Saturday in front of a sellout crowd Cucho Hernandez and Yaw Yeboah scored in the first half and the hometown Columbus Crew held on to beat defending champion LAFC 2-1 on Saturday to win their third MLS Cup.It has been a great season for the MLS and it remains the fastest growing sports league in North America.
The Tampa Bay remains a target for the MLS in the future, but that future depends on who has interest in owning a franchise making it three in Florida. Miami with superstar Leo Messi has won over soccer fans worldwide and brought new fans to the sport while Orlando has found that they have a passionate and loyal fan base.
Back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s the Tampa Bay Rowdies were one of the most successful teams in the old North American Soccer League. They consistently drew big crowds to the old Tampa Stadium even had a national following.
1994 Tampa Bay was given one of the ten original MLS francizes called the Mutany and the team without an owner.The Glazers considered the deal but ultimately declined, leaving the league with no prospective owners willing to take over the team. MLS folded the Mutiny, as well as its other Florida-based team, the Miami Fusion, in 2002. The Glazers would purchase Manchester United in 2005.
MLS commissioner Don Garner still thinks the Tampa Bay area is still a ity that should be considered. .”Tampa is another big city,” Garber said. “Soccer is exploding professionally everywhere on the professional side, on the men’s and women’s side, so we’ll see.”
Soccer fans in Tampa and St. Petersburg can keep hope alive for a possible an MLS franchise. Let’s hope the owner and a stadium can be in place soon.
