ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (February 13, 2025) – With the start of the 2025 USL Championship season less than a month away, the Tampa Bay Rowdies preseason is in full swing. The squad is nearing the end of their third full week of training this week and already has two preseason contests under their belt.
Last week, the Rowdies kicked off their slate of six preseason matches with a 6-2 win over MLS Next Pro club Philadelphia Union II. Last year’s leading scorer Manuel Arteaga and longtime veteran Leo Fernandes each netted a goal in the match. Midfielder Ollie Bassett and forward Woobens Pacius, both new to the Rowdies this season, also made their way onto the scoresheet, with Pacius recording a second-half brace.
On Tuesday this week, the Rowdies were on the end of a 1-0 defeat to Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution. In both matches so far, the Rowdies have fielded separate lineups in each 45-minute half as they build fitness for the long season to come.
“It’s been great to get up and running,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson, who returns for his second season in charge. “We’ve played two games now, and those have really been about fitness, and our staff starting to get a feel for how the guys play. You always have an idea of how you want to play, but once you get the players in, especially with how many new players in the group we have, you have to adapt your ideas a little bit. The game model has to fit the players to an extent and vice versa. There’s always an adaptation process. Even after the game on Tuesday we’ve changed things going forward a little bit.”
The Rowdies have added a total of seven new players, with more likely to come before the season officially kicks off on March 8. There is some familiarity among the new group, as Tampa Bay’s incoming trio of new defenders Laurence Wyke, Robert Castellanos, and Thomas Vancaeyezeele have all played for the club in the past. However, they’re all new to the system and environment Neilson and his staff have developed over the past year.
“We had a meeting right at the start and we talked about the values we have as a club and how we want our players to act,” said Neilson. “We’ve got a very good leadership group in the locker room. They set the tone and set the standard, so I don’t really have to do a lot of work on that… You can see the quality we’ve got from the new guys already. Hopefully it’ll take us up a level from last year.”
One returning player fans will be anxious to see back in action is defender Forrest Lasso. The three-time USL Championship Defender of the Year is back for a fifth season in Tampa Bay after having his 2024 campaign cut short by a torn ACL. While Lasso has trained regularly throughout the preseason, the technical staff are taking a cautious approach when it comes to getting the six-foot-five center match minutes in the preseason.
“You have to give the athletic trainers credit for (Forrest’s) return,” said Neilson. “We’ve gotten to the point now where we’re almost holding him back a little bit. Forrest being Forrest, he’s desperate to get back at it for full training and full games. But at the moment we’re just developing him. The plan is to get him for the game on February 28. That’ll be his first 11 v 11. So he’s still got a wee bit to go, he’s still got a few barriers to go through, but he’s looking like he’ll be back to his best.”
Next up, the Rowdies will cap off this week of preseason with a matchup against CF Montreal at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET, with free admission for fans on a first-come-first-serve basis. With the midway point of preseason camp nearing, fans can expect to see players get more minutes and the squad to take shape starting this weekend.
“It would be great to see fans this Saturday,” said Neilson. “It’s been a while. Towards the end of last season, we weren’t down at Al Lang Stadium, so we missed a lot of our fans. We’ll start to form the team a little bit more on Saturday. Those first two games, it’s more about fitness and getting those relationships within the team. We’re really looking forward to the game.”
