USL 'abandons' Tampa Bay

that is sad....

as far as east...PB Pumas, looks like they are still
in it...we hope.

 

Interesting looks like the Tampa area's soccer history in the Rowdies is just that "History". I'm sorry for those few Tampa Bay area futbol/soccer fans, it appears pro soccer won't be going back to your area for some time

My pal, Ieca should also learn a lesson from this. Looks like the Ft. Lauderdale area also has also lost its spirtits for the game of soccer... no matter how many old and out of date NASL attendence figures he wants to compare Lockhart vs OB/Miami... Miami is the lone place in S. Florida pro soccer can survive SSS or not, period.

PS: Seems Tampa Bay area sports fans have pleanty to do in going to Lightning, Devil Rays and Buccaneer games... compared to the days when the Bucs and the Rowdys where the only tickets in town. Similarly, in Ft.Lauderdale, the Anglos there seem to be more into the Panthers/Dolphins ???Marlins??? than soccer compared to the day where Strikers Soccer was the LONE game in town.

 

As a soccer fan in the Tampa area, I must also lament the current state of the game in my area. Florida is a strange animal, as it boasts some of the strongest infrastructure and competition at youth in the United States, yet fails to translate this trend to attendance. I feel much of this could be down to venue, Ive watched and actually trained with the mutiny a few times in houlihan, as well as Raymond James, and they are both terrible fields unsuitable for proper football. There is a vibrant soccer community here, and I truly believe given the correct marketing and venue, the game could be a success here. On a side note, to infere that Miami is the only market capable of supporting soccer in Florida is pure fantasy. The national team draw 6,000 fans the other night at lockhart, and the fusion proved to be as large a failiure as the mutiny. The fact is, that given the contrasting ethnic makeup of Tampa and Miami, they are two totally different markets and require different solutions. Both have their fit, but neither have been properly addressed or resolved as of yet.

 

GyrO,

I did not infer anything specific to Tampa just the fact that it looks pretty bad when the area gets rejected by the lone 3 professional leagues in the United States all within 1 year. Thats all. My only inference to Tampa was that the Ft. Lauderdale area appears to have a similar past and present history.

Which leads me to my main point which you didn't get... that Ft.Lauderdale IS NOT Miami when it comes to supporting the sport of soccer. Its no more meaningful to say "lockhart, and the fusion proved to be as large a failiure(for the Miami area) as the mutiny." than to say, for the sake of comparison, a failure of a franchise from Plant City or Lakeland could be used as an example for of the Tampa area. Thats about the distance between Lockhart and the OB. (not only that but you are ignoring the largest nucleus of soccer afissionados southwest of the Orange Bowl as you also ignore areas west and south of Tampa in my hypothetical comparison.)

For even as you state that there was only 6000 at Lockhart there was another 19,000+ watching a soccer game simultaneously in Miami's Orange bowl. One game being slightly marketed in Miami while the Ft. Lauderdale game had none... I'm sure over 70% if that 19,000 didn't even know that the WC Quarterfinalist US nat. team was playing at the same time.

Also, did you ever realize that for the lone two Fusion matches ever played in Miami they averaged over 18,600.

 

Other than Miami it seems my only hope now is Orlando MLS. I'm not saying MLS can survive in Orlando I'm just saying it is wishfull thinking - although I think it should be far down the list of MLS prorities.

 

I grew up in Orlando and I honestly don't think it would support an MLS team. It is simply way too hot in the summer and the old boys, college football loving media would give the team no coverage. The Citrus Bowl isn't a bad place to watch soccer but it is depressing when only a quarter full - see UCF football. If Tampa didn't survive I don't see how anywhere in Central Florida can.