In a flurry of offseason signings for the Tampa Bay Rowdies ahead of the new USL Championship season, Gennaro Nigro was the first to be announced by the club in the New Year. Nearly six months after that announcement, Nigro has finally made his Rowdies debut.
74 minutes into Tampa Bay’s Prinx Tires USL Cup contest with FC Naples at Al Lang Stadium this past Saturday, Nigro readied himself for the moment he’d envisioned since January. As he waited on the sidelined to check into the game and help the Rowdies seal the shutout win, the 26-year-old was filled with pure excitement.
“I’m usually quite nervous before games. I usually have butterflies in my stomach, anxious, but I didn’t really feel that,” says Nigro. “…Finally being able to step on the field with this group is something that I’ve been working toward for around six months.”
Nigro arrived in Tampa Bay in early January along with the rest of his new teammates ready to kick off the preseason. However, an injury prevented him from joining them on the training field at the outset. He underwent surgery in the preseason and then was required to undergo another procedure in the early months of the regular season, stretching the timeline for his return to play into summer.
“It was a larger setback than expected,” he says. “You do one surgical procedure to hopefully not have to do a second surgical procedure, but the second one ended up being necessary. I’m just lucky to be on the other side of it now. To now just be concerned with the day in, day out of training with the team and preparing for matches is great, because that’s really what I want to be doing.”
The time away from the field offered Nigro a chance to find ways to relate to his Rowdies teammates. Nigro was a regular fixture in the lineup for Last Vegas Lights FC out west in his two seasons prior to joining Tampa Bay, leading the team in assists and minutes played while wearing the captain’s armband.
“I’ve been forced from the beginning to get to know everybody as people before I got to know them as players,” he says of his first six months in Tampa Bay. “In the past it’s always been the opposite. You gain the respect of your peers by what you’re able to do on the field. I had to approach it from a different perspective this year. It’s given me great insight not only on how to be a better teammate, but a better individual as well.”
It didn’t take long for Nigro to show his quality in the limited minutes he saw on the field against Naples. On the left side of Tampa Bay’s back line, Nigro won one tackle, made one interception, and registered a shot on goal from distance that nearly had the goalkeeper beat.
“I think Gennaro is a leader,” Tampa Bay Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato said following the match. “He’s got great qualities on the ball. He’s a tenacious defender, and I think you saw a little glimpse of that tonight. We’re glad to welcome him back into the fold, and it just makes the competition in the squad even stronger. We’re delighted to have him back and looking forward to seeing what he brings.”
Nigro’s long-awaited debut at Al Lang Stadium was even sweeter with his mother and father both in the stands to watch the moment. The New Jersey native has spent much of his career playing in Europe or out west, making Tampa Bay a much more manageable trip for his parents.
“They had mentioned there was a chance might come, so when I found out there was a possibility for me to play I let them know immediately,” says Nigro. “It was a quick trip for them. They flew in in the morning and were out the next day after the match. It’s a good feeling to share those moments with your loved ones. I’ve spent lots of time away from them, so the time that I do get to spend with them is extra special.”
Now on the other side of his injury, Nigro is eager to earn his place in the Rowdies squad, help the club achieve its ambitions in the back half of the season, and battle for his teammates that had his back during his long road to recovery.
“It’s a constant message every single day that we’re here to work and we’re here to prove things,” he says. “Nobody is going to hand us anything. It’s really encouraging to look around the locker room and see guys that want to fight for one another. As much as I’ve seen them fight each other now, I want to do the same. I’m in debt to them in that way, where I have to gain their respect and make sure they can count on me as much as they’ve counted on each for the first four months of the season.”
