Oh boy! The moment we soccer fans have all been waiting for is almost upon us! Yup you guessed it, as I am referring to the kickoff of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa!

Jerm here as I wanted to do a quick little blog post to talk about 3 of the coolest Iphone apps to help keep you up to date on all of the scores and news with regards to your host country or whichever teams you are following. Now there are plenty of apps out there you can check out, but I have tried these three out and they are the best to me:

AP 2010 World Cup Coverage - News and the Associated Press go hand in hand, so this one was a given. With personalize able skins, up to the minute updates from 100+ journalists from around the world, and language controls, you can't go wrong with this.

ESPN 2010 FIFA World Cup - My favorite app of these three. There is a free version as well as a paid, and I opted for the extra $5 to have all of the bells and whistles, and believe me there are plenty of those!

FOX Soccer - Another app filled with news, roster updates, and plenty of things to keep you in the loop as you try to stay up to date with the tournament

Now myself personally, I try and go into every tournament with at least three teams that I am supporting:

• United States of America - Okay, like you didn't see this one coming! Of course I gotta root for the home team baby! Feeling really good with this years tournament and the guys we have on the roster.
• Netherlands - How can you not root for "Total Football" and the dutch attack! Any team with Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder potentially all on the field at once is going to have a great chance to lift the trophy!
• Spain - Defending 2008 European Champions Spain are easily the deepest team in the tournament in Jerm's opinion. Anytime you have Cesc Fabregas and Jose "Pepe" Reina coming off of the bench for you, that might be an indicator of how powerful your team is.

Well there you have it folks, Jerm's favorite apps along with his pick of teams he'll be following during the tournament. Who are you picking to go far in this years tourney?

Also be sure to support the United States 2018 World Cup Bid as well as our 2022 World Cup Bid by visiting the USA Bid Committee website at www.GoUSABid.com/TampaBay!

Hello there FIFA World Cup fans, Jerm here with a quick update! How many of you were watching the game this past weekend when in front of a crowd of over 50,000 screaming fans, the USA fought back against a tough Turkish opponent to take a deserved 2-1 victory in the second game of their official send-off series!

Well if you weren't watching it then let me say... shame on you as you missed a great game! Makes me even more excited for this summers FIFA World Cup in South Africa! One of the many things that made me excited about that game was the new ad that the USA Bid Committee ran during the game. I saw it around halftime I believe and it re-inforces the point about how amazing it would be for the showpiece event for the worlds game to be held here in the United States!

It would be even more amazing if Tampa Bay was selected to host a few games for FIFA World Cup 2018, or four years later for FIFA World Cup 2022! That is a possibility folks as we approach December 2 of this year when FIFA will select the host countries for 2018 and 2022!

Check out the video below and tell me what you think, and also where you saw the ad!

Hey Tampa Bay, Alex here with a question for you! Who wants to see the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup here in Tampa Bay? If so, you need to sign the petition to keep us in the running.

As of this week’s update the big winner is Houston, who moved from sixth place to first and increased their support by more than double what it was on May 3, while Tampa Bay moved from number 7 to 10 on the bid- city list. What is that all about? Think of all the opportunities and of course fun this event can bring to our city and community!

The final decision being made by FIFA is on December 2. Although this may seem a ways away, it is really just around the corner. So make sure to invite all your friends and family to sign the petition to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States and Tampa.

So, swing by the Go USA Bid website to support the USA's 2018 FIFA World Cup Bid along with the 2022 World Cup Bid.

Hey Tampa Bay soccer fans, Alex here with some information that might interest you! Today President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton welcome the U.S men’s soccer team to the White House. The team met with the trio of leaders for about five minutes at the north portal of the White House.

Obama addressed the team briefly, wishing the group good luck and commending members of the team on what they've already achieved. "We're going to be proud of what you do in South Africa," he said. "And you will have somebody in the Oval Office watching ESPN to make sure things are going OK."

Amongst the brief conversation carried on between the three leaders and the US soccer team fashion seemed to be one of the hot topics.

The team was getting compliments left and right for being so well dressed. Clinton couldn't stop commenting on the team's matching brown dress shoes and Biden then told the team he wanted to make a bet that the first thing Obama would notice when he walked up were the shoes.  I guess in addition to being world class athletes, they are world class fashionistas as well!

Check back often for more updates on USA soccer and of course fashion updates.
Don’t forget to swing by the Go USA Bid website to support the USA's 2018 FIFA World Cup Bid along with the 2022 World Cup Bid, by visiting the Go USA Bid website. 

Hello everyone! Jerm here with more 2010 FIFA World Cup news! It was recently announced that Vice President Joe Biden would be heading to South Africa with the USA Men's National Team to represent the USA in the game's opening ceremonies on June 11! 

After the opening ceremonies, VP Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden, will hang around for the USA's first game of the tournament against Wayne Rooney's England.VP Biden will also be accompanied by former president Bill Clinton who was recently named honorary chair of the Go USA Bid Committee! 

The World Cup is almost here folks as we are less than three weeks away from kick-off! I don't know about you guys, but I am extremely excited.

Be sure to support the USA's 2018 FIFA World Cup Bid along with the 2022 World CUp Bid, by visiting the Go USA Bid website. Of course you may or may not know that I am a little biased, so make sure you navigate to the Tampa Bay portion of the site and sign that petition!

Score at the Shore, one of the nation's most prestigious soccer showcases, will return to Tampa Bay in 2011. After considering 61 potential cities and counties, Score at the Shore awarded both the Boys and the Girls event to the Greater Tampa Bay and Pasco County area for the sixth consecutive year.

The Winter Invitational is scheduled to be played at various venues in both Pasco and Hillsborough Counties.

Since its creation in 1999, the annual Score at the Shore Winter Invitational continually attracts top teams and hundreds of college soccer coaches and scouts from across the country.

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission and Tampa Bay & Company have partnered with the Pasco County Sports Commission and Tourist Development Council to host the Winter Invitational over Presidents Day weekend in February 2011.

Tampa Bay hosted the 2010 Winter Invitational from February 13-15 and set a record with 288 teams competing in the U13 through U19 age groups. The tournament utilized of total of 42 hotel properties and generated approximately 7,000 hotel room nights.

For more information on the 2011 Score at the Shore Winter Invitational, visit www.TheScoreTournaments.com. To learn about existing partnership opportunities, contact Shannon Duke at 336-307-2053 or Shannon@TheScoreTournaments.com.

Let's not make this the only great soccer event to come to Tampa Bay! Be sure to show your support for Tampa Bay's FIFA World Cup Bid in 2018/2022 by signing the petition at www.GoUSABid.com.com/TampaBay

Hello USA soccer fans, Jerm here with yet another amazing update with regards to the USA's FIFA World Cup 2018/2022 Bid.

Earlier today President William Jefferson Clinton accepted an invitation to join the USA Bid Committee in the efforts to bring the FIFA World Cup™ to the United States in 2018 or 2022 and was named today the Honorary Chairman of the USA Bid.

I don't have to tell you the magnitude of this appointment by the Bid Committee, as President Clinton has been very involved in philanthropic and relief efforts all over the world.

The William J. Clinton Foundation, which is focused on finding practical and measurable solutions to address pressing challenges at home and abroad. In addition to his Foundation work, President Clinton has helped lead recovery efforts for several global natural disasters including the 2007 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

The announcement was made today at a news conference at the FC Harlem soccer facility, and took place on the field following a soccer clinic hosted by New York Red Bulls players Juan Pablo Angel, Chris Albright and Seth Stammler for students that use the facility.

This one gives me chills folks, as having President Clinton involved can only boost what is already a strong bid by the committee! For Full details on today's announcement, be sure to check out the article on the US Soccer Federation website.

Another way that you yourself can help to boost our bid, is by going to www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldCup, or www.GoUSABid.com/TampaBay and showing your support for the bid by signing the petition! That's it for now, but be sure to stay tuned in for more info on USA Bid Committee Tampa Bay area events, and Tampa Bay sports! 

Hello everyone! Jerm here with some more World Cup Bid related news for you guys! Drew Carey, host of the Price is Right, and formerly the Drew Carey show sat down with ESPN recently to go over the Bid we officially presented to FIFA today.

Now I know you may be wondering what Drew Carey's involvement is, but let me say that Drew Carey is one of the biggest supporters of this bid, in addition to being a huge soccer fan in general.

Drew is a minority owner of the Seattle Sounders, a second year MLS franchise and just a very enthusiastic soccer fan. Drew also sits on the USA Bid Committee Board of Directors. Check out the video below and let us know what you think, and if you think we should get the World Cup in 2018, or 2022.

That's all for now, but thanks and stay tuned in for more updates on soccer related things to do in Tampa Bay!

The delegation from the USA Bid Committee submitted the official United States Bid Book to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup™ in a formal ceremony at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, today. 

Representing the 90 million soccer fans in the United States, the delegation from the USA Bid Committee included U.S. Soccer President and USA Bid Committee Chairman Sunil Gulati, USA Bid Committee Executive Director David Downs, USA Bid Committee Managing Director John Kristick and U.S. Men’s National Team captain Carlos Bocanegra.

The group presented the bid book to FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter and FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke.

The United States and eight competing bids each had 15 minutes to present their bid book and engage in a question and answer session with assembled media following the ceremony.

The submission of the official bid books begins a seven-month review process that will include site visits by FIFA Executive Committee members to each bidding nation and culminate with the selection of the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups on December 2, 2010, in Zurich.

Very exciting times guys and we are looking forward to December 2, 2010 when FIFA will decide the two host countries! Stay tuned in for more World Cup related updates and things to do in Tampa Bay!

Hello there soccer fans! Jerm here with a cooler than normal update about a new video on www.GoUSABid.com website! The Go USA Bid Committee has created a new video telling the story of soccer in America.

During the making of this video, the Bid Committee team traveled to communities all over the country, talking to players and fans of every kind, capturing what soccer really means to us as Americans.

Very exciting times as around this time tomorrow the bid will be in the hands of FIFA President Sepp Blatter! Please continue to show your sport by going to www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldCup, or www.GoUSABid.com/TampaBay and show your support! Thanks for checking in and staying up to-date with all the news on World Cup related Tampa Bay area events! more on things to do in Tampa Bay coming up shortly!

Give the video a look and be sure pass it to everyone you know:

I told you I'd be back with more news didn't I! As it has been a theme this week, I got more news for you guys on the USA Wold Cup Bid, as we approach the official handing over of the bid to FIFA this Friday in Zurich Switzerland.

Executive Director of the USA Bid Committee David Downs, and Academy Award nominated director Spike Lee joined Good Morning America host Robin Robers on the show this morning to talk soccer and the USA's efforts to win either the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup Bid!

As a filmmaker in his early days, Lee traveled through parts of Europe and took an interest in soccer due to its popularity there. His 12 year-old son has also taken an interest into the sport, which is one of many reasons he decided to become a member of the Board of Directors for the Bid Committee this past January. It was a pretty cool segment so check out the video below!

That's it for now, but stay tuned in for more World Cup Bid related in things to do in Tampa Bay!

Hello there soccer fans! It's getting closer to our big event this Friday, where in support of the USA Bid Committee handing over the official USA World Cup 2018/2022 Bid, we'll be doing giveaways every hour starting at 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. For more details on that, check out my previous post from yesterday. Just to be safe though, tomorrow I'll give you a re-cap of everything that is goin down!

As promised, for those of you that have been patiently awaiting to hear what prizes will be up for grabs, wait no more because here they are along with the breakdown of when we'll be doing each prize:

(10-11 a.m.) Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport - This lucky winner will receive complimentary accommodations for a (2) night weekend stay for (2) guests including breakfast. The newly renovated Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport boasts two-room suites with separate living room and bedroom complete with Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Beds, refrigerator and microwave. All surrounding a beautiful eight-story garden atrium with tropical trees and plants. This certificate is valid until 05/2011.

(11 a.m.-12 p.m.) Florida Aquarium Presents SudsFest 2010 - Once again its time to drink like a fish at the Annual Sudsfest Beer Festival presented by the Florida Aquarium! This event will feature hand crafted beers from Pepin Distributing and fine Anheuser-Busch Products. Over 35 craft beers, live music & entertainment and endless food await the lucky winner and 1 guest of this giveaway.

(12-1 p.m.) Splitsville Luxury Lanes & Dinner Lounge - Bowling, billiards and dinner lounge featuring gourmet appetizers, sushi, and classic retro entrees are what awaits  the winner of our noon slot. Enjoy a $50 Gift Certificate and six free games of bowling!

(1-2 p.m.) IPod Nano Giveaway - This giveaway will come with special instructions and a very specific Tweet in order to be entered to win. In order to make yourself eligible for this giveaway, all you have to do is Tweet the following... ".@goUSAbid gives FIFA their bid to host World Cup. Sign petition to support the USA! http://www.gousabid.com #goUSAbid PLS RT"

(2-3 p.m.) Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) Genius Ticket (2) - Tickets includes: Da Vinci - The Genius Exhibition, MOSI exhibit Galleries and one Standard IMAX Dome Film. The DaVinci event will run until May 31, 2010, so this prize package must be redeemed by that date. DaVinci - The Genius takes visitors on a journey through DaVinci's thoughts, with reproductions of his most famous renaissance art in actual size, a series of anatomical sketches, and entertaining and educational presentations in 3D of the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, the Vitruvian Man and the Sforza Horse. 

(3-4 p.m.) Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (4) Pack Giveaway - Busch Gardens Tampa Bay combines world-class thrill rides, live entertainment and one of North America's largest zoos in an unforgettable adventure for the whole family. If your the lucky winner of this giveaway, you and your family and/or friends will receive a 4 pack ticket giveaway for entry into the park!

Well, as I was telling you earlier in the week folks, its a pretty stacked array of prizes that you could be on the receiving end of, so lets make sure that come Friday you are Tweeting us into a trending topic so that we can show the world that Tampa and the USA are ready to host this amazing event!

Be sure to go to www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldCup, or www.GoUSABid.com/TampaBay, and sign the petition to show your support for Tampa Bay and the USA for 2018 or 2022! That's all I got for now, but I'll have more updates tomorrow and on Friday before the giveaways kick-off!

Stay tuned in for more on things to do in Tampa Bay and World Cup related Tampa Bay area events information!

More updates on the United States Men's National Team picture as coach Bob Bradley named his preliminary 30-man roster for the World Cup, which is one month away! Not many surprises on this roster, and its is a very strong group that should be formidable in South Africa.

The team is highlighted by experienced veterans Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, and Captain Carlos Bocanegra.

From this list of 30,  23 of those will be chosen for the final roster that will travel to South Africa to compete against the likes of England, Algeria, and Slovenia in Group C. The 30 players will arrive in Princeton, N.J., on May 15 for the start of training camp. Here is the full roster below.

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton)

DEFENDERS (9): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS (12): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Stuart Holden (Bolton), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), José Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Herculez Gomez (Puebla), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

As you can see its been a big week for soccer in the US, as with the announcement of the World Cup lineup and the USA Bid Committee handing over the officially Bid to FIFA later on this week! As we approach the World Cup, its only gonna get better, so stay tuned for any and on updates we'll have for you on Tampa Bay area events related to the games!

Also be sure to head over to www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldCup, or www.GoUSABid.com/TampaBay, and sign the petition to show your support for Tampa Bay and the USA for the year 2018 or 2022! Stay tuned in for more World Cup related things to do in Tampa Bay, and be sure to watch out for our blog tomorrow as we announce the prizes for Friday's Virtual Tweetup giveaways!!!

The news just keeps-a-comin about FIFA World Cup stuff folks! Big announcement today is that our neighbors to the south and fellow CONCACAF member Mexico have officially endorsed the US Bid Committee as they travel to Switzerland this week to officially hand over the bid.

I normally don't put quotes in my blogs, but I thought this one was pretty significant, from Mexican Football Federation President Justino Compean... "The U.S. has the best stadiums in CONCACAF. There are no comparisons," said Mexican Football Federation President Justino Compean. "The infrastructure throughout [CONCACAF] stadiums is not comparable to the U.S. So we decided we need one bid to come from CONCACAF and we are supporting the only bidder from our region."

I think those are very kind words from one of our fierce rivals in the region on the field, and it goes to show that even though we compete against each other on the field, their is great respect that exists between the teams and the federations!

Be sure to keep checking back in with us as we will be announcing more updates on things to do in Tampa Bay and other fun stuff throughout the week! Check back with your Tampa Bay team for more!

The best way to show your support for the bid, if you haven't already done so, is to head over to www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldCup, or www.GoUSABid.com/TampaBay, and sign the petition to show your support for Tampa Bay and the USA for the year 2018 or 2022!

Hello there folks, Jerm here with another World Cup Bid update. These are very exciting times here as members of the USA Bid Committee will travel to FIFA Headquarters in Zurich Switzerland this week to officially hand over all documentation to soccer's governing body ahead of the December 2, 2010 vote to determine which country will host both the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.

The Bid Book is the official proposal and corresponding materials required by FIFA for a nation to be considered as the potential host for either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups. A five-person delegation will present the book to FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter and FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke in a fifteen-minute ceremony at 4:15 local Zurich time.

In typical Jerm fashion, I wanted to make this a fun fact filled learning experiences, so here are some mind blowing numbers about the size of the bid that the USA will hand over to FIFA this Friday:

• The committee will ship two packing crates, filled with 30 five-volume sets of the official bid
• 94 4-inch binders containing contracts and copies of the bid
• In total there are 1,940 lbs of documents in the bid to be handed over
• Each five-volume bid book totals 1,250 pages
• Organizers project record attendance over 5 million and revenue in excess of $1 billion

US Soccer Federation President and Chairman of the USA Bid Committee Sunil Gulati, will hand over the bid alongside Bid Committee Executive Director David Downs and U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra. FIFA is scheduled to make technical inspections of the bidders from July to September.

There are of course some notable events leading up to the handing off of the bid to FIFA though. This Wednesday,  Bid Committee Executive Director David Downs and Bid Committee Board Of Directors member Spike Lee will be on ABC’s Good Morning America, probably around 8:30 a.m., displaying the Bid Book for the first time on TV! This will be the last time before it goes straight to FIFA.

Now if you are thinking that there is nothing you can do to help support the bid process, think again! The best way to show your support for the bid, if you haven't already done so, is to head over to www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldCup, or www.GoUSABid.com/TampaBay, and sign the petition to show your support for Tampa Bay and the USA for the year 2018 or 2022!

Now remember that this Friday to show support for the handing over of the Bid, we are going to need all of the Twitter love and support we can get with everyone using the #GoUSABid hashtag. For details about the giveaways and more info, check out my blog post from yesterday, and also stay tuned throughout the rest of the week for additional updates.

I can't stress enough how much we need everyones support on this guys, so pass this post along to your friends and help get the word out! That's all from me for now, but stay tuned in for more updates on Tampa Bay Sports related events and things to do in Tampa Bay!

I think the title says it all on this particular post, but I wanted to make sure I got everybodys attention! Now, before I tell you what we're giving away, I figure I would give you some insight as to why we're doing it!

Now as you remember from my post last week, Friday is the big day the USA Bid Committee, will officially hand over the bid for the 2018/2022 World Cup to FIFA (soccer's governing body), which they will review over the course of the next few months. They will then announce the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup in early December.

My previous post indicated that we would be doing a physical City Wide Tweet-Up at various locations across the city, but we decided to change it up a bit. This is basically going to be a virtual Tweet-Up of sorts. We want you to stand up and show the folks over in Zurich Switzerland that we are excited and fully support the bid to bring the FIFA World Cup to the USA!!! I can't emphasize what an event of this magnitude would mean to our city (think three Super Bowls over the course of a month). So come Friday we need to you be Tweeting your little fingers off to show them what we are made of, not only here in Tampa, but in the United States!

Now, just to make sure that you are properly motivated about this, (in addition to just wanting to give away some free stuff) we'll be giving away some pretty unbelievable prizes all day long on Friday from 10am-4pm for those of you who mention #GoUSABid in any tweets on Friday.

Now there are a few different ways that you can enter yourself in to win those prizes this Friday:

1. Tweet one of our suggested Tweets. (We'll provide those on Wednesday)
2. Re-Tweet any post where we mention "#GoUSABid" hashtag.
3. Come up with your own enthusiastic Tweets and use the "#GoUSABid" hashtag.

On Wednesday I'll let you guys know exactly what all prizes you'll be playing for, and believe me, it will be worth the wait, as these are some serious prizes we will have available! In the meantime though, here is a list of the some of the places where these prizes will be coming from:

• Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
• The Sheraton Suites Tampa Airport Westshore Hotel
• The Apple Store at International Plaza
• The Florida Aquarium
• And more...

In the mean time though, if you haven't already done so, head over to www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldCup, or www.GoUSABid.com/TampaBay, and sign the petition to show your support for Tampa Bay and the USA as we try and bring this amazing event here for the year 2018 or 2022!

Well that's it for now folks, but stay tuned in for more on FIFA World Cup related Tampa Bay Sports updates and Tampa Bay area events! 

Hey guys, just wanted to drop another World Cup 2018/2022 Bid update on you! As you have probably beard from us in previous blogs and other news releases, Tampa Bay is one of 18 potential host cities in line to host games for the 2018/2022 World Cup should the US be selected as the host country!

Now one of many criteria that will determine which cities are picked (assuming we are the host country), are the number of petition sign ups each city has. By petition sign ups I mean the number of people in each city who go to www.GoUSABid.com/TampaBay or www.VisitTampaBay.com/WorldCup and show their support by submitting their email address and zip code. The goal is for each city to get to 50,000 signatures to show FIFA (Soccer's World Governing Body) the high level of grassroots support our great nation has!

The Bid Committee website recently started a blog with a leader-board that tells each city where they lie amongst the 18 as far as who is in the lead! I am happy to announce that Tampa moved up one spot ahead of Washington DC this week to number 7 out of 18!

We are well on our way to getting to the top of that list folks, so lets make sure we are telling our friends, family, and anyone else who will listen to go to the Bid website and show their support by signing the petition! We'll be updating you as the weeks go by, so be sure to check in often to see where we are!

That's it for now, but stay tuned in for more World Cup related things to do in Tampa Bay updates from your Tampa Bay team of blog enthusiasts!

Hello everyone! Jerm here with a very exciting update for you guys about an upcoming event I know you will be looking forward to! If you are a Twitter using soccer fan, then you will extra excited, much like I am as I type this!

In case you did or did not know, Tampa Bay is one of 18 cities competing for the chance to host matches for either the FIFA World Cup in the year 2018 or 2022! Long story short, it has been indicated by the USA Bid Committee that an FIFA World CupTM in the United States in 2018 or 2022 would expect to realize an economic impact of $100 million per game! Now that is a ton of coins folks, so you can see how big this could be for our community.

The overall impact of $6.4 billion for the FIFA World CupTM would be the most ever realized for a sporting event anywhere in the world. In the coming months we will be updating you on the progression of our bid and the overall process as we hope to know first whether or not the USA was chosen as the host country.

Next week, the USA Bid Committee will be officially presenting our bid to FIFA (Soccer's Governing Body), at a ceremony next Friday May 14, 2010 in Zurich Switzerland, and to show our support, Tampa Bay will be one of 18 other potential host cities putting on a TWEETUP! The goal is to show FIFA and the Bid Committee how Tampa Bay does it and getting the entire community involved. The goal of the Tweet-Up is with the help of all of the other host cities, to get #GoUSABid as a trending topic.

This event will take place next Friday at 4pm at the following locations:

Jackson's Bistro
Splitesville
MOSI
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Now each of these locations will have special giveaways in the form of drink specials and even free admission into the venue, for those participating in the Tweet-Up! We'll be updating you more on that one each day, so be sure to stay tuned in! We may be even be doing giveaways for some very cool items!

That's it for now, but stay tuned in for more updates on Tweet-Up related Tampa Bay area events and things to do in Tampa Bay!

Good Morning soccer fans!  Jessica here with an exciting Tampa Bay area events update for this weekend...  the Tampa Bay Lightning invites you to World Cup Soccer Night at the St Pete Times Forum this Saturday, April 10 at 7:30 pm.  As you should all know by now... Tampa is in the running to host one of the world's largest sporting events, the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup!!

This weekend is your chance to show your hometown pride by wearing a soccer jersey and signing a petition to help bring this event back to the United States.  Invite your family, friends, clients, and co-workers to this exciting evening mixed with soccer fans and hockey action!  At 7:30 the Tampa Bay Lightning will be taking on the Florida Panthers in hopes of a victory.

What's even better?  St Pete Times Forum tickets for the event are selling at major discounted rates --- $65 nets you a Lower Level seat (regularly $100!), $30 nets you Terrrace Center seats (regularly $65), and you get even see the action from the last seven rows for just $12!!!  But you must act soon because this Tampa Bay area events two days away and the deadline for special rates is tomorrow at noon... contact Oisin Crean for more information or to order these special tickets today; (813)301.6506 or Ocrean@stpetetimesforum.com 

Also, be sure to visit www.gousabid.com/Tampa to learn more about Tampa's World Cup bidding!!!  Check back soon for more things to do in Tampa Bay ~

Hey gang!  Travis back with some information you may have heard, but then again, some of you may not, so I'm sharing anyways!  I'll just share it as I got it -

The United States will face El Salvador on Feb. 24 in Tampa, Fla., in their second-to-last match before naming the roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Kickoff at Raymond James Stadium is set for 7pm, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and TeleFutura. Fans can also follow the match live online via ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker or twitter.com/ussoccer.

Tickets ranging in price levels from $18 to $68, plus special VIP On-Field Seats for $150, go on sale to the public Thursday, Jan. 21, at 10 a.m. ET through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout the Tampa Bay area (including many FYE stores).

Groups of 20 or more can obtain an order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (special VIP packages which include a premium ticket, a custom made official U.S. national team jersey with name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.

As a sponsor of U.S. Soccer, Visa® is pleased to offer all Visa cardholders access to an advance ticket sale for this match before the sale to the general public. This advance sale starts tomorrow, Jan. 20, at 8am and runs until Thursday, Jan. 21, at 8 a.m. at ussoccer.com. Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale and is the preferred card of U.S. Soccer. Terms and conditions apply.

“El Salvador proved to be a strong team in the final round of qualifying, and will pose a good test for this group,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “This game will be an important part of our preparations, providing us with one of the last opportunities to evaluate the players being considered for the World Cup roster. We are excited about the chance to return to Tampa, a community which has a long tradition of supporting soccer.” 

The United States is 14-1-5 all-time versus El Salvador, with 45 goals scored and 13 surrendered. The only loss came Feb. 19, 1992, in a friendly in San Salvador. The teams last met during the final round of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying, with Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore scoring to earn a 2-1 come-from-behind victory on Sept. 5, 2009, in Sandy, Utah. El Salvador was one of the surprise teams in the CONCACAF region during 2010 qualifying, making it to the final round for the first time in 12 years and beating both Mexico and Costa Rica in San Salvador in 2009.

So, why is this a big deal you ask...well, in case you havent' heard, Tampa, one of 18 cities that will be included in the USA’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022, will be hosting the U.S. team for the fifth time. In the last visit, Landon Donovan recorded the second hat trick of his career in front of a record-setting crowd for a friendly in the state of Florida as the U.S. cruised to a 3-1 victory on March 25, 2007, against Ecuador at Raymond James Stadium. The U.S. has a 2-1-1 record in Tampa, with the other win coming in 1990 against Finland.

Following the match against El Salvador, the U.S. will travel to face the third-ranked Netherlands on March 3 in Amsterdam. Kickoff at the Amsterdam ArenA is set for 8:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and TeleFutura. The match falls on the only international fixture date before the start of the tournament in South Africa, and will be the USA’s final game before naming the World Cup roster in early May.

So, hosting this game is a great thing for Tampa Bay.  Make sure you head out and enjoy in the festivities!!!  And as always, keep checking back for more great things to do in Tampa Bay and awesome Tampa Bay area events.