Miami Fusion FC Media Recap

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Press Conference Media Recap Presented by

Table of Contents Media Recap

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Media Invitation

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Media Attendees

Media Coverage

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Miami Herald Let’s hope Miami’s latest minor-league soccer club heads in right direction

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Miami Fusion is back...sort of

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El Nuevo Herald El Miami Fusion surge en el sur de la Florida

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The Miami New Times David Beckham is nowhere in sight, but a pro soccer team comes to Miami today

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Sunshine Soccer New New Miami Fusion Created

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Deporte Total USA #NPSL – Miami Fusion presentó uniformes y su nueva plantilla en exclusivo evento Media Twitter Posts

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Michelle Kaufman 19-20 Joel Delgado

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Deporte Total USA

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Media Recap Trifecta Team PR is proud to present our Media Recap for the Miami Fusion FC Press Conference & Team Presentation held on May, 7, 2015.

Trifecta Team was provided a short timeline to plan and execute this major event for Miami’s newest soccer team the Miami Fusion FC. Work officially commenced on Monday, May 4, providing only three days until the event.

During this time period Trifecta Team did the following work: • Created an event timeline and checklist • Served as liaison with host venue - Made In Italy - on room design/setup, audio-visual components, valet parking details, event greeters, staffing • Wrote press conference script for Host/Emcee • Created talking points for press conference participants • Provided layout design and text for press conference invitation • Served as liaison with the Miami Sports Commission • Worked with Miami Sports Commission on securing local VIPs to attend event • Secured Emcee/Host • Secured Photographer and provided detailed shot sheet • Distributed event invitation to Miami area media and made follow-up calls • Created Media Kit components • Coordinated pre and post event media interviews Highlights of the event publicity included stories in the three top print/online publications in Miami - Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald and Miami New Times. Telemundo, the local Spanish television station, covered the press conference and conducted multiple interviews with press conference participants. WIOD, a top news/talk radio station in Miami, interviewed Miami Fusion FC’s General / Technical Director Ferdi De Matthaeis and aired the interview in multiple news segments during the day of the press conference.

The following pages showcase the media coverage of the 2015 Miami Fusion FC Press Conference & Team Presentation.

Jack Heilig Partner, Trifecta Team Jack@Trifectateam.com

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Media Invitation

Media Attendees

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Media Coverage

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May 7, 2015 Page 1 of 2 By: Michelle Kaufman

Let’s hope Miami’s latest minor-league soccer club heads in right direction While South Florida soccer fans twiddle their thumbs waiting for David Beckham’s Major League Soccer project to materialize, yet another minor-league club has been launched by an enthusiastic owner banking on Miami’s international flavor and passion for the sport.

The latest Miami soccer experiment is called the Miami Fusion, but it has no connection with the MLS franchise that went belly up in 2001. This incarnation of the Fusion will play in the 78-team National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of the U.S. Soccer pyramid.

It will be a member of the league’s Sunshine Conference and play home games at Ted Hendricks Stadium in Hialeah.

Ferdinando “Ferdi” de Mattaeis, who played for the New York Cosmos in the early 1980s, is the coach.

The new club was formally introduced Thursday in typical South Florida soccer style, at a nice restaurant (Wynwood’s Made in Italy), with a high-energy host and women in short skirts modeling the team jerseys.

Owner Venanzio Cipollitti has an impressive résumé. His company, The Inteligensa Group, provides one-third of the bank cards in Latin America and is ranked the eighth-largest producer in the world of Visa and MasterCard cards.

In other words, he has the financial means to sustain a minor-league soccer club, even if it doesn’t create much revenue, which they rarely do in this market.

Look no further than Miami United, South Florida’s other NPSL team. What? You didn’t realize we had an NPSL team? Well, we do. Not only that, Miami United won the Sunshine Conference last season and traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to play in the regional final in front of 9,000 fans.

Cipollitti was involved with that team but branched off to form the Fusion. He brought along 10 players (including his son, Diego) and de Mattaeis. Most of the other players on the roster came from local colleges and other minor-league teams. Two exceptions are Carlos Salazar, who played in the Colombian league and for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and 36-year-old Emilano Bonazzoli, who played in Italy for Sampdoria, Fiorentina and Parma.

The Fusion opens its inaugural season Sunday against Miami United at 6 p.m. at Flamingo Park in Miami Beach.

“This is an ambitious, long-term project,” the owner said. “We have to be patient. Someday we’re going to challenge the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and the New York Cosmos, and we’ll have El Clasico against Miami United every year. We want a derby with the other Miami team and with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.”

OK, so maybe it’s a bit of a reach to refer to the crosstown Fusion-United NPSL game as “El Clasico.” But you can’t fault the guy for dreaming. Every owner who starts up a team

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May 7, 2015 Page 2 of 2 By: Michelle Kaufman

here enters with great optimism.

Ken Horowitz did in 1997 with the MLS Miami Fusion. Traffic Sports did with Romario on the Miami FC roster. And the new Strikers ownership group, which includes Brazilian star Ronaldo, also opened with a fancy news conference and big dreams.

The reality is that South Floridians are crazy for international soccer — highest U.S. World Cup TV ratings, sellouts of 70,000-plus at Sun Life Stadium for friendlies — but have not proved to be so supportive of local minor-league efforts.

Nobody knows that better than longtime local promotor Tom Mulroy, who most recently was president of the Strikers. He was hired as a consultant for the new Fusion. So far, he is impressed with Fusion management.

“They are being very realistic about crawling, walking, then running, step by step, doing it right,” Mulroy said. “So many people come into town and just don’t do it right. This group seems to have proper ownership, the sport part down, having Ferdi, who played for the Cosmos. I see them with the proper plan and moving in the right direction.”

Jose Sotolongo of the Miami Dade Sports Commission agreed: “We get a lot of people that call us with the next great idea … everything you can imagine, from A to Z. But when I met with [Cipollitti], I got a different feeling. He had done his homework.”

To read the article online: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/michelle-kaufman/ article20612955.html

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May 7, 2015 Page 1 of 2 By: Michelle Kaufman

Miami Fusion is back...sort of.

A new incarnation of the Miami Fusion was announced on Thursday, but this team is not in Major League Soccer and will not play in Fort Lauderdale. The new team, to be based at Ted Hendricks Stadium in Hialeah, is in the National Premier Soccer League, a fourth-tier developmental league that has 78 clubs nationwide.

The Miami team is owned by Venanzio Cipollitti, president of the Inteligensa Group, a credit card-chip company. It will be coached by Ferdinando (Ferdi) De Matthaeis, who played for New York Cosmos in the early 1980s and most recently coached at the IMG Academy in Bradenton.

The roster includes players from 11 nationalities who came from local colleges, the Miami United NPSL team, and other minor league teams. Two of the more experienced players are Colombian forward Carlos Salazar, who played for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and 36-yearold forward Emiliano Bonazzoli, who played for Sampdoria in the Italian Serie A. “There are only so many MLS and NASL teams, and there is a lot of talent out there, so we hope to find talent that hasn’t been discovered,’’ said De Matthaeis.

The Fusion season opens Sunday at 6 p.m. against Miami United at Flamingo Park, and runs through July 10.

To read the article online: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/total_futbol/2015/05/miami-fusion-isbacksort-of.html

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May 7, 2015 Page 2 of 2 By: Michelle Kaufman

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May 7, 2015 Page 1 of 2 By: Luis F. Suarez

El Miami Fusion surge en el sur de la Florida Media Attendees

Mientras el proyecto de David Beckham continúa en espera, surgen nuevas apuestas por el fútbol profesional en el sur de la Florida y el jueves fue presentado el Miami Fusion.

El flamante club forma parte de la National Premier Soccer League, que equivale a la cuarta división de fútbol profesional en Estados Unidos, y debutará contra el Miami United el domingo (6:30 p.m.) en el Flamingo Park en Miami Beach.

“Nuestro objetivo es ser un equipo de fútbol profesional que represente a Miami”, afirmó Venanzio Cipollitti, uno de los artífices de este proyecto. “Somos el resultado de tres años de planificación. Tenemos jugadores de 11 países y constituimos una fusión como lo es Miami”.

El nuevo club utiliza el mismo nombre del Miami Fusion que jugó cuatro años (19982001) en la MLS y desapareció.

El italiano Ferdinando de Matthaeis, quien jugó con el Cosmos de Nueva York a principios de la década de los años 80, es el entrenador del equipo. El año pasado dirigió al Miami United y lo llevó al título de la Conferencia Sunshine de la NPSL.

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May 7, 2015 Page 2 of 2 By: Luis F Sanchez

“Tenemos los recursos para hacer cosas importantes”, afirmó De Matthaeis. “Hace seis meses que venimos formando el equipo”.

Entre los jugadores más importantes que integran la escuadra figura el delantero italiano Emiliano Bonazzoli, quien llegó hace 11 días a Miami procedente del Honved de Hungría.

“Jugué 10 años en el calcio, con el Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Parma, Reggina, Padua y Verona”, comentó Bonazzoli. “Me entusiasmó la oferta de Miami porque es una nueva experiencia y porque puedo aprender mucho con De Matthaeis. En el futuro me gustaría ser entrenador”.

En el plantel también se encuentran Carlos Salazar, quien procede del Unión Magdalena de Colombia y la temporada pasada jugó con los Strikers de Fort Lauderdale; el cubano Andy Ramos; y Bryan Arguez, quien jugó en las selecciones menores de Estados Unidos y con el DC United de la MLS. El comisionado de deportes de Miami-Dade José Sotolongo se mostró entusiasmado con el Miami Fusion.

“A diario recibo visitas de personas que llegan a mi oficina con las ideas más ambiciosas que al final no se realizan, pero desde que vi la primera vez a Cippollitti advertí que tenía un proyecto serio”, aseguró Sotolongo. “Se nota que ha hecho la tarea”.

Cippollotti, quien también es músico, compuso el himno del Miami Fusion, y la letra dice entre otras cosas: “Ningún rival nos cerrará el camino... Miami es mi único amor...”.

“Vamos a ir paso a paso”, dijo Cippollotti. “Queremos convertirnos en uno de los mejores equipos del país, queremos ser un equipo listo para el desafío y que siempre le rinda homenaje a Miami”.

To read the article online: http://www.elnuevoherald.com/deportes/futbol/article20467704.html

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May 7, 2015 Page 1 of 2 By: Trevor Bach

DAVID BECKHAM IS NOWHERE IN SIGHT, BUT A PRO SOCCER TEAM COMES TO MIAMI TODAY

Coach Ferdinando De Matthaeis (right) and player Emiliano Bonazzoli.

This afternoon, there’ll be a big news conference about a professional soccer team officially coming to Miami. But David Beckham won’t be there, and neither will Marcelo Claure, his billionaire Bolivian business partner.

In fact, the announcement has nothing to do with Miami’s long-percolating MLS team.

Instead, South Florida will welcome the new Miami Fusion, an expansion team set to join the National Premier Soccer League, a fourth-tier professional league with squads like the Myrtle Beach Mutiny and FC Wichita.

“Miami Fusion FC will enhance, together with the other teams in South Florida, the already-high level of play that is seen in this part of the country,” Ferdinando De Matthaeis, the team’s new head coach, says in a release. “Miami has always been

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May 7, 2015 Page 2 of 2 By: Trevor Bach

considered a ‘touristic’ city, and we want to show everyone that Miami and its fans are ready and eager to support and watch quality organized soccer.”

The Fusion will play in Hialeah’s Milander Park and join the league’s Sunshine Conference, which already includes two Miami-based teams — Miami United and Storm FC — as well as teams based in Winter Park, Weston, and Jacksonville.

According to a source close to the team, the franchise will have a clear developmental vision and largely international makeup, with players and coaches from more than ten countries. De Matthaeis, a former New York Cosmos player who previously coached city rival Miami United, is an Italian who has also been president of a soccer company in that country; the team’s three announced player signings so far include natives of New Jersey, Colombia, and Italy.

“It’ll be a heavy European influence as to how the organization is going to be managed,” said the source, who declined to be named because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on behalf of the team.

He added that the expansion and the today’s announcement were in no way aligned with the efforts of Beckham or MLS: “[Club owners] have had the naming rights for more than a couple years,” he said. “It’s not like they’re riding on the coattails of what the alleged MLS team is going to do down here.”

The Fusion’s news conference is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Made in Italy Gourmet on NE 27th Street in Wynwood.

To read the article online: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/david-beckham-is-nowhere-in-sightbut-a-pro-soccer-team-comes-to-miami-today-7596989

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May 9, 2015 Page 1 of 3 By: Norb Ecksl

NEW MIAMI FUSION CRE:ATED Club to compete in NPSL and more

By Norb Ecksl Sunshine Soccer News Editor

MIAMI, Fla.---When Venancio Cipollitti, the owner of InteliSport, Inc. and representing the new ownership group of the Miami Fusion FC, stepped in front of the microphone to make an announcement concerning soccer in Miami, you could see and feel his emotion.

“We are bringing a new brand of soccer to Miami,” stated Cipollitti. “This is a major project to represent Miami in soccer and we hope to be here for many years to come. We have done a lot of research and we have worked very hard to make this happen.”

Not to be mistaken with the old Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer of fifteen years ago, this new brand represents a different meaning. “Miami is a city that has a fusion of many countries and people,” explained Cipollitti. “Our team roster also represents many different countries through the sport of soccer.”

And this all could not take place without the hopes and dreams of the Fusion Technical Director and Head Coach, also one of the owners, Ferdinando DeMatthaeis. He has been involved in soccer for almost 35 years. A player with the New York Cosmos of the original North American Soccer League, DeMatthaeis also played for the New Jersey Eagles of the American Professional Soccer League in the late 80s and 90s and has had a long professional career as a player and a coach.

“Fielding a team in Miami was an objective that I wanted to reach,” explained DeMatthaeis. “I had a dream of bringing professional soccer to Miami. We have all the right resources to accomplish our goal. This team needs to represent the City of Miami and we are ready for Sunday’s game.”

The Miami Fusion opens the 10-match 2015 National Premier Soccer League season as a member of the Sunshine Conference with Miami United, Weston FC, Jacksonville United FC, Kraze United of Winter Park and the Storm FC from Coral Gables.

The opening match of the inaugural season takes place Sunday evening at Flamingo Park when the Fusion face the home-standing Miami United. Kickoff is 6:30 PM EDT. “We looked for players with three things,” explained DeMatthaeis. “Brains, passion and courage.

They also have to have the personality and talent and look to improve their game.

“We looked for our ‘Dream Team’ to play in a league that would showcase our players,” stated DeMatthaeis. “The three top leagues are the MLS, NASL and USL. And there are only so many spots available for us to play. The NPSL was a league that I underestimated last year while watching the level of play. We are going to look for talent that has been discarded by the higher levels and give them a chance to show their talent.”

“I was impressed by the level of soccer in the United States,” explained Cipollitti. “We’re also

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May 9, 2015 Page 2 of 2 By: Norb Ecksl

going to get better as a team. We want to be one of the best teams in the US. We are going to be ambitious and execute and show what we can do. We eventually want to take our American soccer to Europe and South and Central America and go on the road to face them in a match.”

“Having international exposure will help us grow,” added DeMatthaeis. “Playing teams from outside the US expands our horizons and playing against other cultures will define our team.”

And that’s exactly what the New York Cosmos did in the 70s and early 80s. DeMatthaeis knows, because he was a part of it.

Tom Mulroy, formerly president of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, was introduced as an advisor to the ownership group. His experience in the market will be helpful as they try and grow the product and brand in South Florida, and beyond.

“It’s good to have people that care about soccer and business involved,” stated Mulroy. “This ownership is very realistic and they have a step-by-step plan to do it right.”

The South Florida area has seen many a soccer franchise come and go. How will this be different? “We have the right resources in our ownership,” explained DeMatthaeis. “It’s a big investment. I know all the history but we cannot stop because of the history and the past.

When I see what’s going on here now. Beckham (David) created a big hype. If he does it, it will be successful.”

And what about the future, another league? “We talked to MLS three years ago at the beginning. We also talked to the NASL. If we do move up, we’ll keep a team in the NPSL as a feeder.”

“We have the talent to challenge anyone here in Florida,” continued DeMatthaeis. “This is not a one shot deal. We’re behind it and we’re taking the right steps.”

“We need to be patient and build our fan base,” stated Cipollitti. “We have to have fans interested in coming to games. We have to capture fans by doing the right thing. Look at the Strikers. Fort Lauderdale is proud of their team. We want to establish the same loyalty and fan commitments.”

Cipollitti unveiled a “team anthem” with words and music that he wrote. As the music started, all the players present turned and sang, displaying the passion that is to be shown on the soccer field, as the words flowed out from their mouths.

Cipollitti stated that the Miami Fusion is in the right hands. “Coach DeMatthaeis is a wonderful coach that shared a dream. He has great vision and credibility and played with the Cosmos… he’s the right guy to make this work.”

To read the article online: http://www.sunshinesoccernews.com/leagues/npsl2. php?article_id=3481

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May 7, 2015 Page 1 of 2 By: Jose Armando

#NPSL – Miami Fusion presentó uniformes y su nueva plantilla en exclusivo evento A tres dias de su debut en NPSL, fue presentado Miami Fusion ante los medios de comunicación en un evento privado en el sur de la Florida. Altos dirigentes del club presentaron a un amplio equipo de trabajo que pretende llevar a esta institución a ser una de las mejores del país.

Presente en el evento estuvo Tom Mulroy, uno de los nombres mas respetados en el ámbito futbolístico en el sur de la Florida y que hasta hace solo algunos meses fungía como presidente de los Ft. Lauderdale Strikers.

Miami Fusion presentó esta tarde ademas de sus uniformes, un himno que pretender identificar a este nuevo equipo compuesto por uno de los principales colaboradores del club, Venanzio Cipollitti. Es importante mencionar que este club no tiene ninguna relación con aquel que tuvo días de gloria en la MLS. “Este equipo tiene que representar Miami, tenemos once nacionalidades en nuestro equipo”, dijo Ferdinando De Matthaeis técnico de Miami Fusion.

Destacan dentro del plantel de Miami Fusion el italiano Emiliano Bonazzoli quien tiene pasado en la Serie A con Sampdoria, Carlos “Caliche” Salazar con un pasado reciente en el Union Magdalena en Colombia y Samir García, hondureño con gran experiencia en el fútbol de aquel país.

En total el plantel esta compuesto por 35 jugadores que representan países como Italia, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras, Reino Unido, Cuba, Estados Unidos y Haití.

CARLOS “CALICHE” SALAZAR El colombiano Carlos Salazar entiende lo que se requiere para brillar en el fútbol de Estados Unidos, con un pasado en los Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, Salazar se mostró agradecido con

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May 7, 2015 Page 2 of 2 By: Jose Armando

esta nueva oportunidad, “Estoy muy contento por esta nueva oportunidad, Miami es una ciudad hermosa para jugar al fútbol”, mencionó.

Sobre el proyecto de Miami Fusion, Salazar dijo estar encantado con la propuesta de los dirigentes, “La verdad me gusta mucho el trabajo que están haciendo, este es un proyecto a largo plazo y aunque no creo ser parte de todo porque espero retirarme en unos años me alegra estar aquí desde el principio”, comentó.

SAMIR GARCÍA Su hermano, Oscar Boniek García que milita con Houston Dynamo en MLS, dejará de ser el único representante de la familia en el fútbol de Estados Unidos. El ex lateral derecho de Motagua se mostró contento de regresar al fútbol profesional, “Estoy muy contento y muy agradecido con Erick Vallecillo quien me presentó con el profesor para formar parte de este lindo proyecto”, comentó a Deporte Total USA. Al consultarle si había hablado con su hermano sobre esta oportunidad no dudo en responder que si, “Le comenté y se puso muy contento, me dijo que aprovechara al máximo esta oportunidad. Estoy muy bien fisicamente y con muchas ganas de que sea domingo para iniciar el campeonato”, concluyó.

Miami Fusion hará su debut en NPSL enfrentando a Miami United este domingo a las 7pm ET en Flamingo Park en Miami Beach. Deporte Total USA transmitirá este encuentro con una completa antesala que inicia a las 6:30pm ET. To read the article online: http://deportetotalusa.com/galeria-npsl-miami-fusion-presento-uniformes-y-su-nuevaplantilla-en-exclusivo-evento/

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#NPSL @TheMiamiFusion fue presentado oficialmente esta tarde ante los medios de comunicaci贸n

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Contact Information Jack Heilig Trifecta Team PR jack@trifectateam.com

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