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Tampa Bay Sun FC ready to make its debut

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Published  August 16, 2024 4:00pm EDT
Sports
FOX 13 News

Tampa Bay Sun FC gear up for debut

Kevin O'Donnell reports

TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Sun FC is ready to shine. After a month of practice, this startup professional women's team can't wait to hit the pitch and make their debut.

"It gives me kind of chills," forward Riley Parker said. "The excitement, like in the pit of your stomach just thinking about taking the field for the first time in front of everybody in the first real game. Words can't describe how excited I am. How the team is, to finally get started and hopefully make our fans proud and Tampa proud as well."

After 17 seasons building USF women's soccer into a winning program, Denise Schilte-Brown is working on replicating similar success now at a pro level. She's been amazed how quickly this team that is made up of seasoned pros and young college talent has come together in a short time.

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"I feel like I'm in an environment where these women want to succeed for something greater than themselves," Schilte-Brown told FOX 13 Sports. "I haven't been a part of something like that in a while. It's awesome. They want to be successful for their teammates, for the community and for women as a whole. It's so impressive."

The Tampa Bay Sun FC will be making their debut on Sunday at home at 6:30 p.m. at Riverfront Stadium, which is located at Blake High School. They're not starting off by themselves. Of the eight teams in the USL Super League, they're all new teams. So none have a leg up. They're all starting off on an equal playing field.

"The good thing is that everybody is in the same boat as us," Parker laughed. "Everybody is just trying to learn from eachother, each other's tendencies, how we play. Trying to learn the coaches and the staff. The style of play they want to put out on the field."

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As excited as the Sun are about getting a 28-game season started, they've gotten a sense when they've been out in the community that there's a fan base who's intrigued.

"A lot of them seem super excited," midfielder Carlee Giammona said. "We want everyone to come out to our games and experience the whole journey with us."

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