FC Tampa Bay signs three with season approaching

Posted Mar 28, 2011 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Mar 28, 2011 at 12:47 PM

FC Tampa Bay announced Monday the signing of forwards Matt Clare, Warren Ukah and defender Omar Jarun to one year contracts with an option for the 2012 season.

Ukah had 11 starts last season for NSC Minnesota scoring one goal. The forward also played previously with the Rochester Rhinos and Atlanta Silverbacks.

Jarun, a native of Kuwait and former Palestine National Team member, has spent the past two season playing in the Polish First League. The defender also played professionally for the Atlanta Silverbacks and Vancouver Whitecaps.

Clare was a preseason trialist and is the son of former Ft. Lauderdale Strikers defender John Clare.

FC Tampa Bay opens its regular season at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg against the Montreal Impact Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 7 p.m.

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FC Tampa Bay announced Bright House to carry five matches this season

Posted Mar 17, 2011 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Mar 17, 2011 at 04:26 PM

FC Tampa Bay announced Thursday it has come to an agreement with Bright House Sports Network to again carry five live matches during the upcoming season.

The second-year FC Tampa Bay program announced in mid-January the team was moving its home field location to St. Petersburg’s Al Lang Field for the upcoming 2011 season.

The five matches on BHSN will all air live starting at 7 p.m. and include the team’s home opener against the Montreal Impact on April 9th. The rest of the schedule on BHSN will be June 4th’s match against the Carolina RailHawks, July 17th’s match against FC Edmonton, August 13th’s match against NSC Minnesota Stars and August 20th’s match against the Puerto Rico Islanders.

FC Tampa Bay has it’s third preseason match Saturday at JC Handley Park hosted by the Brandon Area Youth Soccer Club and Hillsborough County against Florida Gulf Coast University at 4 p.m. Admission is free and prior to the FC Tampa Bay match, the Brandon FC girls U16 team will face Florida Southern College’s womens team at 1:45 p.m.

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FC Tampa Bay names former Rowdies player and coach Ricky Hill new coach

Posted Jan 18, 2011 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Jan 18, 2011 at 12:36 PM

The FC Tampa Bay announced the hiring of former Rowdies player and coach Ricky Hill as its new head coach on Tuesday.

Hill, a native of England, was a player and coach for the Rowdies in its 1991 season after stints with England’s Senior National Team, France’s Le Harve FC and Leicester City FC in England.

“Ricky has the right mix of experience and knowledge of our league to lead this club. He has played at the highest levels in Europe and America and also has been a successful coach in America and abroad. Ricky has been awarded coaching accolades in several leagues, having managed some of the world’s top players today,” said President and Owner Andrew Nestor in a release from the team. “Ricky is a part of Tampa Bay soccer history and tradition, and we are proud to welcome him back.”

Most recently Hill was the technical director for the CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh in Trinidad and Tobago Professional Football League, where the team represented the Caribbean in the COCACAF tournament in 2003 and Hill was named coach of the year in Trinidad and Tobago.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to join FC Tampa Bay as Head Coach,” said Hill. “I look forward to helping with the development of the franchise and working with all the members of the club to continue building a team that plays exciting, winning soccer.”

Hill replaces former coach Paul Dalglish, who was fired prior to the end of the 2010 season.

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FC Tampa Bay announces its bringing back four more players

Posted Nov 30, 2010 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Nov 30, 2010 at 10:40 AM

FC Tampa Bay announced Tuesday it has kept forward Aaron King, midfielders Mozzi Gyorio, Long Tan and Jonny Steele under contract for next season.

King led FCTB in scoring last season with 12 goals ranking him third in the USSF’s Division-2 last season. Steele joined FCTB in a trade during the season from the Vancouver Whitecaps and played in 10 matches last season.

Tan currently training with the Whitecaps MLS camp had three goals and two assists for the side in 2010, while Gyorio played in 18 matches and scored two goals in his first year of professional soccer.

The team announced it continues to try and work out a contract for Ricardo Sanchez after the team declined his option in October, but has made the midfielder who came to the team in the trade with Jonny Steele a new long-term contract.

FC Tampa Bay has declined the options to keep defenders Gordon Kljestan and Joe Donoho and midfielder Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe.

 

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USSF provisionally approves NASL as its Division II for 2011

Posted Nov 22, 2010 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Nov 22, 2010 at 11:51 AM

TAMPA - In a release from the United State Soccer Federation, it has been announced that the North American Soccer League has been provisionally approved as the Division II men’s outdoor soccer league for 2011.

FC Tampa Bay and seven other teams will play 28 games next year in the league with the top six teams advancing to the playoffs. The United Soccer League will be sanctioned as the USSF’s Division III league, while Major League Soccer will be Division I.

The USSF is expected to officially approve the new league structure in its Annual General Meeting in Las Vegas in February of 2011.

Joining FC Tampa Bay in the NASL next year will be last season’s champions the Puerto Rico Islanders, along with the Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, Miami FC, NSC Minnesota Stars, Atlanta Silverbacks and Montreal Impact. Also it was announced a team from San Antonio, TX will join the league in 2012 and a team to be named will join in 2013.

Check Tuesday’s Tampa Tribune for more information.

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FC Tampa Bay announce the return of seven players for 2011

Posted Nov 9, 2010 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Nov 9, 2010 at 01:55 PM

FC Tampa Bay has announced it will be keeping seven players for the 2011 season from last season‘s team. Defender Yendry Diaz, midfielders Scott Buete, Chad Burt, Jeremy Christie, and Pascal Millien, goalkeepers Phil Lamarre and Daryl Sattler will be returning next season.

The team has also announced that defenders Julian Valentin, Rob Valentino and Erik Ustruck, and midfielders Takuya Yamada and Drew Yates are now officially free agents.

Although in Yamada’s case FC Tampa Bay said it is “close to securing” long-term contracts with him, as well as midfielder Ricardo Sanchez.

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FC Tampa Bay agrees to drop Rowdies name

Posted Oct 14, 2010 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Oct 14, 2010 at 01:49 PM

TAMPA - Citrus Sports Group, LLC, the parent group of FC Tampa Bay has announced the United States Soccer Federation Division 2 team will no longer use the team name Rowdies until further notice.

“Our organization has seen positive developments in this process and we look forward to a quick resolution,” said FC Tampa Bay President and Owner Andrew Nestor.

FC Tampa Bay finished its inaugural 2010 season last month with a record of 7-12-11.

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Rowdies fire coach Paul Dalglish (Updated)

Posted Sep 23, 2010 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Sep 23, 2010 at 03:19 PM

FC Tampa Bay announced Thursday afternoon the team has fired head coach Paul Dalglish after 28 matches.

The Rowdies were 6-11-11 under Daglish in the team’s first season in the United States Soccer Federation Division-2.

“This was a difficult decision to make but we feel it is in the best interest of our club for both of us to move in different directions,” said Owner/President Andrew Nestor in a release from the team. “We appreciate all of the hard work that Paul gave to this team, and we wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future.”

Perry Van Der Beck, the Rowdies Vice President, Technical Director and Director of Player Development will serve as the interim coach for the Rowdies final two matches against Minnesota (Sept. 24) and Crystal Palace Baltimore (Oct. 1).

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Rowdies face final four regular season matches

Posted Sep 15, 2010 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Sep 15, 2010 at 08:02 PM

FC Tampa Bay has four matches left and need to find some points to get back into the United States Soccer Federation Division-2 playoff picture. The Rowdies, currently ninth and one spot out of the playoffs, have 28 team points heading into Thursday’s match against Austin.

The Rowdies trail eighth place NSC Minnesota by three points and according to coach Paul Dalglish the team is still the masters of its own destiny.

“Our playoff hopes are still in our own hands,” Dalglish said. “I think these games coming up are real chances for us to get points.”

The Rowdies will face a tough test Thursday night against the Austin Aztex. This match will mark the fourth and final match of the season against Austin. The Rowdies are 0-1-2 in the three previous meetings with Austin, with its last match ending in a 4-2 loss on the road. Led by top scorer F Edward Johnson, whose 13 goals rank second in the league (behind Portland’s Ryan Pore), Austin is one of four teams who have already clenched a playoff spot along with Rochester, Portland and Vancouver. In the first two meetings between Austin and FC Tampa Bay (May 8 and May 19) the Rowdies came from behind to score equalizers in the 86th and 88th minute to earn a point in each match.

Dalglish said both teams have shown that defense isn’t there focus as 16 goals have been scored in the previous three meetings.

“I don’t think defending has been a strong suit for either team, but neither team has had trouble scoring,“ Dalglish said. “If you’re a betting man you’d probably think it’ll be a shootout.”

News and Notes: After giving up three goals in 10 minutes in the 3-0 loss to Rochester last Saturday, Dalglish said his focus this week has been on getting his team’s mind right for the remainder of the season.

“When we were on a bad run there, the confidence kind of went down,” Dalglish said of the match. “I think the guys felt sorry for themselves for a minute and that’s something you just can’t do.”

Dalglish said the focus this week has been finding solutions to the problems the team has faced as the season has gone on.

“It’s just getting frustrating saying, ‘we dominated possession,’ or ‘we were unlucky,’ or ‘we missed chances,’ or ‘we didn’t get a decision’,” Dalglish said. “We’re done with that and it’s time to find solutions.”

Some of those solutions, Dalglish hopes, is the team returning to full strength. Jeff Christie played a full 90 minutes at Rochester and his coach said the midfielder is back to full strength. The Rowdies last match also saw the return of leading scorer Aaron King, who played the first half in Saturday’s loss and are hoping the return of defender Rob Valentino will help against Austin.

Dalglish did say that the return of GK Daryl Sattler for the Austin match is “doubtful.”

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Rowdies to honor former player and coach Van Der Beck

Posted Sep 15, 2010 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Sep 15, 2010 at 12:58 PM

TAMPA - FC Tampa Bay Rowdies have announced a ceremony and the planned retirement of the No. 12 jersey of Perry Van Der Beck at the last regular season match Oct. 1, at Steinbrenner Field against Crystal Palace Baltimore.

Van Der Beck, a midfielder, was the first American player drafted out of high school by the Rowdies of the North American Soccer League in 1978. While with the Rowdies from 1978-1982, Van Der Beck made 73 appearances before playing six seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League with the Dallas Sidekicks, St. Louis Steamers and Wichita Wings.

Van Der Beck returned to the Rowdies in 1991 and played 58 more matches. He earned 23 caps and scored two goals with the U.S. National team from 1979-1985 and was also the captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, the 1985 U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year and an assistant and head coach for the Tampa Bay Mutiny in Major League Soccer.

Van Der Beck currently serves as executive vice president, technical director and director of player development for the Rowdies.

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