This Saturday night the Fort Lauderdale Strikers will host the Tampa Bay Rowdies in what has long been among the premier rivalries in American soccer. I am honored to be the TV/Video play-by-play announcer for tomorrow night’s match at Fort Lauderdale’s Lockhart Stadium. I would encourage everyone in Southeast Florida to attend.

The rivalry which began in 1977 has touched the lives of many locals in both areas. The Rowdies twice drew over 40,000 fans to Regular Season games against the Strikers in the late 1970s, and the Strikers playing in the smaller capacity Lockhart Stadium traditionally filled the facility when hosting Tampa Bay in between 1977 and 1983.

When Fort Lauderdale entered the league in 1977, Tampa Bay was one of the established brands in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Rowdies provided the biggest obstacle for Pele and the New York Cosmos to succeed year after year. Both in 1975 and 1976 the Cosmos could not get by the Rowdies and despite having signed the greatest player in the history of the sport to that point, they were trophy-less.

The Strikers who had struggled in Miami as the Toros the previous few seasons took the NASL by storm that 1977 season by achieving the best record in the league and almost ending Pele’s career prematurely in the playoff that season. 77,000 plus fans attended the match at Giants Stadium where Pele and NY Cosmos defeated Fort Lauderdale and advanced towards a title in Pele’s final season.

The following season, The Rowdies eliminated the Strikers in the playoffs en route to the Soccer Bowl final where Tampa Bay was defeated by Vancouver. At the time Fort Lauderdale and Tampa Bay boasted two of the most colorful players ever from the British Isles- Former Manchestr United great George Best who was often dubbed “the fifth Beatle” for his hairstyle and lifestyle, and Rodney Marsh a great Manchester City player whose 1971-1972 season is profiled in my book Blue With Envy: My American Journey with Manchester City. Marsh and Best provided the focal point for a growing rivalry which got lots of press attention throughout the state of Florida and back in the UK.

Both teams signed lots of global superstars and the rivalry ebbed and flowed until 1983 with each side winning many matches. Between 1988 and 2001 various incarnations of teams played in Fort Lauderdale and the Tampa Bay area and formed a rivalry.

Then in 2011, with the return of the Strikers, Rowdies and NASL, the rivalry began all over again. Since 2011, I have been to all but one meeting between these two teams (ironically the most recent meeting in St Petersburg  on May 24, when I decided the morning of the game not to go so I could watch the UEFA Champions League Final) and the intensity of the series while not at the late 1970s level is gradually returning.

One reason why is the growth of a supporters culture in North America.

Tampa Bay typically has brought many supporters to south Florida for these games. Ralph’s Mob the supporters group behind the Rowdies usually bring a busload full of fans plus some who drive themselves to the matches. The supporters culture is a new element of the rivalry which did not exist in the 1970s and 1980s. This has added spice to the rivalry. Fort Lauderdale fans travel to St Petersburg regularly and add flavor and atmosphere to the matches hosted by the Rowdies as well. Supporters groups like Ralph’s Mob and Flight 19 sing and chant all game long and give a distinctly fun feel to the game.

Last year on July 4th, when the Rowdies faced the Strikers in St Pete, my videographer Joshua Tomlinson and I produced this mini-documentary video on the Tampa Bay Rowdies. It gives a real feel for the flavor of the team.