The Tampa Bay Mutiny was an American soccer club that competed in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top tier soccer league in the United States and Canada. The team played for six seasons from the inaugural MLS season of 1996 through 2001, after which the franchise went defunct.
The MLS season typically runs from February to October, and the best-performing team in the regular season is awarded the Supporters' Shield. The top teams from each conference qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, a postseason tournament that culminates in the MLS Cup. The Mutiny won the Supporters' Shield in the inaugural season, although this was awarded retroactively as the trophy itself was not created until 1999. In addition to league play, the Mutiny competed in the annual U.S. Open Cup tournament organized by the United States Soccer Federation.
The club played a total of six seasons in MLS, with 83 wins, 98 losses, and six draws over 187 games. The club ceased operations immediately after the 2001 season along with the Miami Fusion in the league's first contraction. The Mutiny had failed to attract an investor-operator, and was run by the league at a loss. Nick Sackiewicz, a former general manager for the Mutiny, blamed the lack of fan support for the failure of both teams. The league dispersed the teams' players in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft on February 10, 2002.
Key
Key to colors and symbols 1st or W Winners 2nd or RU Runners-up 3rd Third place Last Wooden Spoon ♦ MLS Golden Boot
Key to competitions Major League Soccer (MLS) – The top-flight of soccer in the United States, established in 1996. U.S. Open Cup (USOC) – The premier knockout cup competition in U.S. soccer, first contested in 1914.
Seasons + Results of Tampa Bay Mutiny league and cup competitions by seasonSeasonLeaguePositionPlayoffsAverage attendanceTop goalscorer(s)NameGoals1996 32 20 12 – 66 51 58 1.81 1st 1st 11,679 ♦ 271997 32 17 15 – 55 60 45 1.41 2nd 3rd 11,333 101998 32 12 20 – 46 57 34 1.06 5th 9th 10,312 91999 32 14 18 – 51 50 32 1.00 3rd 8th 13,106 122000 32 16 12 4 62 50 52 1.63 2nd 4th 9,452 ♦ 262001 27 4 21 2 32 68 14 0.52 4th 12th 10,479 9 187 83 98 6 312 336 –24 235 1.26 (1) (1) (1) (4) – Roy Lassiter 37
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