Florida Sports Wire

ORLANDO – Orlando City SC is set to take on Canadian-side Cavalry FC in Round One of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. Specific match details, including ticket information, will be announced at a later date.   Orlando City was drawn into position A8 from Pot 1, being placed into Pot 1 by virtue of the Club’s standing in the Concacaf Club Rankings, with Cavalry FC being drawn into position B8 from Pot 2.   The 59th edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the region's premier men's club competition, will be played between February and June 2024. The annual tournament, comprised of five direct elimination rounds and the best clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, crowns the Confederation's club champion and is the sole qualification route for the region's clubs to the new and expanded FIFA Club World Cup. The competition's first four rounds (Round One, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals), all include home and away play, while the Final is p

  JACKSONVILLE –   Robert Palmer is leading an effort to bring the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) to Northeast Florida.  Palmer formed the entity Jax Downtown Pro Women’s Soccer, LLC with a goal of bringing an NWSL expansion club to Jacksonville.  Following the recent announcement of the Jacksonville Armada FC's entry into MLS Next Pro, Mr. Palmer has successfully fulfilled his commitment to return the club to the professional ranks. His extensive tenure as the sole owner of the Jacksonville Armada FC since 2017 provides a solid foundation of experience and dedication, positioning him to lead this historic NWSL bid.  For this venture, Palmer is actively exploring including other like-minded individuals to form a new ownership group to pursue Jacksonville’s bid for an NWSL expansion team.    In tandem with this ambitious pursuit, Palmer is personally financing a multimillion-dollar stadium project situated in the heart of downtown Jacksonville. The second phase of this pr

  COLUMBUS, OHIO   – The Columbus Crew won the third MLS Cup presented by Audi in club history after defeating the Los Angeles Football Club, 2-1, at Lower.com Field.  Columbus became the third club in league history to win MLS Cup at least three different times and it marked their second championship trophy in the past four seasons (2020).  Cucho Hernández was named the 2023 MLS Cup MVP presented by Audi after scoring the opening goal of the match in the 33rd minute, his fifth of the postseason, which tied for the most in MLS during the playoffs.  With the victory, Crew midfielder and captain Darlington Nagbe won his fourth MLS Cup (2015, 2018, 2020, 2023), becoming just the 10th player in league history to win four-or-more MLS Cups. Columbus emerged victorious with a 2-1 victory in front of a Lower.com Field-record 20,802 fans, which included two goals in the opening 37 minutes.  The Crew opened the scoring after LAFC committed a handball inside the 18-yard-box in the 31st minute. He

  JACKSONVILLE -  North Florida Athletics is welcoming Jamie Davies as the third head coach in the 32-year history of UNF men's soccer, as announced by Director of Athletics Nick Morrow on Tuesday, Dec. 5. Davies will be formally introduced with a meet and greet in the UNF Arena's Bank of England Suite at a date to be determined in early 2024. The introductory press conference will be streamed on North Florida Ospreys' Facebook. Davies comes to Jacksonville, Fla., with over a decade and a half of coaching experience at four different collegiate institutions. His most recent collegiate stop was at the University of Central Florida, where he was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator over the past six seasons. Through his 15 years of coaching at the collegiate level, Davies also currently serves as a regional talent identification scout for the United States Youth National Team. He was a U-16 head coach and regional scout for Atlanta United as well from 2017-18.

JACKSONVILLE, FL - The Jacksonville Sharks have been steady active this off season in free agency and are keeping things rolling with signing former Auburn Tiger Marcus Bragg (6 '6,260lb).  Bragg came to Auburn as a graduate transfer from Western Kentucky, where he played three seasons. He played in all 14 games during the 2021 campaign recording 38 tackles and 3.5 sacks.  Bragg also played two seasons in the junior college ranks at Mississippi Delta Community College and Arizona Western, recording 35 tackles and two sacks. As a Tiger, Bragg appeared in 11 games registering 16 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack.  He is also cousin to former Auburn wide receiver Ricardo Louis whose most memorable play was a 73-yard touchdown reception against the Georgia Bulldogs in 2013. This play is known as "The Prayer in Jordan-Hare."  The catch enabled the Tigers to win their division, enter the postseason, and make it into a national championship game.   

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA –  Jim Coleman, a volunteer with more than 15 years of service at The Classic in The Palm Beaches (formerly The Honda Classic) in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was selected as the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Volunteer of the Year. With the award, the PGA TOUR will donate $10,000 to the charity of Coleman’s choosing – the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, the long-time primary beneficiary of The Classic in The Palm Beaches.     Coleman was first introduced to volunteering in 2000 as a standard bearer. He continued to volunteer at many PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions events before officially becoming the Standard Bearer Chairman at The Classic in The Palm Beaches in 2008. In 2012, Coleman advanced to Volunteer Chairman, a position he held through last year’s event. Coleman will continue to stay involved with the tournament and assist incoming Volunteer Chairman Jay Levine.      “I am humbled to be the 2022-23 PGA TOUR Volunteer of the Year,” said Coleman. “Out of

TAMPA  - The ReliaQuest Bowl will feature the 13th ranked LSU Tigers vs the Wisconsin Badgers on New Year's Day in Tampa, bowl officials announced today. It will be only the third appearance by the Tigers and sixth by the Badgers but the first time in at least nine years by either team. "We were thrilled to extend invitations to Louisiana State University and the University of Wisconsin to play in this year's ReliaQuest Bowl," said ReliaQuest Bowl Chair Chris Roederer. "These are two high quality teams that we expect will produce an exceptional match-up that fans are really going to enjoy. We look forward to hosting the teams and their fans and ensure they will have an amazing experience at the game and enjoying the dynamic Tampa Bay area." "A SEC-Big Ten matchup always creates a lot of excitement, but facing a Wisconsin team led by a great coach in Luke Fickell makes this bowl game even more attractive," LSU coach Brian Kelly said. "Wisconsin

  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers   announced that the team has promoted linebacker J.J. Russell from the practice squad to the active roster, and signed linebacker Vi Jones, cornerback Quandre Mosely and wide receiver Raleigh Webb to the practice squad.   Russell  (6-1, 225) has appeared in nine career games for the Buccaneers, including being elevated for Weeks 2-4 of this season. In his career, he has logged four tackles and three special teams tackles. The Grenada, Mississippi, native played collegiately at Memphis (2017-21), starting 50-of-61 games and compiling 306 tackles (24 for loss), eight passes defensed, 5.0 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception and one blocked kick. He was first-team All-AAC (American Athletic Conference) in 2021 after leading the AAC in solo tackles per game (6.5) and total tackles per game (10.2). Russell originally entered the league as a college free agent with the Buccaneers in May 2022. He wears No. 51 for Tampa Bay.   Jones  (

  NEW YORK   — The 32 player nominees for the ninth annual Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award have been finalized, the NFL announced today. Each NFL team nominated one of its players for the award, which recognizes players around the league who exemplify outstanding sportsmanship on the field. Created in 2014, the award honors the late founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Famer Art Rooney Sr. A panel of former players from the NFL Legends Community  — Warrick Dunn, 2014 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award recipient Larry Fitzgerald, Pro Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin and Leonard Wheeler —  will select eight finalists (four in the AFC and four in the NFC) from the 32 nominees. The eight finalists will be listed on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when players vote in December. “Sportsmanship is the core of the game, the vanguard of public confidence, the keeper of game integrity,” said Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of