ST PETERSBURG, FL – On Monday, the Tampa Bay Rowdies announced the club has sent forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith on loan to New York Red Bulls II for the 2022 USL Championship. Adebayo-Smith has already departed Tampa Bay to join New York for their preseason.
Adebayo-Smith, 21, tallied four goals in his first season for the Rowdies last year, including one game-winning goal at Red Bulls II. The young attacker recorded another pivotal winner back home at Al Lang Stadium in a narrow 1-0 result versus Hartford Athletic in August of last year.
“Jordan is so talented and he is at a point right now where I believe to really develop he needs to get minutes, as possible’ said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “I feel New York can offer that opportunity more than we might be able to at the present moment.”
Tampa Bay has a handful of potent attackers competing for minutes up top this season. Returning strikers for the 2022 season include club captain Sebastian Guenzatti, as well as veterans Steevan Dos Santos, Lucky Mkosana, and Juan Tejada. Combined, Tampa Bay’s returning forwards accounted for 38 goals last year. Guenzatti established a Rowdies new single-season scoring record of 22 goals and is now three goals aways from surpassing club legend’s Rowdies all-time scoring record of 60 goals.
New strikers in the mix this year are Kyle Greig and Jake LaCava. Greig spent last year with Eastern Conference runners-up Louisville City FC, while LaCava has played the last two seasons for Red Bulls II. Greig has scored over 60 goals during his nine-year career. Meanwhile, LaCava bagged 11 goals in his first two years as a professional with Red Bulls II.
Confirmed 2022 Rowdies Roster:
Goalkeepers: Raiko Arozarena, CJ Cochran.
Defenders: Jordan Scarlett, Aaron Guillen, Timmy Mehl.
Midfielders: Conner Antley, Lewis Hilton, Laurence Wyke, Yann Ekra, Leo Fernandes, Sebastian Dalgaard, Dayonn Harris, Jake Areman, Junior Etou.
Forwards: Steevan Dos Santos, Lucky Mkosana, Juan Tejada, Jake LaCava, Jordan Adebayo-Smith, Kyle Greig, Sebastian Guenzatti.
The Rowdies kicked off their preseason action with a 3-1 win over FIU men’s soccer program. This Saturday, the Rowdies travel to face MLS’ Orlando City SC in a closed door preseason game.
The Rowdies are set to start the USL Championship season on Sunday, March 13 at Birmingham’s Legion FC before returning home to host Indy Eleven at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday, March 19. Fans have two ways to secure tickets for the home opener at the moment. Season tickets start as low as $170 for all 17 home games in 2022 and include many added benefits. Season tickets can be purchased at rowdiessoccer.com/seasontickets or by calling 727-222-2000. Fans also have the option of the Rowdies Mini-Plan, which allows them to pick any five games to attend at Al Lang this year. For more info on the Mini-Plan, visit rowdiessoccer.com/flexible-ticketing.
