by JAKE NUTTING

OP-ED: Heard any good rumors lately?

Yes, reports surfaced last week that owner Bill Edwards could be taking our beloved Tampa Bay Rowdies to the United Soccer League, decamping from the modern North American Soccer League that the Rowdies helped launch back in 2011.

Neither the Rowdies nor the NASL have commented on the matter, but the league’s owners gathered for a summit in Atlanta this week to reportedly address concerns of owners contemplating, and it is believed that the Rowdies had no representation at these meetings. Take what you will from this.

It’s not just an uncertain time for the Rowdies, but throughout the entire NASL. Probe sources and some will swear the league is on death’s door with a handful of teams considering an exit, while others insist the bleeding is limited to the Rowdies and the cash-strapped Ottawa Fury FC.

Basically, no knows what’s going on except for a select few, and none of those folks are likely to open up anytime soon. When we know something concrete, we’ll say something and we will push for the answers that we feel Edwards owes the supporters.

So for the time being, what I’m suggesting is we push aside the anxiousness of not knowing what damn league our team will be competing in next year as best we can and focus our energy on what is shaping up to be a thrilling October.

Here’s a rundown of some of the things the Rowdies are looking to achieve in the final month of the NASL Season, and possibly even their final month in the NASL ever:

First playoff berth since 2012: Boy, does that 2012 Soccer Bowl win feel like a long time ago. The Rowdies would have qualified for the playoffs the following year if not for the NASL’s universally loathed format that season, but it’s still high time the Rowdies made their way back into the postseason. After going unbeaten in September, the Rowdies are in total control of their playoff fate. Saturday night is the first of two pivotal matches for the Rowdies at home. A win over Miami FC, who are even on points in the combined standings, would be massive, as would three points over the current holders of the fourth and final playoff spot Minnesota United FC a few days later. With just one point separating the Rowdies from Minnesota at the moment, the Rowdies could end up in the fourth spot come next weekend.

First Coastal Cup since 2013: The Rowdies already closed out this year’s Florida Derby with a thorough 4-1 win over the rival Fort Lauderdale Strikers to take the season series. In years past, sweeping the Strikers would have been enough to guarantee a Coastal Cup win, but the NASL’s further expansion into Florida means the Rowdies still have work to do. Fortunately, the Rowdies remain in prime position to take the cup. A win on Saturday would officially clinch it, but with one more match with Miami and Jacksonville still to come, they will have ample opportunities to claim the cup if need be.

Stuart Campbell’s official legendary status: Stuart Campbell has already done plenty to be considered one of the greats for the Rowdies in the modern era. His leadership on the field in 2012 was essential to the team capturing its first league title since the inaugural 1975 season in the original NASL. If he can lead the Rowdies to Coastal Cup victory this year, his status as a Rowdies legend will be cemented. Campbell already won two Coastal Cups for the Rowdies as a player, leaving him with the unique opportunity to claim the cup as both a player and head coach. No one would be more deserving, in my opinion. While some ex-coaches take pleasure in trolling Rowdies fans and the team on social media at the slightest stumble, Campbell has been committed to putting the work in for Rowdies supporters for five years.

Keeping it Gold in October: Tampa Bay’s lone home match in September was an emotional one, with the night serving as Go Gold For Childhood Cancer Awareness Night. Bill Edwards donated $15,000 to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, and Joe Cole kicked in an extra $1,000 for the team’s winning goal. Since the Rowdies only had one match at Al Lang throughout Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Edwards has pledged to keep the donations flowing, promising $10,000 for every capacity crowd and win at home for the rest of the year. With four home fixtures remaining, that’s a total of $60,000 on the table to fight childhood cancer. Make Edwards cut that over-sized novelty check! We all know he can afford it.

One more shot at the Cosmos: Last but certainly not least, a playoff spot for the Rowdies could very well set the stage for one final meeting between them and the New York Cosmos after easily the most contentious regular season series of the modern era. Both still need to lock up their playoff positions, but a first-round matchup seems the most likely scenario if the Rowdies do clinch a spot. Think of the drama, and pity the poor soul tasked with the job of refereeing that potential match.

All this is the kind of drama I prefer when it comes to the Rowdies — on the field at Al Lang and in the standings. The world is already too much of an insane bummer to let anything distract me from the fact that the Rowdies are in the hunt for two trophies. Let the millionaires work out their grievances with each other behind closed doors. We’ll be here, ready to support the Rowdies when the dust clears.

IMAGE, PATRICK PATTERSON/UNUSED SUBSTITUTES