TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rowdies will kick off a new tradition Saturday night that aims to spread joy through sports across the Tampa Bay area. The team will host USL League One's Sarasota Paradise in the inaugural Cochol Cup at Al Lang Stadium, with all ticket proceeds benefiting the "Come Get You Some Joy" Foundation.
Watch report from Kevin Lewis
The match honors John Cochol, a USL executive who died last year after battling multiple health issues at age 39. Those who knew Cochol remember him as having a huge personality, with his favorite saying being "Come get you some!"
"The fact that the clubs would like to honor him means a lot to me personally, to our son and to our whole family," said Ashley Cochol, John's wife and foundation representative.
Ashley Cochol described her late husband as the perfect combination of a people person and a soccer person.
"Bringing people to soccer, because that's what he liked, was the people part of the game. He brought joy everywhere he went," she recalled. "So this kind of gave us an opportunity to do that again, which was really exciting.
The foundation fulfills John's longtime dream of giving back to a community that gave so much to him. The organization aims to support youth sports teams in need of supplies and equipment, as well as families in need of financial assistance.
"Whether that be a youth sports team that needs help getting supplies and equipment. Or, whether that be a family that's really struggling and needs financial assistance. The goal is to stretch it far and wide," Cochol explained.
Rowdies midfielder Lewis Hilton said the club is honored to participate in the fundraising effort.
"The club's been here for a long time. I think it's a great opportunity when us as players and the club is involved in a good cause like this," he said after Friday's practice. He added that they're happy to take part in the event, but the goal is still to hoist a cup after the final whistle. "There's a trophy on the line, and whenever there's a trophy to be won, we want to win it."
Tampa Bay has played well this preseason, with its only loss coming to the Philadelphia Union- one of the best teams in the MLS. Head coach Dominic Casciato hopes his team's play continues to trend in the right direction.
"I think the performances and the playing style that we have been developing has been really impressive," he said after training. "I've been super pleased with the guys. We want to continue that and obviously get used to that winning feeling."
The match between the Rowdies and Paradise kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday at Al Lang Stadium. The match will alternate between St. Pete and Sarasota each season.
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