Tampa Bay Rowdies

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 (in 2010) and the North American Soccer League (NASL) (from 2011 to 2016), which were also second-tier leagues. The Rowdies play their home games at Al Lang Stadium on St. Petersburg's downtown waterfront.

The current club is a phoenix club of the original Tampa Bay Rowdies, who were active from 1975 until 1993, most notably in the original North American Soccer League. It shares its name, logo, and some of its club culture with the original club. The owners of the current club announced their intention to use the old Rowdies' trademarks at its introductory press conference in 2008. However, licensing issues forced the club to use the name FC Tampa Bay until December 2011, when it gained full rights to the Rowdies name and other intellectual property. The current Rowdies have always used the same green and yellow color scheme and "hoops" as the original team, even when they could not yet use the Rowdies name.

The Rowdies captured the NASL championship in Soccer Bowl 2012, and their team shield includes two stars: one for their 2012 win and one for the 1975 Soccer Bowl championship won by the original Rowdies. The club has had a long-standing rivalry with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, with whom they have contested the Florida Derby since the original Rowdies and Strikers first met in 1977. The Rowdies were also named co-league champions in 2020 after winning the USL Regular Season title and Eastern Conference Championship, but the title game was canceled due to COVID-19. They were Eastern Conference Champions again in 2021, but lost in the title game.

In October 2018, the Tampa Bay Rays, the area's Major League Baseball franchise, announced plans to purchase the Rowdies and assume control of Al Lang Stadium.

Il Tampa Bay Rowdies è una squadra di calcio professionistica americana con sede a St. Petersburg, in Florida. La squadra compete nella United Soccer League Championship (USLC), il secondo livello della piramide calcistica americana. I Rowdies giocano le partite casalinghe al Al Lang Stadium.

La squadra è stata fondata nel 1975 come membro della North American Soccer League (NASL). I Rowdies hanno vinto due campionati NASL, nel 1975 e nel 1976. La squadra si è sciolta nel 1984, ma è stata rilanciata nel 2008 come membro della USL Second Division. I Rowdies hanno vinto il campionato USL Second Division nel 2012.

Nel 2017, i Rowdies si sono trasferiti nella USL Championship. La squadra ha raggiunto i playoff in tutte le stagioni dal suo ingresso nella USL Championship. Nel 2020, i Rowdies hanno vinto il campionato USL Championship.

I Rowdies sono una delle squadre di calcio più titolate della Florida. La squadra ha vinto due campionati NASL, un campionato USL Second Division e un campionato USL Championship. I Rowdies sono anche l'unica squadra della Florida ad aver vinto un campionato nazionale di calcio.

I Rowdies sono una squadra popolare tra i tifosi di calcio in Florida. La squadra ha una forte presenza sui social media e i suoi tifosi sono noti per il loro entusiasmo e la loro passione. I Rowdies sono una parte importante della comunità di St. Petersburg e sono una delle squadre di calcio più amate della Florida.