By Delorean Fleetwood:
Tampa, FL: The MLIS announced earlier today that the Tampa Bay Terror have been promoted to MLIS after playing in MLISX last season. However, it might come as a surprise to some that this isn’t the first Tampa Bay Terror squad. The original team played at the now demolished Bayfront Center, drawing 1828 in 95-96 and 2073 in 96-97 before folding. They went 14-26 and 15-25 their two seasons. They made the playoffs once (96-97), taking the Cincinnati Silverbacks to a winner take all game three before falling 16-11, ending the franchise tenure.
“This is an exciting moment for the Tampa Bay Terror and everyone who has supported our organization,” Tampa Bay Terror owmer Andrew Quijano said regarding the announcement. “Competing in MLISX gave us the opportunity to grow as a club, strengthen our foundation and prepare for this next step. We are proud to represent Tampa Bay at the MLIS level and look forward to competing against some of the league’s top organizations.”
With the Terror ready to wreak havoc on the rest of the league, nearby Atletico Pro Orlando have found a regional rivalry in the next chapter of great rivalries between the two I-4 cities. From UCF-USF to the Tampa Bay Storm’s rivalry with the Orlando Predators in the original Arena Football League, the next exciting chapter in the Tampa-Orlando clash in Central Florida has arrived for the first time in arena soccer, something the outdoor game has yet to witness.
Orlando nearly made the postseason in their inagural campaign last season, before falling just short to the upstart Utah Uprising in the end. Tampa Bay was unable to play a full MLISX season last year, opting to focus on developing their brand and building a pipeline ready to compete with the likes of Amarillo and Orlando.
While the teams DID play one another on January 31st earlier this year, a 14-6 blowout left much to be desired from the former Xtended squad. Both markets that the team’s represent, have an incredibly rich soccer history. Long time soccer fans (such as myself, though MANY have longer fandoms than I), will know the Tampa Bay Rowdies have been a staple of the game going back to 1975 when the original NASL team won the Soccer Bowl that year.
The original Rowdies played from 1975-93. From 1996-2001, MLS tried to make the Tampa Bay Mutiny the new era of soccer in Tampa and almost succeeded. The Mutiny won the inagural MLS Shield in the league’s first season in 1996. They would make the playoffs four times, never advancing to the Conference Finals except in 1996.
The Rowdies were revived in 2010 in the short lived USSF D2 Pro League, before crossing over to the new NASL, winning the Soccer Bowl in 2012, prior to coming over to the USL Championship in 2017 following the newer NASL’s demise. The Rowdies continue to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference year in and year out, making the USL Cup Final in 2020 (canceled) and 2021 (lost to Phoenix).
The USL Super’s Tampa Bay Sun have made a name for themselves as well, winning the inagural USL Super Championship in 2024-25. The Sun continued the winning tradition of the beautiful game in a place called “Champa Bay”. The Terror will look to add to Tampa’s winning soccer ways this winter.
Orlando has a pretty good history of their own, though more recent than that of Tampa (mostly). The early days of Orlando City with packed crowds in USL at the Citrus Bowl drew the attention of MLS Commissioner Don Garber in his expansion quest to grow the league footprint and fanbases. Orlando was a prime example of a proving ground market (FC Cincinnati followed in their footsteps a few years later, also moving up to MLS).
From 2011-14, the Lions would win the USL Cup twice (2011 and 2013) before earning an MLS expansion team. Orlando City hasn’t been as successful since moving to MLS in 2015, but the market has proven that Orlando is a soccer city in America.
The NWSL’s Orlando Pride have a winning tradition of their own in O Town. The City Beautiful’s own women’s team brought home the hardware in 2024, defeating the Washington Spirit 1-0. The Pride made their mark in NWSL on day one, breaking the single game attendance record in their inagural game at the Citrus Bowl. The game beautiful is here to stay in the City Beautiful for many years to come.
The MLIS is the next chapter of the War on I-4 with the Terror and Atletico Orlando ready to pick up the slack left behind by the Storm and Predators.
MLIS Commissioner Bernie Lilavois was pleased with Tampa’s promotion as well. “We are pleased to welcome the Tampa Bay Terror to Major League Indoor Soccer.” “The opportunity for clubs to develop through MLISX and advance to MLIS is an important part of our league structure. Tampa Bay has demonstrated its commitment to building a competitive and sustainable organization, and adding another Florida club alongside Orlando Atletico Pro strengthens our presence in an important soccer market.”
While MLS should definitely have the Rowdies up with Orlando and Inter Miami CF (let’s be honest, that isn’t even up for debate, Tampa absolutely deserves a Rowdies MLS squad), the MLIS will have a chance to show the entire soccer world that Central Florida is a soccer hotspot and the War on I-4 is still very much alive on the pitch.
For more information regarding the Tampa Bay Terror, go to tampabayterrorfc.com for the latest news and information.
For all the latest news and action from the MLIS go to mlispro.com
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