Tampa bay mutiny cap professional#

On September 4, the Mutiny lost 2–1 to the Columbus Crew in what would be their last ever match. Mondelo was fired midseason, and neither manager could revive the struggling franchise. In 2001, Tim Hankinson was fired, but struggles continued with successors Alfonso Mondelo and Perry Van der Beck. However, they were swept by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the playoffs. In the 2000 season, the Mutiny finished with a 16–12–4 record after rebounding from a poor start to the campaign. Despite this, they struggled, being swept by the Columbus Crew in the first round of the playoffs, which they qualified for despite having a losing record. In 1999, the Mutiny reacquired Carlos Valderrama. Raymond James Stadium was home to the Mutiny from 1999 to 2001.

As a result, the Mutiny would struggle through the season, finishing with a record of 12–20, missing the playoffs for the first time. 1998 saw Tim Hankinson join the club as the new manager while star player Carlos Valderrama joined new MLS side Miami Fusion. After the season, Kowalski resigned from the club. Under him, the Mutiny finished the season with a record of 17–15, but were swept in the playoffs by the Columbus Crew. In 1997, Thomas Rongen took over the New England Revolution, and was replaced by John Kowalski. In the playoffs, they beat the Columbus Crew before losing in the conference final to eventual champions D.C. Led by manager Thomas Rongen and Roy Lassiter, who scored a record 26 goals in the season, the Mutiny claimed the best record in the league at 20–12 and were the first winners of the Supporters' Shield. On April 13, 1996, the Mutiny played their inaugural game against the New England Revolution, winning 3–2. They were successful in their first two years, particularly in 1996, when they won the first Supporters' Shield with the best regular-season finish behind Most Valuable Player Carlos Valderrama and Golden Boot winner Roy Lassiter. The team managed strong signings in 1995, including Carlos Valderrama, Roy Lassiter, and Martín Vásquez. The Mutiny were owned and operated by MLS along with two other teams, the Dallas Burn and the San Jose Clash, with the league hoping eventually sell the franchises to private local owners.

While the Mutiny had no direct connection to the Rowdies franchise, the Mutiny occasionally paid tribute to its predecessor by wearing green and gold alternative kits, once wearing both the Mutiny and Rowdies logos on the same shirt. The Mutiny took the field in 1996 when the MLS began play. The region was seen as a potentially fertile market for soccer due to the success of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the old North American Soccer League in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1994, newly established Major League Soccer announced it would place one of its charter franchises in the Tampa Bay Area. Owing to these issues, MLS attempted without success to find a local ownership group to take over operations from the league, and both the Mutiny and the league's other Florida-based team, the Miami Fusion, were folded before the 2002 season. However, in subsequent years, dropping attendance and revenues became problems, especially as their on-field success declined and the lease at their second home pitch of Raymond James Stadium removed sources of gameday revenues.

They were successful in their first years of play, winning the first MLS Supporters' Shield behind MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring forward Roy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in 1996 remained the MLS single-season record until 2018. The Mutiny were established in 1994 and were owned and operated by MLS throughout their existence. They played their home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium. They were a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001.

Tampa bay mutiny cap professional#

Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida.