Tampa Bay Mutiny

Last updated

Tampa Bay Mutiny
TampaBayMutiny.png
Full nameTampa Bay Mutiny
Nickname(s)Mutiny
FoundedNovember 16, 1994;30 years ago (1994-11-16)
DissolvedJanuary 8, 2002;22 years ago (2002-01-08)
Stadium Tampa Stadium
Raymond James Stadium
Capacity74,301
65,857
League Major League Soccer

The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. It was a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. It played its home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium.

Contents

The Mutiny was established in 1994 and was owned and operated by MLS throughout its entire existence. It was successful in their first years of play, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in 1996 remained the MLS single-season record until 2018. However, in subsequent years, dropping attendance and revenues became problems, especially as the team's on-field success declined and the lease at its second home field of Raymond James Stadium removed sources of gameday revenues. Owing to these issues, MLS attempted without success to find a local ownership group to take over operations from the league, and both the Mutiny and the league's other Florida-based team, the Miami Fusion, were folded before the 2002 season.

History

In 1994, newly established Major League Soccer announced it would place one of its charter franchises in the Tampa Bay Area. [1] The region was seen as a potentially fertile market for soccer due to the success of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the old North American Soccer League in the 1970s and 1980s. [2] The Mutiny took the field in 1996 when MLS began play. While the Mutiny had no direct connection to the Rowdies franchise, the Mutiny occasionally paid tribute to its predecessor by wearing green and gold alternative kits, once wearing both the Mutiny and Rowdies logos on the same shirt. [3]

The Mutiny were owned and operated by MLS along with two other teams, the Dallas Burn and the San Jose Clash, with the league hoping eventually sell the franchises to private local owners. [4] The team managed strong signings in 1995, including Carlos Valderrama, Roy Lassiter, and Martín Vásquez. [5] They were successful in their first two years, particularly in 1996, when they won the first Supporters' Shield with the best regular-season finish behind Most Valuable Player Carlos Valderrama and Golden Boot winner Roy Lassiter. [6]

On April 13, 1996, the Mutiny played their inaugural game against the New England Revolution, winning 3–2. Led by manager Thomas Rongen and Roy Lassiter, who scored a record 27 goals in the season, the Mutiny claimed the best record in the league at 20–12 and were the first winners (retroactively) of the Supporters' Shield. In the playoffs, they beat the Columbus Crew before losing in the conference final to eventual champions D.C. United. [7]

In 1997, Thomas Rongen took over the New England Revolution, and was replaced by John Kowalski. Under him, the Mutiny finished the season with a record of 17–15, but were swept in the playoffs by the Columbus Crew. After the season, Kowalski resigned from the club. 1998 saw Tim Hankinson join the club as the new manager while star player Carlos Valderrama joined new MLS side Miami Fusion. As a result, the Mutiny would struggle through the season, finishing with a record of 12–20, missing the playoffs for the first time. [7]

Raymond James Stadium was home to the Mutiny from 1999 to 2001. Raymond James Stadium aerial.jpg
Raymond James Stadium was home to the Mutiny from 1999 to 2001.

In 1999, the Mutiny reacquired Valderrama. Despite this, they struggled, being swept by the Columbus Crew in the first round of the playoffs, which they qualified for despite having a losing record. In the 2000 season, the Mutiny finished with a 16–12–4 record after rebounding from a poor start to the campaign. However, they were swept by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the playoffs. In 2001, Tim Hankinson was fired, but struggles continued with successors Alfonso Mondelo and Perry Van der Beck. Mondelo was fired midseason, and neither manager could revive the struggling franchise. On September 4, the Mutiny lost 2–1 to the Columbus Crew in what would be their last ever match. They managed just four wins and two draws, recording 21 losses over the course of the campaign. [7]

The city of Tampa demolished Tampa Stadium in 1998, and the Mutiny moved to new Raymond James Stadium for the 1999 season with a much less favorable lease. [8] The club was hampered by declining attendance and low revenues which were exacerbated by a lease agreement that transferred most match day revenue to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, resulting in an inability to secure a local ownership group. [9] In 2001, the Mutiny had the worst record in MLS with only four wins in twenty-seven matches on the season and drew an average attendance of under 11,000 per game, among the league's lowest. [10] Faced with financial losses up to $2 million a year, MLS courted Malcolm Glazer and his family, owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers National Football League team, to purchase the Mutiny. 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. [11] [2] The Glazers would purchase Manchester United in 2005.

While Major League Soccer has not had a team in the Tampa Bay area since the folding of the Mutiny, a preseason game on February 14, 2025 between the two current Florida teams Orlando City SC and Inter Miami CF at Raymond James Stadium was the first MLS game in the area since 2001. [12]

Honors

Team

1996

1996

2000 [13] [14]

Players

Coach and Admin

1996 Thomas Rongen

1999 Nick Sakiewicz [15]

1996 Eddie Austin
2001 Eddie Austin

Players

Head coaches

Team records

Home stadiums

Year-by-year

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Valderrama</span> Colombian footballer (born 1961)

Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio, also known as "El Pibe", is a Colombian former professional footballer and sports commentator for Fútbol de Primera, who played as an attacking midfielder. Valderrama is considered by many to be one of the greatest South American players in history and one of the best players of his era. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miami Fusion</span> Soccer club

The Miami Fusion F.C. was a professional soccer team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They played in Major League Soccer (MLS) for four seasons, from 1998 to 2001. Announced in 1997 as one of the league's first two expansion teams, their best season was 2001, when they won the Supporters' Shield with the best regular season finish. In 2002, after four years of lackluster ticket sales and revenues, MLS contracted the Fusion along with its other Florida-based team, the Tampa Bay Mutiny. The Fusion played their home games at Lockhart Stadium.

Roy Lee Lassiter is an American former professional soccer player. who played as a forward. He played the first few years of his professional career in Costa Rica. He returned to the United States to play in Major League Soccer when that league was launched in 1996, and from 1996 to 1999 he was one of the most prolific goal scorers in MLS. Lassiter served as the assistant coach of MLS Next Pro club Houston Dynamo 2. On Thursday, June 15, 2023, Lassiter was named Head Coach of Carolina Core FC.

Mamadou Diallo is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a forward. He played in twelve countries across four continents: United States, Senegal, Morocco, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, South Africa, Mali, Germany, Turkey, Sweden and Norway. A prolific scorer almost everywhere he played, he became a regular for the Senegal national team.

Raúl Díaz Arce is a Salvadoran former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is El Salvador's most prolific goal scorer, with 39 goals in just 68 appearances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Rongen</span> Dutch-American football coach (born 1956)

Thomas Eddy Rongen is a Dutch-American football coach who has spent the majority of his playing and coaching career in the United States. In December 2016, he was named Chief Scout of the United States men's national soccer team. Rongen won the MLS Coach of the Year award in MLS's inaugural season in 1996, leading the Tampa Bay Mutiny to the best regular-season record. His stint managing the American Samoa national team was covered in the 2014 documentary Next Goal Wins, and the 2023 biographical comedy-drama also called Next Goal Wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993)</span> Defunct American soccer club

The Tampa Bay Rowdies were an American professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida, that competed in the original North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1984. They enjoyed broad popular support in the Tampa Bay area until the NASL folded in 1984, after which the team played in various minor indoor and outdoor leagues before finally folding on January 31, 1994. The Rowdies played nearly all of their outdoor home games at Tampa Stadium and nearly all of their indoor games at the Bayfront Center Arena in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida. Although San Diego played indoors until 1996, the Rowdies were the last surviving NASL franchise that played outdoor soccer on a regular basis.

Roy Wegerle is a former professional soccer and golf player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Lang Stadium</span> Sports stadium in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida

Al Lang Stadium is a 7,500-seat sports stadium along the waterfront of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, United States which was used almost exclusively as a baseball park for over 60 years. Since 2011, it has been the home pitch of the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship soccer league.

Perry Van der Beck is an American former soccer player, former coach and technical director, and the former Vice President of Competition and Operations for the United Soccer League.

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team established in 1988 as part of the third American Soccer League. In 1990, it moved to the American Professional Soccer League where it spent five seasons before folding in 1994. The Strikers won the 1989 ASL championship, as well as the 1989 National Pro Soccer Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Bay Rowdies</span> American professional soccer team

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farrukh Quraishi</span> Iranian-American sports announcer (born 1951)

Farrukh Quraishi is an Iranian retired footballer. He spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Calgary Boomers. Since retiring from playing, he has held numerous executive positions with the United States Soccer Federation. Quraishi won the 1974 Hermann Trophy. Most recently he was the President and General Manager of the modern Tampa Bay Rowdies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in the Tampa Bay area</span> Overview of sports opportunities in the Tampa Bay area

The Tampa Bay area is home to many sports teams and has a substantial history of sporting activity. Most of the region's professional sports franchises use the name "Tampa Bay", which is the name of a body of water, not of any city. This is to emphasize that they represent the wider metropolitan area and not a particular municipality and was a tradition started by Tampa's first major sports team, the original Tampa Bay Rowdies, when they were founded in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in Florida</span>

The U.S. state of Florida has three National Football League teams, two Major League Baseball teams, two National Basketball Association teams, two National Hockey League teams, two Major League Soccer teams and 13 NCAA Division I college teams.

The 1996 D.C. United season was the teams debutant season in Major League Soccer (MLS), and 1996 was the inaugural year of play in MLS competition. United would become the first club to win the MLS Cup this year.

This article documents the history of D.C. United, an American soccer club based in Washington, D.C. For a general overview of the club, see D.C. United.

The 2001 Tampa Bay Mutiny season was the club's seventh year of existence, as well as their sixth season in Major League Soccer, and their sixth consecutive season in the top-flight of American soccer. It was also the Mutiny's last season, and the last season of pro soccer in Tampa Bay until 2010, when FC Tampa Bay joined the USSF Division 2 Professional League.

Since its creation in 1996, Major League Soccer, the highest level of professional soccer in the United States, has had three teams cease operations—the Tampa Bay Mutiny, the Miami Fusion, and Chivas USA. The two Florida-based teams ceased playing after the 2001 season as a result of the league's financial situation, and Chivas USA folded after the 2014 season with plans to rebrand and move to a stadium in downtown Los Angeles. All three situations involved league ownership of the clubs and executive decisions to maintain the viability and competitiveness of the league.

References

  1. ↑ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. p. 15. ISBN   978-1597975094 . Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. p. 130. ISBN   978-1597975094 . Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Carlos Valderrama, Tampa Bay Mutiny, 2000". Pintrest. 2000. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  4. ↑ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. pp. 16, 130. ISBN   978-1597975094 . Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  5. ↑ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. pp. 18, 24. ISBN   978-1597975094 . Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. p. 38. ISBN   978-1597975094 . Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "Tampa Bay Mutiny – Sports Ecyclopedia" . Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  8. ↑ ""Mutiny Renews Lease" – St. Pete Times". sptimes.com.
  9. ↑ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. pp. 129–130. ISBN   978-1597975094 . Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. p. 129. ISBN   978-1597975094 . Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  11. ↑ ""MLS fold Mutiny" – St. Pete Times". sptimes.com.
  12. ↑ Encina, Eduardo A. (November 4, 2024). "Lionel Messi, Inter Miami to play preseason match in Tampa". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Mutiny set for three games in Puerto Rico". St. Petersburg Times. February 22, 2000. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Copa Puerto Rico (San Juan) 2000". RSSSF .
  15. ↑ "1999 MLS "Executive of the Year" Nick Sakiewicz Takes Over The MetroStars - by La Cancha World Cup 2002 & Super Soccer Mall". www.lacancha.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.