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Axios
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Axios
Tampa Bay Sun to celebrate title with boat parade
It's not Champa Bay without a boat parade. State of YAY: Today, for the first time in Tampa history, the revelry on the Hillsborough River will honor a champion in women's sports. Fresh off Sunday's USL Super League victory, the Tampa Bay Sun will take to the seas to celebrate. The details: The celebration will kick off at 1pm at the Armature Works Pier with a party featuring Sun-themed giveaways .
Axios
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Axios
Tampa Bay Sun face in-state rivals in first-ever final
The Tampa Bay Sun will face off against Fort Lauderdale United in the inaugural USL Super League Championship final this weekend. Why it matters: They are the first professional women's sports team from Tampa Bay to compete in a playoff game. This is also the first USL Super League final, and we're hosting it in Tampa. Zoom in: The final is set for Saturday at 7:30pm at the Blake High School Riverfront Stadium. Tampa Bay has the most wins at home of any team in the USL Super League during the regular season. There are still some tickets on sale, starting at $25. You can also watch the final on Peacock. State of play: The Sun has met its in-state rival four times this season. The first three bouts ended in ties, while the Sun won in the last match. The Sun earned the No. 2 seed in the USL Super League playoffs and notched a 2–1 win at home over Dallas Trinity in the semifinal. Fort Lauderdale United is the No. 4 seed. What they're saying: " They're a team that is built for adversity. They have each other's back," Sun head coach Denise Schilte-Brown recently told the Tampa Bay Times. "They're super supportive, and they never give up." "I think we've seen the best of them when we're behind a goal," she added.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dreams realized, faith rewarded for the Sun on a wondrous night
TAMPA — This was before they danced on the sidelines and made snow angels with confetti on a hot summer night. Before Sydny Nasello dribbled past two defenders and sent a wondrous pass to Cecilie Fløe Nielsen for the winning goal in extra time. Before the late-season surge that put them in a soldout USL Super League championship game. And before the remaking of a high school stadium to fit a new league's modest needs. Before all of that, there was simply this: Advertisement Faith. Faith in a game they loved, in a sport forever fighting to grow in the United States, in a league that emerged from nowhere and, most notably, faith in each other. At this time a year ago, the Tampa Bay Sun were more theory than team. They were still weeks away from their first practice, just a collection of players from around the globe hoping that an upstart league with eight teams could survive a crowded sports landscape. And, somehow, 12 months later, the Sun emerged as the USL's inaugural champion after a 1-0 win against Fort Lauderdale Saturday night. 'I think about that a lot,' said Sun coach Denice Schilte-Brown, who left a comfortable position with USF to take a chance on professional soccer in Tampa Bay. 'I think about Jade Moore taking that leap of faith on me and on the season, it's kind of crazy. You know (the Sun) didn't exist and she's capped for England. And she was like, 'Yeah, okay, I'll come do this.' Advertisement 'And Jordyn (Listro) to believe in me. I mean, obviously, we've had a long relationship (at USF) but this is an NWSL veteran who had played over half the minutes the season before and obviously had other opportunities. And (Natasha) Flint, who has an incredible resume. All of them. They all just stepped up and said, 'Yeah, okay, I'll come try this.' I mean we put together a crazy, great roster.' It wasn't always as easy as Saturday night made it seem. At the end of their fall schedule, the Sun had won only five of their 13 games, along with four ties. They had some international players coming to fortify the roster in February but they needed to reimagine their offensive scheme, which seemed forever stuck in neutral. 'We all came in with different backgrounds from different places with different styles,' said Nasello who grew up in Land O' Lakes and was playing for a team in Turkey before joining the Sun. 'The secret is to buy into the process. Everyone here. We all set the same goal.' The Sun came back from the winter break and played four consecutive ties to begin the spring portion of the schedule. But gradually, blessedly, they began to find themselves as they worked new players into the lineup. Advertisement The talent, Schilte-Brown would later say, was always there. It was just a matter of becoming a team. A unit. And, ultimately, a force. Strategy mattered, but so did so many other things. Like sacrifice and commitment and generosity. Like faith and trust and enjoyment. 'I'll (remember) the laughs. You know, you can't take any of these things with you. You can only take relationships with you,' Schilte-Brown said. 'I'm going to reflect on those moments and the laugher, the karaoke, watching the girls dance, dressing up for Halloween, dumping water on each other. They're funny. They're wonderful human beings and their relationships have really got some depth to them. 'I'm really grateful for that.' Advertisement Along the way, Sun players seemed to endear themselves to a small but stout collection of fans that filled Riverfront Stadium on Saturday night and then stayed for an extended postgame celebration on the field. Yes, there were some tense moments along the way. The Sun controlled much of the action through regulation, but Fort Lauderdale's speed led to a few breakaways that had to be thwarted in front of the net. Eventually, the 30 minutes of extra time gave the Sun the one opportunity needed. With a throw-in near midfield, Jordan Zade spotted Nasello virtually alone to the right of Fort Lauderdale net. Given the ball with room to operate, Nasello dribbled past two different defenders before finding a streaking Floe Nielsen, who cut through four opponents to leap and drive the pass into the net. Ironically, precisely 50 years ago, Tampa Bay welcomed its first professional soccer franchise to the neighborhood. Before the Bucs began — and long before the Lightning or Rays showed up — the Rowdies briefly won Tampa Bay's heart. Advertisement And in their inaugural season won the NASL championship in the summer of 1975. 'Getting to do this with my family and friends and getting to celebrate all of these moments with them, I will definitely hold on to for the rest of my life,' said Nasello, who was named the game's MVP. 'There's never going to be another team that can say it won the title in the league's inaugural season. So, yeah, let that soak in.' • • • Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida. Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports. Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.
Associated Press
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Stadium planned for Tampa Bay Sun of the USL Women's Super League
The USL Women's Super League champion Tampa Bay Sun announced an ambitious plan for their own 15,000-seat stadium, joining a growing trend of facilities being built specifically for women's sports. The project announced Tuesday would be the first stadium for a team in the Women's Super League, which sits on the top tier of women's soccer in the United States alongside the National Women's Soccer League. The expected cost and timeline for the project, which includes the new headquarters for the USL, have not been disclosed. The stadium would be part of a 33-acre project in Tampa's historic Ybor City district by developer David Shaw, who is also Tampa Bay's majority owner. The area was once considered for a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium. 'We believe in the power of sport to inspire, unite, and drive meaningful change,' Shaw said in a statement. 'By anchoring this historic neighborhood with a vibrant home for women's professional soccer, we're investing in our city's future and honoring the community that makes it thrive.' The Tampa Bay Sun won the Super League's inaugural championship on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over Fort Lauderdale United. The eight-team league, which kicked off last fall, will be joined by a ninth team next season. The NWSL's Kansas City Current built the first women's soccer stadium, CPKC Stadium, which opened last year. The expansion NWSL team in Denver, which will begin play next season, has announced its plans to build a stadium. Brighton of the Women's Super League in England won local approval for a stadium in 2023 but there's no current timeline for construction. Other women's teams are investing in building their own facilities, too. The WNBA's Indiana Fever in January announced a $78 million training facility that will open in 2027, giving the team its own space apart from the NBA's Pacers. ___ AP sports:
Miami Herald
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Fort Lauderdale United silences its doubters heading into inaugural USL final
Only 5%. That's how many fans believed Fort Lauderdale United FC had a shot at claiming the inaugural USL Super League championship, according to a leaguewide poll released on June 5. Two days later, that 5% looked like the smartest people in the room. With the semifinal tied deep into extra time, it was Fort Lauderdale's Kiara Locklear who delivered in the 119th minute. The Fort Lauderdale striker pounced on a loose ball that sailed past Carolina Ascent goalkeeper and into the back of the net — a stunner that knocked out the top-seeded favorites and booked the underdogs a golden ticket to Saturday's final. 'It's just fuel to the flame,' Locklear said at Thursday morning's news conference, reflecting on the team's mind-set going into the match. 'That 5% was just in our minds going into the semi final. I think even going into the final, there's still people that underestimate us, and we're just there to show up on Saturday and prove them wrong.' Now, the No. 4-seed Fort Lauderdale United FC will face a familiar foe: the Tampa Bay Sun FC. They have played four times this season — three of them ending in a draw. While the outside world may be surprised by the club with an overall record of 11-8-9, Fort Lauderdale head coach Tyrone Mears isn't. He knows the season has been far from perfect — 'a roller coaster,' as he puts it. Now, the team has to ride its momentum to the end. 'We have the quality, it's just been finding that consistency,' Mears said. 'I think they've really shown their character as the season's gone on — the willingness to fight and continue… I think what we showed towards the end of the season, we deserve to be in this final.' Their final test won't be easy. Tampa Bay comes into the championship with four USL All-League selections, including forwards Tash Flint and Cecilie Floe, midfielder Sydny Nasello and defender Vivianne Bessette. Fort Lauderdale has its own star power, too. Alongside striker Locklear, captain Addie McCain and forward Jasmine Hamid were named to the All-League roster, with McCain earning first-team honors. 'To be recognized by your peers, other coaches, it's huge. It means the world,' McCain said. 'But I think for me, like my goal is to win a championship for Fort Lauderdale… [my] eyes are on this weekend, and we want to bring a championship here. It's about what this team can do together one last time.' On Saturday, Fort Lauderdale will get one last shot to silence the doubters. And if the squad has shown anything this season, it's that they never stop fighting, especially when no one sees them coming.
