Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

So now we know… it’s all about the money. Always has been and always will be.

It doesn’t seem to matter what you’ve built, what you’ve created, what you’ve been working towards and what you’ve accomplished. It’s simply all about the money.

It’s now official. The MLS is expanding and the team that will join the ranks in 2015 is Manchester City. Oh sorry! I meant New York City Football Club.

Yep, that’s right. Despite other more valid claims, most certainly from a footballing (soccer) point of view, it’s money that matters most.

Manchester City have now announced their plans at the HQ of Major League Soccer on Fifth Avenue, New York.  The club revealed that although they will be the majority stakeholders, they will also form an alliance with the New York Yankees. A stadium will have to be built, mostly likely in Queens and it’s more than likely the team will also wear a sky blue strip.

City Chief Executive Ferran Soriano said “The New York City club will have an identity of its own, but obviously using the resources and synergies of Manchester City. We haven’t decided but it might well be that the team is going to play in sky blue. We will create a whole new organization. We will have a director of football, we will have a coach, but we don’t know yet if he will be American, South American or English. The first thing is appointing a director of football because we need to create a team from scratch within the next 18 months. We need to select players and ensure that when we start playing in April 2015, we have a competitive team on the pitch.”

So there we have it. That’s how you get to become an MLS team. You buy it and then worry about how you’ll create it. No more should team owners take time to build a winning team and whole structure to support it. Just write a check to “MLS – We Don’t Care Where It Comes From.”

Sorry Don Garber, but this isn’t us being bitter. It’s just our opinion that this is simply the wrong way to go about encouraging other teams, other owners and other investors to develop the game. When all someone has to do is wade into town, throw their check book around and be given the rights to a franchise, we worry about how the great game is going to develop in the United States.

PS. And quite why it’s been named “Football” Club instead of “Soccer” club is another mystery. Talk about confusing the American consumer even more.

In a frustrating week on and off the field, Orlando City Lions roared back with vengeance to destroy Antigua Barracuda 7-2. The fact that City were 7 goals to the good by the 54th minute showed how much of a massacre this game was and the scoreline really could have been double that if Orlando has taken all their chances.

It was a game that was eagerly awaited by City fans as Tuesday night’s fixture was frustratingly called off because of bad weather. That was bad enough but the week got worse for the club after the Florida Legislature ended its session without passing any funding plan that would assist the team’s Major League Soccer quest to build a new stadium.

All of this conspired to put Orlando in a hungry and somewhat vengeful mood and within 17 mins of dominant play they were 4-0 up as first Dom Dwyer (pictured above), then Anthony Pullis, Jamie Watson and Dwyer again all netted in front of the delighted home fans. Dwyer duly completed a first half hat-trick in the 40th minute as Orlando took a 5-0 scoreline into half time.

Any thoughts Antigua may have had then of some respite were quickly diminished as Orlando started the second half the way they began the first. Three good chances were missed before Antigua scored an own goal in the 49th minute and when Rob Valentino (pictured above) neatly headed home Jonathan Mendoza’s cross in the 54th minute you could easily see Orlando going into double figures. The fact they didn’t was largely due to a combination of some excellent goalkeeping by Antigua keeper Corey Whisehunt (pictured below) and City’s wastefulness in front of goal.

The 7-0 scoreline enabled City head coach Adrian Heath the chance to give some fringe players a run out as Erik Ustruck, Justin Clark and Mendoza all got valuable playing time. Antigua, to their credit, never gave up and showed great pride in scoring two goals through Hazeley Ryle and a City own goal in the 76th and 89th minutes.

More photos at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com

A crowd of 6,580 fans saw the goal fest and they also heard from Orlando City president Phil Rawlins and City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer who vowed, despite the political set back thatwould have created a process where pro teams would compete for $13 million a year in state incentives, to bring MLS Soccer to Orlando as soon as possible. It was a good night for the Lions and they now travel to Seattle Sounders reserves for their next game on Sunday, May 12th.

It’s not often a city like Orlando gets a chance to become a major player in the sports field but that opportunity is now with us and we’re asking all supporters of the most popular game in the world to join us and support the Orlando City Soccer MLS bid.

Last Friday, I posted a press release from the Central Florida vacation Rental Manager’s Association in regard to the issue and now today, I’m personally asking you for your support. The action you need to take is very simple and won’t take more than a couple of minutes of your time. Hopefully, that two minutes of time will play a very important role in the future of Orlando as a sporting city.

The action required is contained in a letter recently sent by Orlando City President Phil Rawlins:

“Orlando City Soccer Club has been working hard for the past two years to secure a Major League Soccer franchise for Florida. Opportunities to add a top-tier professional sports franchise to the state are very rare, and cities from across the country are competing with Florida for the rights to this franchise.

MLS has publically announced expansion of their league and a desire to have a team located in the southeast. MLS’s expansion into Florida will depend on the City of Orlando being able to build soccer-ready stadium for us. The club is committed to investing $30M in the stadium, a third of the overall costs. To help fund their portion of the stadium, the City of Orlando is seeking legislation from the State of Florida that would provide a sales tax rebate for the development. This funding is no different than what is currently available to all other major league sports teams in Florida.

There are only seven days left in the 2013 legislative session in Tallahassee, but legislation to give MLS equal standing with the other professional sports leagues is currently stalled in the Florida House of Representatives.

If legislation does not get passed this year it is likely MLS will choose to locate their expansion team in Atlanta or Nashville rather than in Orlando! This means Orlando and the entire State of Florida will lose the opportunity to create new jobs, generate economic growth, bring additional international visitors, and highlight Florida to the millions of international soccer fans!

We need your help! We need YOU, along with your co-workers, friends and family, to help break through the logjam in Tallahassee.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN HELP – PLEASE TAKE THIS ACTION NOW OR FIRST THING TOMORROW!

Please call and email House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz’s office and your House Representative using the number and email links below. Mention House Bill #219 and Senate Bill #306.  Tell them how much MLS can do for Orlando ($1.3 billion in economic impact), how much an MLS team would mean to you and the region and URGE THEM TO PASS THE BILL – above all else keep your message positive and upbeat!”

Speaker Weatherford
Phone: 850-488-1450 (Call between 8:00am and 5:00pm)
Email: will.weatherford@myfloridahouse.gov
Twitter: @willweatherford

Senate President Gaetz
Phone: 850-487-5229 (Call between 8:00am and 5:00pm)
Email: gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov
Facebook: Facebook.com/dongaetz

How to find your House Representative:
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/myrepresentative.aspx

Sincerely,
Phil Rawlins, President
Orlando City SC

Thank you in advance for taking the time to communicate with Speaker Weatherford and Senate President Gaetz. I appreciate it and please feel free to share this blog post and appeal with as many of your friends and family as you can.Here’s some more information:

Orlando City Soccer play LA Blues at the Citrus Bowl tonight at 7.30pm and it’s been a busy day as we lend our support as an association to the 2015 MLS bid. Here’s the full press release…

ORLANDO, FLA.– Central Florida Vacation Rental Manager’s Association (CFVRMA), the largest group of vacation rental manager’s in the state of Florida, have endorsed Orlando City Soccer Club’s (OCSC) bid to become a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise.

Following the news that a site has been chosen for the new downtown multipurpose soccer stadium, CFVRMA has decided to throw its support behind the bid for MLS in Central Florida.  Wednesday, Mayor Buddy Dyer announced the $8.2 million site for the stadium as being the two blocks bordered by Central Boulevard, Church Street, Terry and Parramore Avenues. If the bid is successful, Orlando could be awarded a franchise by this December and play in MLS in 2015.

“ The vacation rental industry in Central Florida has largely flown under the radar for approximately two decades,” said CFVRMA Vice President Nigel Worrall. “In that time, the industry has grown to create over 33,000 local jobs and to bring an economic impact of over $1.7 Billion to the local economy, largely in Osceola and Polk counties.”

“We believe the time is right for Orlando to have another major league sporting team and we’d like to play a part in helping that bid,” Worrall continued. “Approximately $12 million dollars a year is created by the vacation home industry in tourist development taxes in Osceola County alone. Orange County, by comparison, collects just a small fraction of that from vacation rentals. We’d like to change that and help bring more dollars to the county. We believe we can contribute a similar amount to that collected in Osceola County if given the opportunity and that would undoubtedly help Orange County with future projects and planning.”

“We are proud to have the support of the CFVRMA,” said Orlando City President Phil Rawlins. “Tourism is important to our organization as we strive to bring a MLS franchise to Orlando by 2015.”

About Central Florida Vacation Manager’s Association:  The Central Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association was founded in 1998 to unite Central Florida vacation home management companies as a professional body, and to work together to promote the vacation rental industry, support compliance and serve and protect the interests of property owners and guests. Vacation rental managers are held to a code of ethics and membership must be approved by a majority of the board of directors. Members attend monthly meetings, which include educational training, networking opportunities and updates relevant to the vacation rental industry.

So now it’s clear. Orlando City Lions are the best soccer team in Florida. The USL champions have taken on the NASL champions Tampa Bay Rowdies three times over the last month and each time they’ve emerged victorious.

Tonight it looked like a run away victory was on the cards as Orlando were two goals up on the night after just 32 minutes.That meant the Lions were 5-2 up on aggregate and cruising towards the I-4 Cup.

Orlando City fans have never been accustomed to things being easy though and Tampa found a way back through what I can only describe as a “joke” penalty award decision by referree Ibanez in the 41st minute. Rob Valentino was clearly pushed in the back yet somehow the decision went against him and Rowdies defender Tayuka Yamada made no mistake from the penalty spot to open the tie up once again.

The night had started well for Orlando as a well placed through ball in the 5th minute by midfielder Adama Mbengue saw Kevin Molino confidently round Tampa keeper Andrew Fontein to give the Lions an early advantage (photo above left). Orlando kept pushing and created several other chances but the second goal arrived in the 32nd minute as forward and Sporting Kansas loanee Dom Dwyer blasted a shot that was deflected by Tampa’s Fontein, only for Mbengue to put in the follow up (photo above right).

That should have been game over until referee Ibanez stepped in on the 41st minute and it could have got a whole lot worse for Orlando just after conceding the penalty as Rowdies forward Georgi Hristov was clearly pushed in the box just 60 seconds later only to see the referee turn his appeal away. Half time came – 2-1.

While the first half may have been about Orlando, Tampa now had something to play for and they leveled the match in the 50th minute as forward Amani Walker slid the ball past Orlando keeper Jon Kempin. 2-2 on the night and the Rowdies were now looking dangerous and in control as a they created a couple of half chances that went begging. As time moved on the Rowdies chased the game and this then created some space for the Orlando forward line that saw Chin replace Watson on the 75 minute mark.

This added injection of pace troubled the Tampa defence and Orlando started to work their way back into the game and looked just as likely to score as the Rowdies. So it proved as the decisive goal came in the 90th minute as Orlando forward Dom Dwyer sealed a 3-2 win for the Lions (pictured above). It was the same scoreline as the previous time the teams had met and it meant an aggregate 6-4 win for Orlando. The deserved victory saw Orlando hoist the I-4 trophy in front of a noisy and boisterous Orlando following.

“It was an unbelievable atmosphere,” said Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath. “I’m pleased for our players as they worked really hard tonight, and I’m really pleased for the supporters as they’ve been unbelievable. This one is for them.“

Orlando now turns their attention to the 2013 USL PRO regular season, with the Lions traveling to Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University to face expansion side Phoenix FC on Sunday, April 7. The match will be streamed on UNation. For more information leading up to the regular season opener in Phoenix, visit Orlandocitysoccer.com.

More photos from the Tampa vs. Orlando game at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com

The I4 Derby continues tonight as Tampa Bay Rowdies and Orlando City square off in the second leg at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Lions won the first match in the derby series between the two on March 9 at the Florida Citrus Bowl. The 3-2 scoreline really didn’t reflect the overall match as Orlando were the dominant force and should have scored more goals.

“We know we missed a good amount of chances in the first game against Tampa,” said Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath. “It’s going to be a competitive game down at a tight field down there (in St. Petersburg). I expect a great game.“

Orlando and Tampa Bay have now met twice in franchise history, with both meetings coming within the last month. The Lions first met the Rowdies in the conclusion of the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic, beating the 2012 NASL champions 2-0 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Kick off is set for 7.30pm tonight and if Orlando wins or draws in St. Petersburg they will take home the title of I4 champions in the first of what both sides hope to be an annual series.

Both teams rosters have changed since the last time they squared off as Orlando, through their Major League Soccer affiliate Sporting Kansas City, have seen four players arrive on loan. Those players include Dom Dwyer, Jon Kempin, Christian Duke and Yann Songo’o. All four have seen playing time in two collegiate friendlies since their arrival, making Saturday’s match even more crucial for each player as the 2013 USL PRO season starts at the beginning of April. Also, fan favorite Kevin Molino and 2012 USL PRO Most Valuable Player has resigned for the Lions and he’ll be looking to add to last seasons seven assists and three goals.

 “Basically everybody is trying to get themselves into pole position before the start of the season,” Heath added.

The Rowdies, meanwhile, will have 18 signed players available for Saturday’s match, as well as five trialists. On Wednesday they announced the signing of midfielder Kyle Clinton and defender Jordan Gafa, both to a two-year contract with the second year being a club option. Gafa was previously captain of the 2012 University of North Carolina soccer team, where he was known for his technical ability at the right-back position while Clinton joined the Rowdies as a trialist at the start of the 2013 season and has seen action in the Disney Pro Soccer Classic.

Rowdies Head Coach Ricky Hill said: “It’s great that we have an opportunity to play Orlando at Al Lang on Saturday. The squad has been working hard to come out of this series with a win and we hope to prove it on the field. It is our first match at Al Lang and we are excited to get back to our home turf, where we have proven to be very strong over the last two seasons.”

Ahead of the game, the Rowdies will celebrate last year’s championship season with the players and technical staff that were part of the 2012 NASL Soccer Bowl Championship receiving a championship ring produced by Herff Jones’ Masters Division. It promises to be a great night for Florida soccer fans and as usual we’ll be bringing you coverage of the 2nd Leg of the I4 Derby.

Here’s our photos from the first leg:

www.FloridaleisurePhotography.com

An entertaining match at the Florida Citrus Bowl in the inaugural “I-4 Derby” saw Orlando City take the spoils with a 3-2 defeat of rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Forward Amani Walker (pictured below) put the Rowdies ahead in the 18th minute after he intercepted a sloppy pass from the Lions defense. The newcomer picked up his first goal since arriving at the Rowdies as he slipped the ball past Orlando’s goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo.

Orlando created several good first half chances but it wasn’t until the second half that they finally found the net. The Lions first goal came in the 49th minute after Tampa Bay was unable to clear a corner kick and forward Jamie Watson (pictured above) capitalized to level things up. In the 58th minute the Orlando fans then had further cause to celebrate as midfielder James O’Conner blasted home from outside the 18-yard box. It was all Orlando at this point and they seemed able to carve open the Tampa defence at will. It was no surprise when the third goal came in the 70th minute, as midfielder Jean Alexandre (pictured below) chipped the ball over Rowdies goalkeeper Andrew Fontein to further extend the lead.

5 minutes later, the Rowdies managed to cut the lead in half as a superb free kick by midfielder Luke Mulholland (pictured below) beat the flailing Gallardo dive. It could prove to be a crucial goal and only time will tell as the second leg will be settled by penalties if the Rowdies win by one goal in the return match that will take place in St. Petersburg on 30th March. Judging from the entertainment on offer in this game, it should prove to be another great game and we’ll be there to  report back on who can lay claim to being the top team in Florida.

More photos at FloridaLeisurePhotography.com

The second part of the I-4 Derby takes place tonight at the Florida Citrus Bowl as Orlando City SC faces cross-state and 2012 NASL Champions Tampa Bay Rowdies.  While this game is billed as the inaugural ‘I-4 Derby’, a home-and-away series between the two clubs, the two clubs actually met recently during the Disney Pro-Soccer Classic. It was a game that saw the Lions comfortably defeat the Rowdies 2-0 in a game that was pretty much one sided. Goals from midfielder Jamie Watson and star striker Dennis Chin led the way for Orlando while goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo and the City back line kept a clean sheet.

Since then both sides have made additions to their squads with Orlando adding Orlando City U23s Captain Jonathan Mendoza,  Portland Timbers midfielder Freddie Braun and University of Tampa standout Brian Fekete to the squad. Meanwhile Tampa have added Bulgarian forward Georgi Hristov who played for both Lokomotiv Sofia and Slavia Sofia ,  midfielder Jamael Cox from Seattle Sounders Academy and defender Jordan Gafa from the University of North Carolina.

Tampa Bay comes into the game led by Head Coach Ricky Hill (pictured above right with Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath), who heads into his second season with the club. Hill led Tampa Bay to a record of 12-9-7 in the 2012 regular season before making a run in the NASL playoffs, topping Minnesota Stars FC 3-2 on penalty kicks. Lion fans will remember Rowdies standout and Midfielder Luke Mulholland, who won USL PRO Rookie of the Year after notching nine goals and five assists for rival Wilmington Hammerheads in 2011.

The I-4 Derby was announced this past November after continuous fan suggestion of creating a strong rivalry between the two franchises. The Lions and Rowdies, both recent champions in the USL PRO and NASL, are both top-flight clubs that show the rapid growth of the beautiful game in the sunshine state.

Tickets for the first match in Orlando can be purchased now by calling (855) ORL-CITY, while tickets for the second match in Tampa Bay will go on sale at a later date and will be able to be purchased through www.rowdiessoccer.com. Tickets for the Orlando match will not be included as a part of the OCSC season ticket package, but discounts will be available for season ticket holders.

The two sides will meet again on March 30 for the second leg of the derby in St. Petersburg, Fla. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Al Lang Stadium. The Lions will also continue their preseason against local college teams, including Stetson, Florida Gulf Coast and Rollins College. For the full preseason schedule, visit OrlandoCitySoccer.com.

More photos from the very first I-4 Derby are at FloridaLeisurePhotography.com

This years soccer feast at the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic closes with a bang this week as Saturday sees the Championship match between MLS sides Columbus Crew and Montreal Impact in what is sure to be a fascinating encounter of styles. Before that, the match that everyone in Central Florida has been waiting for will take place as Orlando City SC takes on local rivals NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies. The game is a prelude to the two game series “I-4 Derby” and marks the first time the cross-state clubs have ever met in the two’s history.

“It’s an interesting game to see for all the local people,” said Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath. “They’ve had a couple difficult games, as we have, so we’ll see.  I look forward to all games and look forward to this one.”

The Lions have remained competitive in each of the three matches in the 2013 Disney PSC, including a near-comeback victory against the Columbus Crew Saturday night. Orlando trialists Keammar Daley, Jonathan Mendoza, Brian Fekete and others will continue to look for ways to impress as the preseason continues on.

Tampa Bay has had a tough time producing results in this year’s classic, losing all three games by a goal differential of -8. The Rowdies, however, have only been in preseason camp for a few weeks much like the Lions, improving as each day goes by.

The two sides will again meet on March 9, the home leg of the “I-4 Derby” for Orlando. That match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at the Florida Citrus Bowl. The second leg will be on March 30 at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla. For more information on the match this Saturday and the “I-4 Derby”, visit OrlandoCitySoccer.com.

The full schedule for Saturday’s final games at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World is as follows:

Orlando City SC announced Monday that Brazilian native Flávio Augusto da Silva has made a significant investment and future commitment to the Orlando City franchise. The investment will be used for the club’s share of a private/publicly funded multi-purpose soccer stadium in downtown Orlando and future acquisition of an MLS franchise.

“Every year, hundreds of thousands of Brazilians visit Orlando,” said Silva. “It’s our number one destination in the US and us Brazilians, besides being famous for our friendliness and willingness to buy at the outlets and malls; we are also a nation that loves soccer. More than that, we are a country of 200 million fanatics for soccer! It is a great honor that I now become a part of this vibrant soccer club, Orlando City, which is being built with boldness to make history in this country and will give much pride to this City.”

Until last week, Flávio Augusto chaired the Ometz Group, with 16 holding companies, including the country’s leading English language schools for adults, Wise Up (FIFA World Cup Sponsor). On February 7th, the Ometz Group was acquired by Abril Educação, one of Brazil’s largest media companies. Today, Mr. da Silva still leads the Wise Up Group and is also the third largest shareholder in Abril Educação. As part of the acquisition, Mr. da Silva will oversee the development of Abril Educação operations around the world.

He also owns the Canal Geração de Valor “Value Generation”, where he shares entrepreneurial experience and advice; he has more than 304K followers on twitter and 670K on Facebook.

The new owner gives Orlando a major advantage in its drive to be named the next MLS expansion franchise. To secure a move up to the major leagues, MLS requires clubs to have, among other things, a fiscally stable and established ownership group and a stadium seating between 18,000 and 25,000. The Citrus Bowl and its upcoming redevelopment does not meet these needs, therefore, the club is on record stating that a 18,500 seat downtown stadium is their goal. The Lions recently presented an independent economic impact study to local press and political leaders which demonstrated that the stadium and MLS franchise would create a $1.3 billion impact for the region over the next 30-years.

Florida Governor Rick Scott came out in favor of Orlando’s MLS bid last week, stating “I am very supportive and will do everything I can do at the state level.”

MLS Commissioner Don Garber visited Orlando in March of 2012, leaving the town after meeting with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. Impressed by the support from Lion fans at a town-hall style meeting, Garber said “It’s not a matter of if, but a case of when” in regards to a franchise in Central Florida. The club has been in close communication with Garber and the MLS for over two years now.

Mr. da Silva’s investment gives Orlando’s MLS bid a unique advantage, immediately gaining ties to one of the biggest soccer countries in the world, Brazil. More announcements will be made on specifics regarding the ties to Brazil in the upcoming weeks. The existing ownership group, which includes President Phil Rawlins, will remain in place and continue to run day-to-day operations at Orlando City. Flavio Augusto joins Orlando’s current local ownership group, which includes amongst others, entrepreneur John Bonner and Morgan & Morgan’s Scott Bates.