The has been a lot of turn around for the Rowdies this past offseason. The Rowdies fired head coach Ricky Hill and hired Dutch manager Thomas Rongen. You might of heard of Thomas Rongen, the former coach of America Samoa. Thomas is going to bring a different style of play that the supporters have never saw before. When Rongen was hired he acted quick by releasing most of the team.
During this offseason the club has signed goalkeepers Chris Glodack and Kamil Cantonalsky. The Rowdies also brought in a new back line that is going to be very strong this season. They have added Stefan Antonijevic, Rich Balchan, Darnell King, Tamika Mkandawire, Zac Portillos, Brad Rusin and Ben Sweat. The back line is going to be strong because they have some important players such as Stefan and the 6’6 defender Darnell King, who last season played for the Strikers. Ben Sweat, who last season played for the Crew, brings MLS experience to the backline.
Last season the Rowdies midfield was one of the weakest spots and they have upgraded. They have added Justin Chavez, Marquez Fernandez, Jeff Michaud, Marcelo Saragosa. There is a lot of depth in the midfield and it is going to be difficult come match day for Thomas Rongen to pick the 18 that day.
Last season the forwards were not scoring the most goals are setting them up. Last year it was difficult but with this years Rowdies there is depth in each position and talented players as well. They didn’t just sign players just to fill a roster spot. The forwards for this season besides second year player Brian Shriver are Zak Bogs, Maicon Santos, Darwin Espinal, and Robert Hernandez. Corey Herztog played for the Rowdies last year and it is going to be interesting to see how Thomas uses Corey. Maicon Santos brings six years of MLS experience to this club and maybe could teach the younger guys a few things.
What is cool about this years Rowdies is that they have some international players and have some young domestic players that have signed their first pro deal with the club. It is exciting times to be a Rowdies supporter because owner Bill Edwards has done some renovations on Al Lang (putting in new seats, fixing the locker rooms, and putting in a new video board). This stadium doesn’t look like a baseball field anymore, it looks like a soccer pitch, and that is all thanks to Bill Edwards. Bill Edwards has brought a lot of positive change to this team. Can Thomas Rongen be successful this season and maybe bring a trophy back home to Tampa Bay-St.Pete?
(image courtesy of rowdiessoccer.com)
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