The Tampa Bay Mutiny were an American professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
team based in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
. The club competed in
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
(MLS) as a member of the
Eastern Conference. The Mutiny were a charter member of MLS, playing from 1996 to 2001. The team played its home games at
Tampa Stadium
Tampa Stadium (nicknamed The Big Sombrero and briefly known as Houlihan's Stadium) was a large open-air stadium (maximum capacity about 74,000) located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The fac ...
and then at
Raymond 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 first
MLS Supporters' Shield
The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 199 ...
behind
MLS MVP Carlos Valderrama and high-scoring
forward Roy 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, the
Miami Fusion, were folded before the 2002 season.
History
In 1994, newly established
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
announced it would place one of its charter franchises in the
Tampa Bay Area. 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.
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.
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. The team managed strong signings in 1995, including
Carlos Valderrama,
Roy Lassiter, and
Martín Vásquez. 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
In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
Carlos Valderrama and
Golden Boot winner Roy Lassiter.
On April 13, 1996, the Mutiny played their inaugural game against the
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...
, winning 3–2. Led by manager
Thomas Rongen and
Roy 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 the
Supporters' Shield. In the playoffs, they beat the
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
before losing in the conference final to eventual champions
D.C. United.
In 1997, Thomas Rongen took over the
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the Greater Boston area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. It is on ...
, and was replaced by
John 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 saw
Tim Hankinson join the club as the new manager while star player Carlos Valderrama joined new MLS side
Miami 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.

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 the
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Gal ...
in the first round of the playoffs. In 2001, Tim Hankinson was fired, but struggles continued with successors
Alfonso Mondelo and
Perry 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.
The city of Tampa demolished
Tampa Stadium
Tampa Stadium (nicknamed The Big Sombrero and briefly known as Houlihan's Stadium) was a large open-air stadium (maximum capacity about 74,000) located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The fac ...
in 1998, and the Mutiny moved to new
Raymond James Stadium for the 1999 season with a much less favorable lease. The club was hampered by declining attendance and low revenues which were exacerbated by a lease agreement that transferred most match day revenue to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, resulting in an inability to secure a local ownership group. 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. Faced with financial losses up to $2 million a year, MLS courted
Malcolm Glazer and his family, owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
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, the
Miami Fusion, in 2002.
The
Glazers would purchase Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
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 teams
Orlando City SC and
Inter Miami CF
Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (), commonly referred to as Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (M ...
at
Raymond James Stadium was the first MLS game in the area since 2001.
Honors
Team
*
MLS Supporters' Shield
The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 199 ...
:
1996
*
Eastern Conference (Regular Season Winners):
1996
*
Copa de Puerto Rico
2000
Players
*
MLS Most Valuable Player:
1996
Carlos Valderrama
*
MLS Rookie of the Year Award
The MLS Young Player of the Year Award (known as the Rookie of the Year Award from 1996 to 2019) is an annual award given to the top player in Major League Soccer under the age of 22.
The award was initially awarded to a rookie, or a player who ...
: (2)
1996
Steve Ralston
1997
Mike Duhaney
*
MLS Golden Boot
The MLS Golden Boot (currently commercially termed "Audi Golden Boot") has been awarded since the 2005 Major League Soccer season, 2005 season to Major League Soccer's regular–season leading scorer. The award replaced the MLS Scoring Champion ...
: (2)
1996
Roy Lassiter ''(27g, 4a)''
2000
Mamadou Diallo ''(26g, 4a)''
*
MLS Fair Play Award
The Fair Play Award in Major League Soccer was the award that was given to an individual player and a team who presented best overall sportsmanlike behavior in addition to receiving one of the lowest numbers of yellow
Yellow is the color ...
: (2)
1999
Steve Ralston
2000
Steve Ralston
*
MLS Best XI
The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. The selection is determined by a collection of media, players, and MLS club technical staffs.
Winners
Appearances by player
The following players ...
selections (7)
1996
Carlos Valderrama,
Roy Lassiter
1997
Carlos Valderrama
1999
Steve Ralston
2000
Carlos Valderrama,
Steve Ralston,
Mamadou Diallo
*
MLS All-Star Game
The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially adopted a traditional all ...
MVP: (3)
1996
Carlos Valderrama
1997
Carlos Valderrama
2000
Mamadou Diallo
*
MLS All-Star Game
The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially adopted a traditional all ...
starters: (10)
1996
Carlos Valderrama,
Roy Lassiter,
Martín Vásquez,
Cle Kooiman
1997
Carlos Valderrama
1998
Frankie Hejduk,
Jan Eriksson
1999
Carlos Valderrama
2000
Carlos Valderrama,
Steve Ralston
*
MLS All-Star Game
The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially adopted a traditional all ...
reserves: (10)
1996
Mark Dougherty,
Steve Pittman
1997
Giuseppe Galderisi,
Steve Ralston,
Frank Yallop
1998
Thomas Ravelli,
Mauricio Ramos
2000
Mamadou Diallo,
Scott Garlick
2001
Mamadou Diallo
*
MLS records:
26 assists in one season:
Carlos Valderrama ''in 2000''
MLS All-Star Game
The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against an international club or selected players from another league. MLS initially adopted a traditional all ...
MVP:
Carlos Valderrama ''in 1996 & 1997''
*
Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame:
2004
Frank Yallop
Coach and Admin
*
MLS Coach of the Year Award
The Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Award is given by Major League Soccer to the best manager (association football), coach in any given season. The award has been given since the league's inception in 1996 and is determined by a vote from players, ...
:
1996
Thomas Rongen
*MLS Executive of the Year Award:
1999
Nick Sakiewicz
*MLS Operations Executive of the Year Award: (2)
1996
Eddie Austin
2001
Eddie Austin
Players
Head coaches
*
Thomas Rongen (1996)
*
John Kowalski (1997–98)
*
Tim Hankinson (1998–00)
*
Alfonso Mondelo (2001)
*
Perry Van der Beck (2001)
Team records
*Games:
Steve Ralston (177)
*Goals:
Roy Lassiter (37)
*Assists:
Carlos Valderrama (81)
*Shutouts:
Scott Garlick (11)
Home stadiums
*
Tampa Stadium
Tampa Stadium (nicknamed The Big Sombrero and briefly known as Houlihan's Stadium) was a large open-air stadium (maximum capacity about 74,000) located in Tampa, Florida, which opened in 1967 and was significantly expanded in 1974–75. The fac ...
(1996–1998)
*
Raymond James Stadium (1999–2001)
Year-by-year
See also
*
Tampa Bay Rowdies of the
USL Championship
The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the second tier of the United States soccer league system#Men's leagues, United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) a ...
*
Fort Lauderdale–Tampa Bay rivalry
References
External links
Official website(archived December 2, 2001)
Tampa Bay Mutiny on St. Petersburg TimesBigSoccer.Com: Central Florida Superthread (Part 2)
{{Supporters' Shield Winners
Defunct soccer clubs in Florida
Association football clubs established in 1994
Mutiny
Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...
Defunct Major League Soccer teams
Sports in Tampa, Florida
Association football clubs disestablished in 2002
1994 establishments in Florida
2002 disestablishments in Florida
Soccer clubs in Florida