VSI Tampa Bay FC

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VSI Tampa Bay FC
VSI Tampa Bay FC logo.jpeg
Full nameVisionPro Sports Institute Tampa Bay Football Club
Nickname(s)Flames
Founded2011
Dissolved2013
Stadium Plant City Stadium
Plant City, Florida
Capacity6,700
General ManagerAlex Miranda
Head Coach Joel Harrison
League USL Pro

VSI Tampa Bay FC was an American soccer team based in Plant City, Florida. They played in USL Pro, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid, in the 2013 season. VSI Tampa Bay FC were owned by VisionPro Sports Institute and were affiliated with a women's team in the W-League, an amateur team in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), and a youth team in the Super-20 League. [1] All the teams folded in 2013.

Contents

History

In 2011, English soccer development academy VisionPro Sports Institute announced a venture to establish a soccer organization in the United Soccer Leagues in the United States. VSI partnered with the local Brandon, Florida area youth soccer organization, West Florida Flames, to build VSI Tampa Flames, "the perfect platform for vertical progression, giving talented youngsters the opportunity to progress from junior soccer all the way through to the professional game," according to VSI's CEO, Simon Crane. [1] The USL Pro team was to serve as the pinnacle of the youth pyramid for men; the club also included a women's team in the W-League, an amateur team in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), and a youth team in the Super-20 League. The W-League, PDL, and Super-20 League teams started play in 2012, while the USL Pro team was to join in 2013. On November 22, 2012, the team changed its name to "VSI Tampa Bay FC" and named Matt Weston as the head coach. [2] [3]

Their first game was played on March 30, 2013, losing to Phoenix FC 1–0. [4] They defeated the Los Angeles Blues 1-0 for their first win on April 2, 2013. Antonio Neto scored the first goal in team history. [5] [6]

VSI Tampa Bay chose Plant City Stadium as their home venue on April 4, 2013, moving all the teams there. [7] Matt Weston resigned as Head Coach on May 8, 2013, and Joel Harrison was named as Interim Head Coach. [8]

While the W-League and PDL teams had been successful in 2012, the USL Pro team struggled throughout its only season. The remote stadium in Plant City made it difficult to attract fans, and the team suffered from competition from the more successful Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League. The organization folded all of its teams after the 2013 season. [9]

Final roster

No.PositionNationPlayer
1 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Alex Horwath
2 DF Flag of England.svg  ENG Jamie McGuinness
3 DF Flag of Haiti.svg  HAI Bitielo Jean Jacques
4 MF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Antonio Neto
5 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Troy Cole
6 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Kyle Hoffer
7 MF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Douglas Dos Santos
8 DF Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Alex Freitas
9 FW Flag of Ukraine.svg  UKR Andriy Budnyi
10 FW Flag of The Gambia.svg  GAM Karamba Janneh
11 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Tony Donatelli
12 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Christian Silva
13 MF Flag of Haiti.svg  HAI Sébastien Thurière
14 DF Flag of Jamaica.svg  JAM Richard Dixon
15 MF Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  TRI Darren Toby
16 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Dominic Cutrofello
17 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA J. T. Noone
18 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Sean Reynolds
19 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jeremy Crumpton
20 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Shawn Chin
21 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Jarod Stigall
22 FW Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  SLE Sallieu Bundu
23 FW Flag of Brazil.svg  BRA Mauricio Salles
24 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Josh Rife
25 MF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Chad Burt
26 DF Flag of the United States.svg  USA Cheyne Roberts
00 GK Flag of the United States.svg  USA Dave Martin

Staff

Team records

Year-by-Year

YearDivisionLeagueRegular season (W-T-L)PlayoffsOpen CupAvg. attendanceTop scorerGoals
2013 3USL10th (9-5-12)did not qualify2nd Round452 Flag of Brazil.svg Mauricio Salles 10

Head coaches

All time VSI Tampa Bay FC Coaching Stats
CoachNationalityStartEndGamesWinLossDrawWin %
Matt Weston Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States November 2012May 20137520071.43
Joel HarrisonFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States May 2013August 2013194105021.05

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "VisionPro Academy Headed to Tampa". United Soccer Leagues (USL). November 16, 2011. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Weston joins VSI Tampa Bay FC". VSI Tampa Bay FC. November 22, 2012. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  3. ↑ "VSI Tampa Names Weston As Coach". United Soccer Leagues (USL). November 21, 2012. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
  4. ↑ "VSI Falls in First Road Match". VSI Tampa Bay FC. March 31, 2013. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  5. ↑ "VSI Captures First Franchise Win Over LA Blues". VSI Tampa Bay FC. April 3, 2013. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Sports Digest". tampabay.com. April 3, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  7. ↑ "VSI Tampa Bay FC announces 2013 USL Stadium Venue". VSI Tampa Bay FC. April 4, 2013. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ "VSI Tampa Bay Announces the Departure of Coach Weston". VSI Tampa Bay FC. May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ Domingo, Odeen (November 17, 2013). "USL PRO to see teams fold; MLS to field squads; new team partnership". odfcnews.com. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
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