Tampa Bay's Soccer Surge

It’s appropriate for the United States Men’s National Team to make a stopover at Raymond James Stadium on Tuesday night for an international friendly against Uruguay.

The City of Tampa — and all of the Tampa Bay area, for that matter — is a well-established Soccer Town.

“This area has enjoyed a love affair with the beautiful game,’’ said Farrukh Quraishi, who won the 1974 Hermann Trophy (college soccer’s version of the Heisman) before becoming the first-ever draft selection of the fledgling Tampa Bay Rowdies. 

That was a half-century ago.

The Rowdies were the spark, winning the 1975 North American Soccer League championship in the franchise’s first season of existence. That opened the door for high-school soccer, an explosion of club programs, the establishment of the Tampa-based United Soccer League, Major League Soccer’s Tampa Bay Mutiny and, most recently, the debut of the Tampa Bay Sun FC, which won the USL Super League title in its first season of existence.

“The Rowdies are one of the most powerful brands in all of American soccer,’’ said Alec Papadakis, the USL CEO. “When you hear ‘Rowdies,’ you automatically think ‘Tampa, Florida.’ So in the minds of everyone, I think Tampa automatically means soccer.

“That has translated down through the years to all of the soccer activity we have now.’’ 

Tampa is one of the few American cities to host Pelé (first in 1976 before 42,611 Tampa Stadium fans) and Messi (last February, before 42,017 fans, the largest crowd to witness a soccer event at Ray-Jay). 

The USMNT’s appearance is the latest big-time event — indeed, it’s the 12th international soccer match to be held at Ray-Jay — and the support comes from a few generations of kids who grew up playing soccer in the Tampa Bay area. They have grown into passionate fans of the game.

“It all dates back to the Rowdies,’’ Quraishi said. “We knew it was important to get involved in the community. We knew it was important to walk in the Gasparilla parade, to appear at malls and high-school assemblies. We constantly sold the sport and the growth has become enormous.’’ 

“We have great history with teams, players, coaches, youth national champions, college national champions, referees, administrators, people who love the game and people who should be celebrated and remembered,’’ said Perry Van Der Beck, another former Rowdie.

Hosting high-profile soccer tournaments has become a constant in Tampa. From the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl to the United Soccer League Youth Finals, Florida Premier’s Tampa Bay Super Cup, US Youth Soccer’s National Presidents Cup and Southern Regional, Florida Youth Soccer Association’s Presidents and State Cups, Concacaf Gold Cup, Tampa Bay United’s Bay to the Bay Classic, Score at the Shore Winter Tournament, U90C’s Premier SuperCopa+ and various others, Tampa possesses an impressive portfolio of soccer tournaments staged over the years.

Meanwhile, the Tournament SportsPlex of Tampa Bay, a stunning 15-field complex in the eastern part of Hillsborough County, has played host to some of the top soccer events in the country since opening seven years ago.

“We are fortunate to have developed deep-rooted relationships with some of the pre-eminent soccer organizations in the country to where we are consistently hosting marquee events that are driving significant economic and social impact for the community and local businesses,’’ Tampa Bay Sports Commission senior vice president of sports tourism Jason Aughey said. “These tournaments are not only drawing top players and teams, but also their families who see a trip to Tampa as an opportunity to take advantage of all that our destination offers.’’

A half-century of soccer success at all levels has led to the formation of the Tampa Bay Soccer Hall of Fame, which inducted its inaugural class in August. It was more evidence that the game has established a forever foothold in the Tampa Bay area.

“This is not about what club you play for and what you win,’’ said former Rowdie Mike Connell, who became a championship high-school and club-team coach, on the night when he became one of the TBSHOF’s inaugural 11 inductees. “It’s not about any of that. It’s about the game and how it can change a society, a city, a culture. 

“That’s what the game of soccer is all about. The game of soccer is simply about us.’’

As a professional player, Connell was a vocal advocate of expanding the game’s amateur roots in Tampa Bay. After a 1978 call to action for high-school soccer by Tampa Tribune sports editor Tom McEwen, who cited the sport’s growing popularity and the explosion of youth-league participation, the Rowdies and retail store chain Maas Brothers organized a campaign for awareness and fund-raising (“Soccer Now!’’). 

Through the campaign’s efforts, the Pinellas and Hillsborough school boards were each given $25,000 to help implement high-school soccer. In 1979, Pinellas immediately approved soccer for the 1980-81 school year, but soccer was defeated in Hillsborough by a 4-3 vote from school board members.

But the campaign kept growing and soccer was approved for the 1980-81 school year with the Rowdies-led committee pledging $60,555.93 toward the $100,000 balance needed.

Since then, 79 Tampa Bay area high-school teams have captured state championships, with thousands of boys and girls moving on to play the sport for college programs.

Papadakis remembers playing for the NASL’s Atlanta Chiefs in the late 1970s. The city didn’t have high-school soccer and a sparse smattering of youth leagues. He was shocked.

“Of course, this is the heartbeat of the game now, seeing the boys and girls playing the game everywhere throughout Tampa and certainly Atlanta,’’ Papadakis said. “That is very healthy. It shows you how much the game has grown in America.’’

“All of that has given us such pride,’’ said Francisco Marcos, who arrived in Tampa as a Rowdies front-office executive before founding the Tampa-based USL in 1986.

The USL has proven to be one of the game’s most influential and important organizations because dozens of new American cities are establishing professional soccer franchises. There are all levels of competition for men and women — with a youth component as part of many of the teams — along with the introduction of the promotion/relegation format that has been a constant in the global game. 

“We are the largest professional soccer organization in the country, and we are based in Tampa, so I think that makes quite a statement right there,’’ Papadakis said. “We are helping to grow this game. We are contributing to its popularity. We have come a long way, and we’re going to grow even more.’’ 

The USL began with Marcos, a true soccer visionary.

“When we got to Tampa (1974), we wanted the kids to play and learn about soccer,’’ Marcos said. “Look where it all has led.’’

A few decades ago, a small neighborhood club was formed in Pasco County. It showed steady growth. But over the last five years, it went from about 50 teams to 300.

Now, Florida Premier FC has a well-earned national reputation. 

Last December, Florida Premier was among 16 clubs invited to the inaugural East Coast National League (ECNL) Super Cup, matching the eight best clubs from the East Coast and the eight best from the West Coast. Florida Premier won three times in a knockout bracket to qualify for the championship match, where it defeated USA United Football Alliance of Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Florida Premier also won the U16 ECNL national championship, becoming the first Florida-based team to do so.

Two national championships in a seven-month span for a Florida-based club organization?

Believe it.

“It was obviously history for our clubs and our entire organization,’’ said Nathan Bender, Florida Premier’s director of soccer who was head on the Super Cup team and assistant coach on the U16 team (under head coach Eddie Ababio) with Novi Maric serving as the organization’s chief executive officer. “It’s monumental. And it’s more validation of what we have all worked for over the last 10 or 15 years. 

“Our vision was to become a top club in the country and represent Florida on the national stage. Now you can see the total belief among our players, staff and parents. Now there are lots of eyes on our players, who mostly all want to play in college and get a shot at playing professionally. The whole thing is just huge.’’

That’s how far Tampa Bay area soccer has come — a cavalcade of accomplishments throughout the youth, amateur, high-school, college and professional ranks.

Tuesday night’s USMNT-Uruguay match is the latest chapter in a long-running success story.