Media Roundtable | Storylines To Watch

With the start of the Spring Season inching closer each day, media members covering the league gave their opinions on what storylines they were most looking to follow as the season unfolds.

Jake Nutting, Unused Substitutes podcast and Empire of Soccer

I'm so eager to see the Florida Derby turn into a three-way competition in 2015. So far in this new incarnation of the NASL, the rivalry between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Fort Lauderdale Strikers has made for some highly entertaining soccer. Bringing the Jacksonville Armada FC into the fold can only make things better. Florida has developed a fairly bad rap in the professional sports landscape. For the most part I feel that is a unfair perception, especially when it comes to soccer.

People across the entire state have a deep passion for the sport. In my eyes they've just been waiting to see some commitment from either a league or ownership group. Today they have both. The NASL has planted a flag in Florida and made it a centerpiece of the league's development going forward. Intelligent new ownership groups are laying down permanent roots and making positive strides in their markets every day. It's an undeniably exciting time to be a soccer fan in the state of Florida.

Steven Sandor, Plastic Pitch and The11.ca

In any expansion year, there’s always going to be a focus on the new team. FC Edmonton opens the season in Jacksonville, and the Eddies are already preparing for all the distractions that come with it; the big crowd, the on-field festivities. What will be interesting to see is how the Armada fare through the year; I’ve had players tell me that they don’t think this will be a case of an expansion last-place team. They think this team will be competitive. I trust their word.

Wes Burdine, duNord Futbol Show podcast and Northern Pitch

There are two stories I'm really curious to watch; will the NY Cosmos under perform again and Jacksonville. The latter is perhaps more interesting because it's new. Jacksonville has looked like a serious setup with their front office moves, but I think that belies a team that will struggle. I don't know what to make of the Double Dragon two head coach setup and their line up is filled with a lot of newcomers to the league. Ottawa tried something similar last year and put together a team that I thought looked good on paper but ended up really struggling. I think that may be the Armada FC's case this year.

Neil Morris, WRALSportsFan

After the successful debut seasons for Indy Eleven and the Ottawa Fury in 2014, I’m most focused on seeing if the Jacksonville Armada FC, this year’s lone expansion entry, will continue the league’s aim of gradual, stable maturation. A solid season for the Armada FC – more off the field than on – will reclaim a former NASL market, one underserved by professional soccer in recent decades, while also expanding the league’s Florida footprint and overall growth credentials.

Ryan Tolmich, SBI Soccer

I, for one, have been particularly impressed with the overhaul of the Tampa Bay Rowdies this season. The first step was certainly bringing in head coach Thomas Rongen, a guy who is among the most experienced and valued head coaches in North America. Rongen has in turn responded with rebuilding a defense that was the league’s worst last season with the additions of Gale Agbossoumonde, Brad Rusin, Darnell King and Stefan Antonijevic. The team also brought in an experienced midfield general in Marcelo Saragosa, a guy who could really connect the new-look defense to the club’s attack. I think the Rowdies have done particularly well in building a solid all-around team that has a chance to contend from the get-go.

Michael Lewis, BigAppleSoccer

There are several. There seems to be a surge in the interest in soccer this year. I am waiting to see how that interest will help the NASL. Locally, it's whether the Cosmos can regain the form they had in the 2013 Fall Season en route to their Soccer Bowl triumph in their return to competitive soccer.

Pedro Heizer, 90MinutesStrong

I’m looking forward to seeing the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Fort Lauderdale Strikers matchups this season. With almost the entire 2014 Strikers backline going to the Rowdies, it’s going to be interesting to see if this already heated rivalry heats up even more.

Bruce McGuire, duNord Futbol Show podcast and Northern Pitch

The continued growth of American soccer at all professional levels is very hard to take your eyes off. It’s moving very fast.

Corey Langley, HF Atlanta

I think a storyline that everyone will be following is how well this new Atlanta Silverbacks team fits together. That’s a pretty broad answer, but the majority of players from last season are gone. The defense is completely new, the midfield is mostly new, and there are several additions to the men up top. How quickly can this team gel? The Spring Season is fairly short and there are still players that need to be added. With a new coach, new methods follow. Can they learn and implement the system quick enough to have a successful spring campaign? It’ll be interesting, for sure. 

Kevin Collins, Alamo Soccer City

I'm most looking forward to seeing the improvements from Tampa Bay and how Raul fits in the league with New York. I think that Tampa Bay has done a tremendous job in revitalizing itself, and I'm interested to see how far that will take them. On Raúl, it's a big deal for the league to have a player of his quality, and it will be fun to watch a living legend when he comes to visit San Antonio.