Chapter VII: "You make your own luck" ft. Jeff Rusnak

In Chapter VII: "You make your own luck" long-time South Florida Sun-Sentinel soccer columnist Jeff Rusnak shares his perspective covering soccer in South Florida for several decades INCLUDING the Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer.

Jeff discusses the connective tissue between the Fusion and the NASL's Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and how Ray Hudson is the central character in the story of soccer in south Florida.

Enjoy!

25 years ago, on March 15, 1998, the Miami Fusion kicked off their opening game in MLS' 3rd season, becoming one of the 2 expansion teams in this ever-growing professional league.

In 2001, despite putting together one of the best seasons in MLS history (at that point and arguably since), MLS made the decision to fold both the Fusion and their Florida neighbors, the MLS original franchise, Tampa Bay Mutiny.

While MLS soccer has returned to Miami in the form of David Beckham's Inter Miami, much has been discussed of "what could've been?" Had the Miami Fusion been allowed to stay and build. Indeed, what WOULD a Miami Fusion look like in 2023?

This podcast tells the story of the Miami Fusion through the voices of those who actually lived it. 25 interviews across 25 episodes charting the good, the bad, and the unbelievable.