 | ||||
| Full name | Tampa Bay Mutiny | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Mutiny | |||
| Founded | November 16, 1994; 31 years ago (1994-11-16) | |||
| Dissolved | January 8, 2002; 23 years ago (2002-01-08) | |||
| Stadium | Tampa Stadium Raymond James Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 74,301 65,857 | |||
| League | Major League Soccer | |||
TheTampa Bay Mutiny were an American professionalsoccer team based inTampa, Florida. The club competed inMajor League Soccer (MLS) as a member of theEastern Conference. The Mutiny were a charter member of MLS, playing from 1996 to 2001. The team played its home games atTampa Stadium and then atRaymond James Stadium.
The Mutiny were established in 1994 and were owned and operated by MLS throughout its entire existence. The team was successful in their first years of play, winning the firstMLS Supporters' Shield behindMLS MVPCarlos Valderrama and high-scoringforwardRoy Lassiter, whose 27 goals in 1996 remained the MLS single-season record until 2018. However, in subsequent years, dropping attendance and revenues became problems, especially as the team's on-field success declined and the lease at its second home field of Raymond James Stadium removed sources of gameday revenues. 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, theMiami Fusion, were folded before the 2002 season.
In 1994, newly establishedMajor League Soccer announced it would place one of its charter franchises in theTampa Bay Area.[1] The region was seen as a potentially fertile market for soccer due to the success of theTampa Bay Rowdies in the oldNorth American Soccer League in the 1970s and 1980s.[2] The Mutiny took the field in 1996 when MLS began play. 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.[3]
The Mutiny were owned and operated by MLS along with two other teams, theDallas Burn and theSan Jose Clash, with the league hoping eventually sell the franchises to private local owners.[4] The team managed strong signings in 1995, includingCarlos Valderrama,Roy Lassiter, andMartín Vásquez.[5] They were successful in their first two years, particularly in 1996, when they won the firstSupporters' Shield with the best regular-season finish behindMost Valuable Player Carlos Valderrama andGolden Boot winner Roy Lassiter.[6]
On April 13, 1996, the Mutiny played their inaugural game against theNew England Revolution, winning 3–2. Led by managerThomas Rongen andRoy Lassiter, who scored a record 27 goals in the season, the Mutiny claimed the best record in the league at 20–12 and were the first winners (retroactively) of theSupporters' Shield. In the playoffs, they beat theColumbus Crew before losing in the conference final to eventual championsD.C. United.[7]
In 1997, Thomas Rongen took over theNew England Revolution, and was replaced byJohn Kowalski. Under him, the Mutiny finished the season with a record of 17–15, but were swept in the playoffs by the Columbus Crew. After the season, Kowalski resigned from the club. 1998 sawTim Hankinson join the club as the new manager while star player Carlos Valderrama joined new MLS sideMiami Fusion. As a result, the Mutiny would struggle through the season, finishing with a record of 12–20, missing the playoffs for the first time.[7]
In 1999, the Mutiny reacquired Valderrama. 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 the 2000 season, the Mutiny finished with a 16–12–4 record after rebounding from a poor start to the campaign. However, they were swept by theLos Angeles Galaxy in the first round of the playoffs. In 2001, Tim Hankinson was fired, but struggles continued with successorsAlfonso Mondelo andPerry Van der Beck. Mondelo was fired midseason, and neither manager could revive the struggling franchise. On September 4, the Mutiny lost 2–1 to the Columbus Crew in what would be their last ever match. They managed just four wins and two draws, recording 21 losses over the course of the campaign.[7]
The city of Tampa demolishedTampa Stadium in 1998, and the Mutiny moved to newRaymond James Stadium for the 1999 season with a much less favorable lease.[8] The club was hampered by declining attendance and low revenues which were exacerbated by a lease agreement that transferred most match day revenue to theTampa Bay Buccaneers, resulting in an inability to secure a local ownership group.[9] In 2001, the Mutiny had the worst record in MLS with only four wins in twenty-seven matches on the season and drew an average attendance of under 11,000 per game, among the league's lowest.[10] Faced with financial losses up to $2 million a year, MLS courtedMalcolm Glazer and his family, owners of the Tampa Bay BuccaneersNational Football League team, to purchase the Mutiny. The Glazers considered the deal but ultimately declined, leaving the league with no prospective owners willing to take over the team. MLS folded the Mutiny, as well as its other Florida-based team, theMiami Fusion, in 2002.[11][2] TheGlazers would purchaseManchester United in 2005.
While Major League Soccer has not had a team in the Tampa Bay area since the folding of the Mutiny, a preseason game on February 14, 2025, between the two current Florida teamsOrlando City SC andInter Miami CF atRaymond James Stadium was the first MLS game in the area since 2001.[12]
In August 2025, theUPSL on their official Facebook page, announced a team joining the league. The team is named after the charter club in MLS, to compete in the Florida West Conference, starting in their upcoming fall 2025 season.
1996
1996
1996Steve Ralston
1996Roy Lassiter(27g, 4a)
1999Steve Ralston
1996Carlos Valderrama,Roy Lassiter
1996Carlos Valderrama |
1996Carlos Valderrama,Roy Lassiter,Martín Vásquez,Cle Kooiman
1996Mark Dougherty,Steve Pittman 26 assists in one season:Carlos Valderramain 2000 2004Frank Yallop |
1996Thomas Rongen
1996Eddie Austin
2001Eddie Austin
Thomas Rongen (1996)
John Kowalski (1997–98)Tim Hankinson (1998–00)
Alfonso Mondelo (2001)Perry Van der Beck (2001)Steve Ralston (177)Roy Lassiter (37)
Carlos Valderrama (81)Scott Garlick (11)| Eastern Conference | |
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