Coastal Cup Explained
The Coastal Cup is a trophy and soccer competition among the USL Championship (USL) teams based in Florida. Established in 2010, the trophy was originally awarded to the best team in regular season play among Florida-based franchises.[1] Head-to-head playoff games, U.S. Open Cup matches and friendlies have no bearing on the outcome of this competition. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers did not field a team in 2017 and were later dissolved. The Tampa Bay Rowdies also participated in this cup from 2010 though 2016, before leaving the NASL for the USL. With Miami FC joining the USL, the competition restarted in 2020.
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,http://a-leaguearchive.tripod.com/1988/resultsasl88.htm 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] Although Jacksonville and Miami both participated in the 2017 NASL season, with Miami FC sweeping all five head-to-head matches, the Coastal Cup trophy was not presented to them. Miami FC joined Tampa Bay in the USL Championship in 2020 to revive this all-Florida in-league rivalry, but the trophy still has not resurfaced.
Most recent
2023| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 6 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 2 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 2 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 0 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 0 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 4 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 0 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | +4 |
| Miami FC | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -4 |
|
Tiebreaker sequence: 1. Goal Differential - 2. Total Goals - 3. Head-To-Head Record - 4. Away Goal Difference - 5. Away Goals ScoredBy season
2010| 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 | |
2011| 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 |
|
2012| 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 |
|
2013| 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 | |
2014| 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 | |
2015| 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 | |
2016| 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 | |
2017| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|
| Miami FC | 15 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 |
| Jacksonville Armada | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -10 | |
- Although these were NASL regular season games the Coastal Cup was not presented in 2017, or since in the USL Championship
2020| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
| Miami FC | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | -7 |
|
2021| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 | +2 |
| Miami FC | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 7 | -2 |
|
2022| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies# | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Miami FC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
|
- Tampa Bay wins on away goals, 2-1.
2023| Team | Pts | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 |
| Miami FC | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -4 |
|
All-time
| Team | Seasons* | Titles | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw |
|---|
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | 11 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 9 | 46 | 25 | 11 | 10 |
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 7 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 2 | 34 | 11 | 15 | 7 |
| Miami FC | 6 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 1 | 26 | 9 | 13 | 6 |
| Jacksonville Armada | 3 | align=center style="background:#ffebad;" | 0 | 20 | 4 | 12 | 4 | |
*totals through 2023 seasonNotes and References
- Web site: Introduction To The Coastal Cup. nasl.com. April 26, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160829040440/http://www.strikers.com/news/2016/04/22/introduction-to-the-coastal-cup. August 29, 2016. dead.
- News: Williams . Elisa . TANG promotes soccer in Florida. Palm Beach Post . June 13, 1988. 6-Biz. July 17, 2017.
- News: Lazzarino . Chris . Tang to give Florida Cup a richer mix. South Florida Sun-Sentinel . April 13, 1988. 7C. July 17, 2017.
- News: Gomez . Pedro . Mihaljavic strikes late for Sharks. Miami News . April 16, 1988. 4B. July 17, 2017.
- News: Orlando Lions advertisement. Orlando Sentinel . April 20, 1988. C-3. July 17, 2017.
- News: Strikes beat Orlando, clinch Florida Cup. Palm Beach Post . July 2, 1988. 5C. July 17, 2017.
- News: Strikes-Sharks battle for Subway Series trophy. Palm Beach Post . August 3, 1988. 3C. July 17, 2017.
- News: Miami FC And FC Tampa Bay Rowdies Rekindle 30-Year Rivalry In Coastal Cup. oursportscentral.com. April 30, 2010. January 25, 2017.
- Web site: NASL: FC Tampa Bay downs Ft. Lauderdale 2–0 to remain in third place. nasl.com. January 23, 2015.
- Web site: Rowdies beat rival Strikers, capture Coastal Cup again. Tampa Bay Times. January 23, 2015. dead. https://archive.today/20140113103826/http://174.129.77.10/sports/soccer/rowdies-beat-rival-strikers-capture-coastal-cup-again/2146985. January 13, 2014. mdy-all.
- Web site: NASL: Tampa Bay Rowdies 2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers 1. nasl.com. February 28, 2015.
- Web site: Rowdies NASL: Rowdies Fall 3–2 Against Fort Lauderdale Strikers. rowdiessoccer.com. March 1, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20141015181206/http://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news/detail/uuid/1oywwyohn5hw21r5a5k9ye7r32/gameday-rowdies-host-fort-lauderdale-strikers-with-coastal-cup-on-the-line#.VDX2ToWAdDR. October 15, 2014. dead.
- Web site: Historic night in Tampa as Fort Lauderdale Strikers come from behind to take Coastal Cup. floridaleisure.com. March 1, 2015.
- Web site: Rowdies Take Aim At Fifth Coastal Cup Title Starting This Saturday. nasl.com. April 23, 2015.
- Web site: MIAMI FC BECOMES 12TH NASL CLUB. NASL.com. May 20, 2015. May 20, 2015.
- Web site: Rowdies can't gain playoff ground, but win Coastal Cup in draw with Miami. October 14, 2016. baynews9.com. October 15, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161018203441/http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bhsn/2016/10/14/rowdies_can_t_gain_p.html?cid=rss. October 18, 2016. dead.
- News: USL Expands with Additions of Tampa Bay Rowdies, Ottawa Fury FC. United Soccer League (USL). October 25, 2016. October 25, 2016.
