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Tampa Bay Mutiny

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Tampa Bay Mutiny
Full nameTampa Bay Mutiny
Nickname(s)Mutiny
Founded1995
Dissolved2001
StadiumRaymond James Stadium
Capacity65,857
LeagueMajor League Soccer
Current season

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

The Mutiny were established in 1994 and were owned and operated by MLS throughout their existence. They were 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 is still the MLS single-season record. However, the team drew low revenues and attendance and could not find a local ownership group to take over operations from the league. In 2002, MLS folded the Mutiny as well as its other Florida-based team, the Miami Fusion.

History

The newly established Major League Soccer organization announced it would place a team in the Tampa Bay Area in 1994.[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] MLS operated the Mutiny along with two other teams, the Dallas Burn and the San Jose Clash, hoping to later sell to a private local owner.[3] The team managed strong signings in 1995, including Carlos Valderrama, Roy Lassiter, and Martín Vásquez.[4] They were successful in their first two years, winning the first Supporters' Shield with the best regular-season finish and going to the playoffs both years. Valderrama was named the 1996 Most Valuable Player.[5]

However, the Mutiny were hampered by low revenues, declining attendance, and an inability to secure a local ownership group.[6] In 1999, the team moved from Tampa Stadium to the new Raymond James Stadium, which required a more expensive lease.[7] By 2001, they drew an average attendance of under 11,000 per game, among the league's lowest.[8] 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.[9][10] (Ironically, the Glazers would purchase a soccer team after all – Manchester United – in 2003, a year-and-a-half later.)

Honors

Team

1996

  • Semi-Finals Appearances:

1996

1996

  • Playoff Appearances: (4)

1996, 1997, 1999, 2000

Players

Coach & Admin

1996 Thomas Rongen

  • MLS Executive of the Year Award:

1999 Nick Sakiewicz[11]

  • MLS Operations Executive of the Year Award: (2)

1996 Eddie Austin
2001 Eddie Austin

Players

Head coaches

Team records

Home stadiums

Year-by-year

Year Reg. Season Playoffs US Open Cup Avg. Attendance
(Regular Season) 		Avg. Attendance
(Playoffs)
1996 1st, East (20–12)* Won Conference Semi-Finals (Columbus 2–1)
Lost Conference Finals (D.C. United 0–2) 		Quarter-Finals 11,679 9,740
1997 2nd, East (17–15) Lost Conference Semi-Finals (Columbus 0–2) Quarter-Finals 11,333 8,272
1998 5th, East (12–20) Did not qualify Quarter-Finals 10,312
1999 3rd, East (14–18) Lost Conference Semi-Finals (Columbus 0–2) Quarter-Finals 13,106
2000 2nd, Central (16–12–4) Lost Quarter-Finals (Los Angeles 0–2) Round of 16 9,452
2001 4th, Central (4–21–2) Did not qualify Round of 32 10,479
Total 83 Wins – 98 Losses – 6 Draws Playoff Record (2 wins – 9 losses) Overall Record 85–107–6 (.475)

* Won MLS Supporters' Shield

See also

References

  1. ^ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. p. 15. ISBN 1597975095. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  2. ^ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. p. 130. ISBN 1597975095. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  3. ^ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. pp. 16, 130. ISBN 1597975095. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  4. ^ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. pp. 18, 24. ISBN 1597975095. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  5. ^ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. p. 38. ISBN 1597975095. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. pp. 129–130. ISBN 1597975095. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  7. ^ "Mutiny Renews Lease" – St. Pete Times
  8. ^ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. p. 129. ISBN 1597975095. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  9. ^ "MLS fold Mutiny" – St. Pete Times
  10. ^ Dure, Beau (2010). Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer. Potomac Books. p. 130. ISBN 1597975095. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  11. ^ http://www.lacancha.com/mn_011200.html
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