Tampa Bay Rowdies Owner Bill Edwards has made it clear in the past that he wanted to expand Al Lang Stadium.

For the past two years, the Rowdies have regularly brought in some near-capacity crowds at the waterfront venue in St. Petersburg, Fla., and heading into its first campaign in the USL, they are expected to be one of the league’s top draws.

In early December, Edwards and the team unveiled an elaborate expansion and renovation of Al Lang that would up the capacity to 18,000 while maintaining the aura of the venue being adjacent to the waterfront. Should the plans come to fruition, it would be not only an impressive soccer-specific gem, but also one that stays true to the downtown St. Pete area – a much different approach than what Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays had wanted to build over at one stage.

“It was too imposing, running across the street and into the water,” Edwards said in reference to the Rays’ plans. “We’re doing it in a footprint that’s there, and we’re taking our neighbors into consideration, which was our first and most important goal.”