by JAKE NUTTING

The Tampa Bay Rowdies took what they hope is another significant step in their quest to assert themselves on soccer’s international stage this week with the announcement that the NASL side will host multiple games for January’s Florida Cup at Al Lang Stadium. The Rowdies will also participate in the preseason cup, playing alongside notable clubs like Argentina’s River Plate, Brazil’s Corinthians, as well as Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen and Vfl Wolfsburg.

“Soccer is the magic word bringing us together here,” said Florida Cup CEO Ricardo Villar. “Knowing that the Rowdies are focused and doing what they’re doing, and the professionalism that has been installed here in the market by the Rowdies is fantastic. I feel very strongly about what I’ve seen here and I’ve been surprised in a positive way.”

Apart from the obviously appealing sunny skies and attractions offered by the area, luring the Florida Cup to Al Lang Stadium was all about the dedication to details the Rowdies held to when renovating the historic venue ahead of last year’s season.

“You see every single detail with what they have and what they’ve done to really create a charming environment for a soccer game,” Villar explained. “It really won the teams over, coming here and seeing a beautiful venue, everything looking good, the grass is beautiful, everything inside and the locker rooms all taken care of, everything is provided for them. With the water in the background, it really is a postcard of soccer. And then today, when you come in and see a professional set up like this and people are taking it seriously. We’re happy to be bringing global attention to it.”

Team owner Bill Edward’s multi-million dollar investment into the facility began to reap rewards last year when the Rowdies hosted a handful of MLS teams for preseason training in the Suncoast Invitational. The team’s involvement with the Florida Cup, though, brings them onto a significantly larger platform. Still a relatively young competition, the Florida Cup already cast a wide global net, with its matches being broadcast in over 170 countries into 650 million households.

The Florida Cup will unquestionably place the team and the region on the radar of many who were previously unaware of what each brings to the table. Villar even admitted that despite the fact that the cup had been played a relatively short distance away in Orlando, he was ignorant when it came to the Rowdies and St Petersburg.

“I never knew St. Petersburg until recently,” he said. “I got time to spend with my wife and family here, to enjoy the beautiful beaches here and everything. So I think that to the fans around the world that are coming here it will be fantastic. It adds to it. I think the Florida Cup was built on that fan experience being unique.”

With over 80 percent of Florida Cup crowds on average travelling from afar to take in the matches, it’s likely many will be getting their first introduction to not only the Rowdies but also Tampa Bay.

“For them to be able to come here and enjoy the games in a beautiful place like this with so much to do after the games around St Petersburg. The downtown life is right there and you’ve got beautiful water and beaches. I think it adds a lot of value to the product naturally. Tying up a great destination with the world of tourism, which is Florida, with naturally the passion of your team, which you’re gonna go follow and be driven to, for us it’s a perfect mix.”