Coastal Cup (soccer)
| Locale | Florida |
|---|---|
| Teams | |
| First meeting | 2010 |
| Latest meeting | Tampa Bay Rowdies (2016) |
| Next meeting | 2017 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 7 |
| Most wins | Tampa Bay Rowdies (5) |
The Coastal Cup is a trophy and soccer competition among the North American Soccer League (NASL) teams based in Florida. Established in 2010, the trophy is awarded to the best team in regular season play among the league's Florida franchises: the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Jacksonville Armada FC, and Miami FC. Head-to-head playoff games, U.S. Open Cup matches and friendlies have no bearing on the outcome of this competition. The Tampa Bay Rowdies also participated in this cup from 2010 though 2016, before leaving the NASL.
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. 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.
Tampa Bay won the first four Coastal Cups, with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers finally breaking through in 2014. The addition of the Jacksonville Armada to the NASL for the 2015 season made the Coastal Cup a triangular competition. 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. 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.
Until either the NASL or the Fort Lauderdale Strikers offer a definitive statement on the team's future, it is impossible to speculate on the Coastal Cup's complexion for 2017 and beyond.
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