Description
Book SynopsisAs an expansion Major League Soccer team, the Orlando City Soccer Club marked the return of professional soccer to Florida for the first time since 2001.
Defying Expectations gives insight into the challenges faced on the road to success, challenges through which Phil Rawlins has remained focused on the six core values that he and his wife formulated at their kitchen table years ago.
Trade Review"This is a thoroughly-researched, extremely well-written book by two veteran writers. . . . Soccer fans, indeed all sports fans as well as general readers, will enjoy reading this excellent book."—G. Louis Heath,
ARETE"An inspiring story that readers will enjoy."—
Guy Who Reviews Sports Books“The authors have gotten to the heart of a vital story about starting a soccer team in North America that highlights Phil Rawlins’s unquenchable passion for the game, and the drive needed to be successful.”—Gary Mellor, managing director of Beswicks Sports (UK)
“
Defying Expectations gets inside the incredible tale of how a kid who grew up in the heart of a grimy industrial city in England brought the Beautiful Game to the City Beautiful. It chronicles, in great detail, how Phil Rawlins turned Orlando into an international soccer destination. Or, as Walt Disney himself once said, ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’”—Mike Bianchi, sports columnist for the
Orlando Sentinel and host of 96.9 The Game’s
Open Mike sports radio program
“
Defying Expectations is a comprehensive look at the life of a man who has developed a blueprint for building a Major League Soccer franchise. Soccer still has a ways to go to catch up with America’s ‘Big 3’ sports, but Phil Rawlins has helped to close the gap, and this book takes the reader on the wild and often unpredictable ride with him.”—Christian Bruey, sportscaster for WFTV Channel 9 (ABC) in Orlando
“Phil Rawlins believed in Orlando as a place of opportunity and innovation where his dreams could become a success story. With vision and persistence, Phil brought Major League Soccer to Orlando and created a passionate fan base that has turned Orlando into a soccer city. His story will inspire and motivate you to make your dreams a reality.”—Buddy Dyer, Orlando mayor
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1. Inspiration
1. The Kid from Stoke-on-Trent
2. The Blue-Collar Man
3. The Globetrotter
4. The $259 Million Question
Part 2. Perspiration
5. Hometown Hero
6. Texas Mission
7. The Wild West of Soccer
8. An Agonizing Decision
Part 3. Revelation
9. The Beautiful Game in the City Beautiful
10. Best Buddy
11. Champions! Champions!
12. The Boys from Brazil
Part 4. Jubilation
13. Painting the Town Purple
14. Stadium Showdown
15. Kaká Fever
16. Full Speed to MLS
17. Fill the Bowl!
18. The Soccer Roller Coaster
Epilogue
Index
