still better than playing at a university stadium on Long Island. MCU Park is right next to major public transit lines, and there's no restrictions on beer.  quote:San Francisco Deltas - Venture capital and Portuguese language social media. Plan to play in a 5000-seat stadium in Golden Gate Park, which has no public parking. Kezar Stadium, where the 49ers used to play. Much reduced in size after the rebuild. No idea how they managed to have NFL games there back in the day. Also made famous by Dirty Harry. Home of the short lived California Victory.
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Feb 6, 2017 01:57
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camoseven posted:Holy moly you weren't kidding about those sight lines: It is a bit like the setup that the Rowdies (technically "FC Tampa Bay" at the time; thanks a lot you miserable trademark squatters in Texas) had in 2010 at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Fortunately the stands at Al Lang form a right angle so it was easier to put the goal lines and touch lines in proper alignment with the stands at Al Lang. Another view of Cosmos at MCU Park:  George Steinbrenner Field setup circa 2010: 
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Feb 7, 2017 08:52
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Happy 42nd birthday Tampa Bay Rowdies (yesterday, Feb. 14th). NASL wants to play USL for D2 "super cup": http://www.empireofsoccer.com/sehgal-of-nasl-is-bullish-on-division-ii-super-cup-57845-57845/
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Feb 15, 2017 06:07
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awyeahz posted:the loser gets their entire league relegated We've come full circle from 2010 when USSF forced USL and NASL ("TOA" or not yet NASL) to play as a unified D2 league...only, you know, without the shotgun marriage this time. Luigi Thirty posted:I've been to precisely 1 Rowdies game, they played the Sounders B-team in the US Open Cup and beat them 1-0. Rowdies beat the Timbers in Soccer Bowl 1975 so you can like us for that too.  all-Rush mixtape posted:I just realized - both 2016 NASL and USL champions claim New York as their home. THAT would be an intense Super Cup if the Baby Bulls had, you know, people showing up to their games. Red Bull should have revived the MetroStars name for their B team. Speaking of: quote:The complete list of MLS-USL affiliations, partnerships for 2017
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Feb 16, 2017 07:31
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I won't bother look up and post the links, but we have recent chatter about new NASL clubs in Orange County and in San Diego. Also, there is another group in Atlanta planning on making a big announcement soon about new men's and women's teams in Atlanta, presumably NASL and NWSL teams.
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Feb 25, 2017 02:10
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quote:http://www.tribune242.com/news/2017/mar/13/bahamas-bid-united-soccer-league-team/ [adjusts shorts]
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Mar 14, 2017 08:51
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King of False Promises posted:Rowdies win their first home opener since 2012, and against Orlando City. 7,710 in attendance, the most for the new-era Rowdies since their return as "FC Tampa Bay" in their 2010 home opener in Tampa which was a little over 8,000. Edit: removed some pointless rumors on my part. Some people may have been causing trouble but on the whole things seemed to go fairly well, compared to the last time OCSC played at Al Lang. Anyway: MLS are you paying attention? You got your equivalent of the next Cascadia rivalry right there in central Florida. Screw Miami. War on I-4 is what you want. Nice crowd atmosphere and Ralph's Mob tifo, from what I see on social media. Hopefully Bill Edwards and his people are working hard to keep this up over the remaining home games this season. Easy enough to sell out the first game; getting people to come back regularly is harder. Especially when the weather is bad. Or when the weather is good. Florida is weird that way. Some more.... quote:2017 Rowdies Season Kickoff Party & Kit Unveiling Nice stadium.... quote:Best #USL stadium? Do over Ham fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Mar 27, 2017 |
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Mar 26, 2017 21:39
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awyeahz posted:The Rowdies bid looks very good and reasonable. Yes, but not "sexy" so we wait on David Beckham and Miami. I mean we're almost too reasonable; no government money. If Bill Edwards were asking for taxpayer money Garber would be all over the Tampa Bay Area pimping our bid. See St. Louis for an example of that. quote:Meanwhile, here in Eleventown we got ourselves a second kit sponsor! Well...that's awkward. I was at the Revs vs. Loons game at Gillette yesterday and suddenly realized that the Revs shirt sponsor is United Health Care; United Health just so happens to be the reason why the Loons are named Minnesota United and not the Stars or whatever. Hmmm. I think it means something but not sure what. Do over Ham fucked around with this message at 22:06 on Mar 26, 2017 |
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Mar 26, 2017 22:03
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Nice rant, but on point, and a nice shout-out to lower league soccer in Florida (though I can faintly hear the St. Pete provincials: "Tampa ain't St. Pete, REEEEEEEEE!"):quote:Miami's 'El Clasico' a blatant cash grab and everything that's wrong with American soccer To be fair, though, almost no one actually cares about "David Beckham's Miami MLS project", die hard grass roots lower level soccer fans included, except to the extent that it may impact the team they happen to support. Also to be fair, these friendlies put cash in the pockets of SUM, which is the same thing as saying that it puts cash in the pockets of MLS, so indirectly the Eurosnobs are supporting MLS without realizing it. But nice rant anyway.
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Mar 28, 2017 01:37
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So, ah, apparently Phoenix Rising in USL have signed Didier Drogba? Someone should probably look into that...  Fans in the Tampa Bay Area can help with the "get out the yes vote" campaign in St. Pete... quote:Ralph's Mob Tampa Bay Rowdies released a new iphone/android app, which is nice (there was an old one but it has not been updated since 2013), but I only found out about the new app from some chatter on Facebook (which I can't even find anymore; not sure who was talking about it). Nothing about it from the Rowdies; they need to step things up and promote this a bit more. If the app is only known and used by a tiny handful of fans it will be DOA just like the old app.
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Mar 30, 2017 06:47
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I'm shocked that the Didier Drogba thing has not gotten more notice or comment. Still wondering if it was an early April Fools joke. Rowdies have signed Joe Cole to a new extended contract, so he will be with us for a few more years. Good move; Joe Cole has been an excellent signing. Florida House has passed a silly bill banning public lands use for sports stadiums; no comment yet from the Rowdies or from St. Pete but the bill is unlikely to become law as the Senate is not moving on it and it is unclear whether the law would even apply to the Al Lang Stadium situation, even if it passed the Senate. Almost a month now until the May 2nd referendum in St. Pete. #MLS2StPete
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Apr 1, 2017 09:35
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I don't want to bump up last year's thread, so will post this here. This details the rescue of the NY Cosmos and explains that yes someone was looking to buy the Cosmos just for the IP rights:quote:A fax away from destruction, Cosmos have new life in NASL under Commisso
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Apr 1, 2017 11:54
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trem_two posted:There is nothing on the Phoenix website that mentions Drogba at all, so it appears to be just a rumor at this point It's all over reddit from multiple sources including very reliable (as I understand it from a brief skim) French football sources. And I received multiple google alerts about it from what I have found to be reliable news sources in the past. If it is a hoax it is a very skillful one. No one has issued any denials yet. We shall see.
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Apr 2, 2017 00:40
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Rowdies top of the east; 3-0-0, 6 goal differential with no goals conceded so far. I'm not used to this success in one of my teams; will take some getting used to and fingers crossed they can keep this up all season. http://www.uslsoccer.com/usl-standings I'm liking the USL on Youtube; good way to watch the league with so many teams I wouldn't have a chance to watch otherwise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArhoeRb9_KE I've just discovered the "You Suck At Cooking" channel on Youtube and now every time I watch the Rowdies TV feed with Mike Pepper I mentally change his name to "pepper pepper pepper".
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Apr 10, 2017 03:42
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Azerban posted:phoenix rising was the name of the place i bought warhammer figurines when i was in grade 7 Just across the street from Mojo Rising. Possible nice little new stadium for Louisville City FC: http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/780556
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Apr 13, 2017 06:21
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https://streamable.com/bhib3 https://twitter.com/TampaBayRowdies/status/855051106178617347 Tampa Bay Rowdies Verified account @TampaBayRowdies Marcel Schäfer's 🚀 against @fccincinnati landed at #2 in @SportsCenter's Top 10. #SCtop10 🎥: SportsCenter Marcel Schäfer's Goal in SportsCenter's Top 10 Powered by SnappyTV 6:30 AM - 20 Apr 2017
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Apr 21, 2017 06:26
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The Unused Substitutes have this cool online magazine called The Bench: http://www.theunsubs.com/wp/2017/04/22/the-bench-vol-2-issue-4/2772 There will be an #MLS2StPete rally a week from now before the Rowdies home game, three days before the May 2nd St. Pete referendum; details in The Bench above. Things are looking good for a yes vote; fingers crossed knock on wood. Coincidentally, MLS is reevaluating the Miami situation this coming week.
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Apr 22, 2017 18:47
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So as I am sure everyone knows by now, the vote in St. Petersburg passed with 87% yes vote Tuesday last week. And now we go back to the waiting game. #MLS2StPete #MLS2TampaBay #Rowdies2MLS #COYR In other news, CSA has approved the new Canadian Premier League. Asheville, North Carolina now has a soccer team: Asheville City Soccer Club (NPSL). This is definitely the type of small city I can see supporting a lower league club. Yes they even have a small selection of locally microbrewed beer. Possible new USL D3 club in Lexington, Kentucky. Nashville MLS bidder buys the USL club, Nashville SC, for a unified club ownership in Nashville. Phoenix Rising hires Goldman Sachs to finance their potential MLS stadium. Tacoma Rainiers minor league baseball club will be taking over and running Sounders 2 reserve team in partnership with the Seattle Sounders. With a new local stadium and a new name/brand for Tacoma.
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May 8, 2017 09:12
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https://twitter.com/SiriusXMFC/status/869904136258670592quote:SiriusXM FC https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/6evbj6/thurs_june_8th_rodney_marsh_and_tommy_smyth_will/ quote:Thurs. June 8th: Rodney Marsh and Tommy Smyth will be hosting their SiriusXM FC show "Grumpy Pundits" at Sundial St. Pete (with guests Joe Cole, former Rowdies Steve Wegerle & Mark Lindsay) (twitter.com) The Sundial is owned by Bill Edwards, so it is a safe bet that #MLS2StPete will be one of the topics under discussion. Anyway, an interesting gathering of Rowdies old & new. Do over Ham fucked around with this message at 06:36 on Jun 6, 2017 |
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Jun 6, 2017 06:33
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Bill Edwards has bought the moldering remains of the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. https://thefloridasqueeze.com/2017/06/20/fort-lauderdale-strikers-begin-new-chapter-with-bill-edwards-acquisition/ Also: quote:http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-bz-fort-lauderdale-strikers-auction-20170619-story.html Do over Ham fucked around with this message at 02:58 on Jun 21, 2017 |
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Jun 21, 2017 02:37
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all-Rush mixtape posted:The question now is, is this more embarrassing than buying a team on eBay? Especially when you end up rebranding a few years down the road anyway, because reasons.
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Jun 22, 2017 02:04
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Rowdies now or soon will have at least three ex-Cosmos players (Sebastian Guenzatti, Walter Restrepo, Leo Fernandes). Collect 'em all! Strikers aren't around anymore to take players from, so we raid the Cosmos. If Rowdies go to MLS, Giovanni Savarese might be available as coach, maybe. Apparently he wants to leave the Cosmos for an MLS coaching gig.
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Jul 31, 2017 05:36
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all-Rush mixtape posted:Austin update: still without anything Next year in Aggro posted:Is this also the thread for lower division US soccer? Yes! The D2 drama over the winter caused the thread title to be a little too specific. Rowdies beat Harrisburg Coat Outlet 3-0, move into tie for 2nd place (actually third, 1 goal difference). Pickens plays 100th match for the Rowdies, gets his own "fear the beard" Tifo: https://streamable.com/jnxba https://twitter.com/ralphsmob/status/893990185175830528 https://imgur.com/gallery/Q41aY
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Aug 6, 2017 10:06
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Do over Ham posted:Next year in all-Rush mixtape posted:Austin update: 2019! Well, I was just being ironic, but close enough.  Paul Dalglish out as GM and head coach of Ottawa Fury.
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Aug 17, 2017 11:06
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BIG FLUFFY DOG posted:Pro of this location: very close to NuLu one of the city's two big nightlife districts. 
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Aug 29, 2017 01:02
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camoseven posted:Yea the FC really ruins it. Las Vegas Lights is a fine American sports team name, but adding FC makes it incredibly stupid. I voted for Club Vegas though, so what do I know? Las Vegas Lights sounds like the name of a lite beer, or a Vegas show, though. I'd have gone with reviving one of the old club names like Las Vegas Quicksilvers. But I agree FC is overused, as is SC, which is even worse since "soccer" is just a nickname for association football; if we are going to use initials, then AFC and SFC and AC aren't being used yet in MLS; I think there's only one AFC currently in USL(?). But then I am weird and perverse; I like names like Austin Aztex. San Antonio FC should have been San Antonio Hotspur (they are owned by the San Antonio Spurs; so much better name than just another FC). Phoenix Rising should have been Phoenix XI (XI = 11, or the last two letters of Phoenix, reversed). Orlando City should have been Orlando Furioso (all the literary nerds would have loved it). Yes I'm weird and too clever by half; but the MLS/USL soccer marketing drones are unimaginative and clueless about soccer history and tradition and simply don't get clever references; they just mindlessly copy whatever is the current fad or trend.
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Sep 4, 2017 09:43
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wicka posted:Those are some of the worst name ideas I’ve ever heard. Thanks! quote:E: I was super hungover when I read that post originally and I'd like to go on record as saying Las Vegas Quicksilver(s) is a good name and Phoenix XI is pretty clever. Quicksilver(s) of course isn't mine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Quicksilvers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Quicksilver Bentai posted:Las Vegas Silver finished third in voting. From the way the fan vote was structured they would have added an SC/FC to whatever name won. I'm sure some people, like me, submitted Quicksilver but it never even made the top six. I also suggested something like Vegas 1906, a nod to the year the town was founded. If they had gone with 1906 we would never hear the end of it from Deutsches Fußball fans, as the year is supposed to be when the club was founded, not when the city or town was founded. Can't please everyone. all-Rush mixtape posted:I'm going on record as saying I want Austin's team to be known as Austin A.F.C., mainly because the only non-American team I root for uses that identifier. I'm so very sorry.  There's actually quite a lot of English clubs that use the A.F.C. in their official names as in the early days (late 1800s/early 1900s) they were competing with other local F.C.'s (some of whom were actually rugby clubs, not soccer clubs) and the additional clarification was necessary to avoid confusion. But lots of these clubs don't bother using their full official names in ordinary marketing anymore. Do over Ham fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Sep 5, 2017 |
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Sep 5, 2017 01:16
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Angstronaut posted:http://fiftyfive.one/2017/09/us-soccer-federation-rejects-nasls-division-ii-application/ Hail Satan! Seriously just merge NASL into USL already. It's obvious by now that USL has won the D2 wars. D2 will be a lot stronger united under the USL umbrella, and could use the additional bigger markets currently in NASL (NY Cosmos, Indy Eleven, NCFC, Miami FC, SF Deltas, etc.). Lots more local rivals that way. Edit to add: and yes I realize that NY Cosmos and Miami FC would probably not want to go to USL and/or USL would not want them; I'm talking ideally, it would make the most sense. Once again it would be nice if USSF would step in and impose some order but I'm not holding my breath. fyallm posted:I loved the name Silverbacks.. Glad I'm not the only one who remembers the old indoor Silverbacks. Speaking of old indoor soccer club names: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_Xoggz Do over Ham fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Sep 6, 2017 |
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Sep 6, 2017 02:58
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quote:http://www.statesman.com/sports/motor-sports/usl-austin-still-sifting-through-dozens-names/nskgTaZlwnu6fMDsut83rJ/ 
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Sep 12, 2017 06:14
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So NASL is suing USSF. Looks like we can continue that "we literally do not know" title into next year. But then again we could have run that title since 2009 or 2010; at this rate we might see a full decade of lower league chaos.
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Sep 20, 2017 07:21
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awyeahz posted:Nothing got leaked from the nasl board of governors meeting except that railhawks owner and ussf board member steve malik voted against suing himself. Hmmm.... https://twitter.com/curtjohnson17/status/911042639641837568 Cool story about ye olde timey USA soccer.... quote:https://thesefootballtimes.co/2017/09/25/james-and-george-brown-the-men-who-changed-the-face-of-us-soccer/ What MLS teams can do.... quote:https://buy.shareacoke.com/custom-bottles-1/sports-team-bottles/mls-soccer-team-coca-cola-bottles ....Rowdies have already done (well, with Pepsi, not Coke...)! 
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Sep 26, 2017 08:48
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all-Rush mixtape posted:I certainly hope that's just to cover their base! Honestly given “Austin Bold FC” or any other name that the USL marketing drones are likely to come up with, "Austin Aztex" is looking better and better IMNSHO. quote:http://lastwordonsoccer.com/2017/10/08/usl-attendance-reaches-two-million-for-2017-season/
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Oct 9, 2017 09:53
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Crazy Ted posted:They would have had a chance had the owners hired actual front office specialists instead of literally trying to crowdsource attendance through word of mouth. IIRC Sacramento Republic and Tampa Bay Rowdies have similar ticket prices but manage to sell tickets anyway. But they do have professional front office ticket specialists to actually sell tickets. Columbus Crew moving to Austin? This was not how I envisioned Austin getting its team back. Bad karma from Orlando.
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Oct 17, 2017 11:37
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So now some of the MLS reserve teams in USL are dropping out next year. Coming next year - "USSF Division 2 Pro Leagues 2018: we still literally do not know". Do over Ham fucked around with this message at 09:37 on Oct 18, 2017 |
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Oct 18, 2017 09:33
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Crazy Ted posted:Given the indirect Anchorman reference let's just agree to call it Whale Vagina FC. We're reaching levels of wordy-nerdy self-referential recursive memetics that shouldn't even be possible. Do over Ham fucked around with this message at 20:07 on Oct 20, 2017 |
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Oct 20, 2017 06:13
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Sorry FC Cincinnati, but Tampa Bay Rowdies are pretty hot right now at home. Away, not so much.
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Oct 23, 2017 08:17
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Was listening to the Sirius XM soccer channel last night while driving, they were interviewing Rocco Commisso; I was doing so much eye-rolling while listening that I feared my eyes would lock in the back of my skull, causing me to crash my car. There are some Rowdies fans who like to hate on Bill Edwards, but they should look at the fate of the NY Cosmos and the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, to name two obvious recent examples, and be thankful. Bill Edwards has been an excellent owner in spite of his quirks and faults. Speaking of Bill Edwards, on Monday it was announced that he was "selling the Rowdies" in a click-baity article, which was later corrected to "looking for additional investors" to get the Rowdies into MLS. The knives were out amongst the I-hate-Bill-Edwards crowd; this was proof that they had been right all along; the Rowdies should have stayed in NASL; soon the Rowdies would be sold to some fly-by-night operator running the Rowdies on a shoestring budget as Orlando City's USL reserve team to replace the recently defunct Orlando City B, followed decades later by a giant asteroid crashing into the earth to relieve us Rowdies fans of our shame at long last. When it became clear that Bill Edwards was not trying to sell off the Rowdies, but rather he was talking to "five or six" potential investors interested in taking the Rowdies to MLS, and had hired a financial advisor to help with these negotiations, and that he would like to stay on as a minority Rowdies owner if they get an MLS expansion spot, this was dismissed by the I-hate-Bill-Edwards crowd as just spin to help sell season tickets to the few remaining suckers. And besides, MLS sucks and ticket prices will go up and our secret little hipster thing in the obscurity of lower league soccer would be ruined and lose its "authenticity" and Bill Edwards would be to blame for that too. Basically no matter what happens certain people will be unhappy, but if the Bill Edwards and the Rowdies actually succeed they can't say "I told you so" so they have motivation to hope for the worst. Now, I don't know what our chances are, but with the right investment group, the Rowdies could be back in front of the expansion race. Bill Edwards should have done all of this a year ago or more, but I guess he was still thinking in the MLS 1.0 or MLS 2.0 mindset where his initial proposal would have been viable. We seem to be in the MLS 3.0 era now though and MLS wants not just a single billionaire (or near billionaire), but multi-billionaires, preferably more than one, as new MLS team owners. The Tampa Bay Area is the largest TV market (#11) without a team, it is four hours drive from Miami, which is a plus, not a minus, making it attractive to both potential MLS investors, and to potential international footballers who might want to play in MLS but who don't find a spot in Beckham's Miami team. IMO. The Rowdies being a old and well known North American soccer brand doesn't hurt matters, either, and is still a well known name among older soccer people in the USA and in the UK. Speaking of, happy belated 43rd birthday to the Rowdies, yesterday (Tampa Bay Rowdies officially first kicked a soccer ball on Feb. 14, 1975, Valentine's Day). Finally, the Al Lang Stadium location is still unique for potential MLS SSS: an urban, downtown, waterfront stadium. With more money, they can knock down the old stadium, which is an old concrete baseball stand built in the 1970s and is of no historical significance; the wooden stadium all the famous baseball players played at was torn down long before most of you reading this were born. With the old stands torn down they can reorient the pitch properly and build a nice SSS, something similar to what Orlando City has (which is very nice). . The Rays are also moving to Ybor City in Tampa, if they can secure the financing. It is unlikely but if they get it done quickly it could also open up the Tropicana site for the Rowdies as an alternative to Al Lang. Also preseason soccer matches have begun.
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Feb 15, 2018 15:15
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