 the tampa bay mutiny was a charter franchise of major league soccer active from 1996 to 2001. they initially played in tampa stadium and were immediately successful, winning the first mls supporters' shield behind mls mvp carlos valderrama and high-scoring forward roy lassiter, whose 27 goals in 1996 is still the mls single-season record. the team hosted the last event at the "big sombrero", a 2â1 win over the metrostars on september 21, 1998. the mutiny moved to newly built raymond james stadium starting with the 1999 season. the mutiny had been competitive for its first few seasons. however, as they transitioned into their new home, the trading of popular players (including both valderrama and lassiter for little in return) led to less exciting soccer and decreased fan support. unable to find local buyers"mls fold mutiny" - st. pete times and hampered by an unfavorable lease agreement for raymond james stadium,"mutiny renews lease" - st. pete times the league folded the franchise after the 2001 season.[http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/us/news/2001/12/16/mls_contraction/ "miami, tampa fight to keep mls teams" sports illustrated dec. 2001
1995_establishments_in_Florida 2001_disestablishments_in_Florida Association_football_clubs_disestablished_in_2001 Association_football_clubs_established_in_1995 Defunct_Major_League_Soccer_teams Defunct_soccer_clubs_in_the_United_States Florida_soccer_clubs Soccer_clubs_in_Tampa,_Florida Sports_in_Tampa,_Florida Tampa_Bay_Mutiny