Matt Pickens is an American retired soccer player who is currently the goalkeeping coach for Nashville SC in Major League Soccer.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American professional soccer team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida founded in 2006, that last played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid in 2016. The majority of their home games were played in Lockhart Stadium. The Strikers were named after the original Strikers, who played in the old North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. They formerly played in USSF Division 2 and the North American Soccer League (NASL), which were also second-tier leagues. The Rowdies play their home games at Al Lang Stadium on St. Petersburg's downtown waterfront.
Gale Agbossoumonde is a retired soccer player who played as a defender. Born in Togo but was raised in Benin, he represented the United States at international level.
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began play in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Diego Alejandro Restrepo Garcia is a soccer coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper. Currently, he is the Head of Goalkeeping for D.C. United, a Major League Soccer franchise.
Luke Mulholland is a former English footballer and current scout for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.
The Fort Lauderdale–Tampa Bay rivalry, also known as the Florida Derby, refers to the suspended soccer rivalry that most recently involved the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, both of whom played in the North American Soccer League through the 2016 season. Over the years the rivalry has spanned more than one hundred matches across eight soccer leagues and several tournaments, and involved nine different teams from the two regions of Florida. At times it has involved players, coaches, management and fans. Even the press has fanned the rivalry's flames at times. From 2010 through 2014, the winner of the regular season series automatically won the Coastal Cup as well. The status of the rivalry beyond 2016 remains unclear because the Rowdies have since joined the United Soccer League, while the Strikers ongoing ownership and legal battles of 2016 and 2017 have left them defunct.
The 2012 Tampa Bay Rowdies season was the current Tampa Bay Rowdies' third season of existence, and second in the North American Soccer League. Including the original Rowdies franchise and the Tampa Bay Mutiny, this was the 25th season of a professional soccer team fielded in the Tampa Bay region.
Evans Frimpong is a Ghanaian footballer who is currently an assistant coach with USL League Two club Swan City SC.
The 2013 season was the current Tampa Bay Rowdies fourth season of existence, and third playing in the North American Soccer League, the second tier of American soccer pyramid. Including the original Rowdies franchise and the Tampa Bay Mutiny, this was the 26th season of a professional soccer team fielded in the Tampa Bay region.
Stefan Zelimir Antonijevic is a professional footballer who plays for Øygarden. He previously played for Lillestrøm and Sogndal also in the Norwegian Eliteserien. Born in the United States, he represented Serbia at youth level.
Jamael Benjamin Cox is an American soccer player. He also plays for the Tacoma Stars in the Major Arena Soccer League alongside his older brother Raphael.
Cody Mizell is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Major League Soccer club New York City FC.
The Coastal Cup is a trophy and soccer competition among the USL Championship (USL) teams based in Florida. Established in 2010, the trophy was originally awarded to the best team in regular season play among Florida-based franchises. Head-to-head playoff games, U.S. Open Cup matches and friendlies have no bearing on the outcome of this competition. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers did not field a team in 2017 and were later dissolved. The Tampa Bay Rowdies also participated in this cup from 2010 though 2016, before leaving the NASL for the USL. With Miami FC joining the USL, the competition restarted in 2020.
The 2015 season was the current Tampa Bay Rowdies sixth season of existence, and fifth playing in the North American Soccer League, the second tier of American soccer pyramid. Including the original Rowdies franchise and the Tampa Bay Mutiny, this was the 28th season of professional soccer in the Tampa Bay area.
Victor Pagliari Giro, commonly known as PC, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left back for San Antonio FC in the USL Championship.
Carl Howard "CJ" Cochran, Jr. is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper.
The 2016 Tampa Bay Rowdies season was the club's sixth NASL season, and seventh season overall since their formation in 2008. It was also their final season in the NASL, as the team switched leagues to the USL after the season ended.
The 2018 USL season was the eighth season of the United Soccer League and second under Division II sanctioning. The previous season, the USL had provisional Div. II sanctioning from the United States Soccer Federation along with the North American Soccer League, but was given full sanctioning for the 2018 season with a two-year deadline to meet the full requirements set by U.S. Soccer.
