Coastal Cup
The Coastal Cup is a trophy and soccer competition among the USL Championship (USL) teams based in Florida. Established in 2010, the trophy was awarded to the best team in regular season play among the league's Florida-based franchises.[1] Head-to-head playoff games, U.S. Open Cup matches and friendlies had no bearing on the outcome of this competition. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers did not field a team in 2017. The Tampa Bay Rowdies also participated in this cup from 2010 though 2016, before leaving the NASL for the USL. Newcomers to the USL, Miami FC look to rejoin in the competition.
| Locale | Florida |
|---|---|
| Teams | |
| First meeting | 2010 |
| Latest meeting | Tampa Bay Rowdies (2016) |
| Next meeting | March 13, 2020 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 7 |
| Most wins | Tampa Bay Rowdies (5) |
Pre-history
The idea of an all-Florida Cup in soccer goes back to the Tang sponsored, Florida Cup in the American Soccer League.[2][3] It was contested in the 1988 ASL season between the second incarnation of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, the Miami Sharks, the Orlando Lions, and the original Tampa Bay Rowdies.[4][5] In a runaway, Fort Lauderdale won the title with a total of 24 points, outpacing Orlando and Tampa Bay by 12 points and Miami by 18. They clinched the title with a month left to play in the season.[6] They were awarded the Tang trophy on August 3 at Lockhart Stadium during halftime of their match versus Miami.[7] Although there were at least two Florida-based clubs in the ASL (and its successor, the American Professional Soccer League) through the 1993 season, the 1988 edition was the only time in that era of Florida professional club soccer that a trophy competition of this nature was contested.
History
The Coastal Cup was first contested in 2010 as part of the fifth incarnation of the Florida Derby, between FC Tampa Bay and the original Miami FC Blues, while both were members of the D2 Pro League.[8] Within two years time both teams would re-brand using the names of the historic NASL clubs from the two regions of Florida and were themselves part of the new NASL.[9][10]
Tampa Bay won the first four Coastal Cups,[10][11] with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers finally breaking through in 2014.[12][13] The addition of the Jacksonville Armada to the NASL for the 2015 season made the Coastal Cup a triangular competition.[14] The Strikers retained the trophy in 2015 with one match to spare by virtue of Jacksonville's 2–0 upset victory over the Rowdies on September 26. In the 2016 season the new Miami FC squad joined the NASL to make the competition a four-team affair.[15] Shortly after Tampa Bay secured its fifth cup title, the franchise announced it would be leaving the NASL for the United Soccer League beginning in 2017.[16][17] Miami FC joined the USL in 2020 and are looking to rejoin the competition and revive this all Florida rivalry.
Most recent
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies* | 14 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 11 | 4 |
| Jacksonville Armada | 13 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 1 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 10 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 11 | -2 |
| Miami FC | 8 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 13 | -3 |
Tiebreaker sequence: 1. Goal Differential - 2. Total Goals - 3. Head-To-Head Record - 4. Away Goal Difference - 5. Away Goals Scored
By season
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Tampa Bay | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 5 | +2 |
| Miami FC Blues (2006–10) | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | -2 |
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Tampa Bay | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | +6 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 9 | -6 |
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 5 | +5 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 | -5 |
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | -5 |
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 15 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 | +6 |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | -2 |
| Jacksonville Armada | 3 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 11 | -4 |
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 14 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 11 | +4 |
| Jacksonville Armada | 13 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 11 | +1 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 10 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 11 | -2 |
| Miami FC | 8 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 13 | -3 |
All-time
| Team | Seasons* | Titles | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 7 | 5 | 34 | 17 | 8 | 8 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 7 | 2 | 34 | 11 | 15 | 7 |
| Jacksonville Armada | 2 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
| Miami FC | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
*totals through 2016 season
References
- "Introduction To The Coastal Cup". nasl.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
- Williams, Elisa (June 13, 1988). "TANG promotes soccer in Florida". Palm Beach Post. p. 6-Biz. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- Lazzarino, Chris (April 13, 1988). "Tang to give Florida Cup a richer mix". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. p. 7C. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- Gomez, Pedro (April 16, 1988). "Mihaljavic strikes late for Sharks". Miami News. p. 4B. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- "Orlando Lions advertisement". Orlando Sentinel. April 20, 1988. p. C-3. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- "Strikes beat Orlando, clinch Florida Cup". Palm Beach Post. July 2, 1988. p. 5C. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- "Strikes-Sharks battle for Subway Series trophy". Palm Beach Post. August 3, 1988. p. 3C. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- "Miami FC And FC Tampa Bay Rowdies Rekindle 30-Year Rivalry In Costal Cup". oursportscentral.com. April 30, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- "NASL: FC Tampa Bay downs Ft. Lauderdale 2–0 to remain in third place". nasl.com. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
- "Rowdies beat rival Strikers, capture Coastal Cup again". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
- "NASL: Tampa Bay Rowdies 2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1". nasl.com. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
- "Rowdies NASL: Rowdies Fall 3–2 Against Fort Lauderdale Strikers". rowdiessoccer.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- "Historic night in Tampa as Fort Lauderdale Strikers come from behind to take Coastal Cup". floridaleisure.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
- "Rowdies Take Aim At Fifth Coastal Cup Title Starting This Saturday". nasl.com. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- "MIAMI FC BECOMES 12TH NASL CLUB". NASL.com. May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
- "Rowdies can't gain playoff ground, but win Coastal Cup in draw with Miami". baynews9.com. October 14, 2016. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- "USL Expands with Additions of Tampa Bay Rowdies, Ottawa Fury FC". United Soccer League (USL). October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.