ST PETERSBURG, FL – On Friday, the Tampa Bay Rowdies added one final puzzle piece to the roster ahead of Sunday’s 2022 USL Championship season opener, acquiring center back Robert Castellanos from Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC on loan.
Castellanos arrived in Tampa Bay last week and played all 90 minutes in the Rowdies’ preseason finale versus South Georgia Tormenta FC. With the addition of Castellanos, the Rowdies roster now stands at 21 players.
“First, thanks to (Nashville SC Head Coach) Gary Smith and Nashville for giving us the opportunity to bring in such a good player on loan,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “We’ve had the benefit of being able to watch Nashville a lot during preseason with them being based in Tampa Bay. Robert’s someone that caught our eye. We’ve been looking to strengthen that position and we think he does that. When you bring in a loan player you have to make sure the player is committed to the club and Robert has shown that. We’re really excited to have him amongst what’s a really strong squad. Now we can focus on the group of players that we’ve got.”
Castellanos spent the 2021 season with Nashville SC. The 23-year-old center back made his MLS debut with Nashville in a 1-1 draw with Toronto FC on August 1 and scored the lone goal for his side to earn a spot on MLS’ team of the week.
A native of Southern California, Castellanos signed his first professional contract with La Galaxy II after coming up through Liga MX side Club Atlas’ youth academy. After one season in Los Angeles, Castellanos moved on for a three-season stint with Rio Grande Valley FC. Castellanos made 37 total appearances for Rio Grande in the USL before signing in Nashville at the start of 2021.
“Robert’s embedded himself very well,” said Collins. “We’re quite fortunate Nashville played a back three most of the preseason. I think it’s his strongest position to play in the middle of a back three. His strengths are definitely his presence and his ability in the air. He’s a very good organizer. I think like a lot of our players, he just brings a lot of hunger and determination to compete and to win. That’s one of the reasons he’s fit in very well with the group. He’s a very fit player. He’s got high fitness levels and that’s very important when you play for us at Al Lang. When you play in the Eastern Conference you’ve got to have those attributes.”
The Rowdies are set to open their USL Championship season at Birmingham Legion FC’s Protective Stadium on Sunday, March 19. The match will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, with kickoff set to start at 5 pm ET. Supporters can also catch the match at the Rowdies’ season opener watch party starting at 4 pm ET at Garrison Tavern, presented by Visit Tampa Bay.
Following the match in Birmingham, the Rowdies return to Al Lang Stadium for their highly-anticipated home opener against Indy Eleven on Saturday, March 19 at 7:30 pm ET. Tickets for the match can be purchased here or at rowdiessoccer.com/tickets.
