Building a winning team was not necessarily the primary objective behind the launch of the Tampa Bay Rowdies development team, Tampa Bay Rowdies 2, in August of last year. That said, Rowdies 2 sure has done quite a lot of winning over the last few months during its inaugural season in the USL Academy League.
Rowdies 2 recently wrapped up its first season in the USL Academy League with an undefeated record of ten wins and one draw, notching 36 goals and conceding only four goals throughout the season to be crowned champions of the North Florida Division.
From the beginning, though, Rowdies 2 Head Coach Russell Stirling has been focused on cultivating a competitive environment within the program, where the top young players from across the Tampa Bay area are encouraged to come to challenge themselves and advance their development.
“Prior to joining the USL Academy League this year, we did play a lot of high-profile friendlies against good opposition,” Stirling said. “I think that started to create that winning culture and that competitive culture within the group from early on. This year’s success is just a continuation of the foundation from last year. It helps that we’ve got a lot of good players and they’ve bought into what we’re trying to do.”
The Rowdies 2 roster was constructed from players throughout the region, with some coming from the top youth academies in the area. From the outset, the goal was never to compete with these local academies. Instead, Rowdies 2 was meant to offer a unique opportunity for elite youth players that will hopefully make them stronger players for their clubs and pave the way for future success either in college or the professional ranks.
As the only men’s professional team in the area, the Rowdies can provide a training environment unlike other youth academies. Rowdies 2 players train throughout the week at the same facility as the Rowdies first team, allowing them to experience firsthand the standards and expectations of the professional game.
Stirling believes that proximity is one of the most valuable aspects of the program.
“We want to give them a glimpse of what they’re striving for,” he said. “We want to give them a real feel of being part of this great club and obviously they see the standard that’s set by the first team players and it gives them that incentive to try and be a part of that going forward.”
The players are close enough to see where the pathway can lead while understanding there’s plenty of work ahead to reach that level.
“We give them enough to make them hungry, but not everything, because it’s important that they still have that target to work towards,” Stirling said.
Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato arrived in Tampa Bay a month before Rowdies 2 officially launched, after much of the groundwork had been done by Stirling to get the program up and running.
“It’s been amazing to see the success Rowdies 2 have had this year, and Russell Stirling deserves all the credit in the world for that,” Casciato said. “When I first got here last year, the Rowdies 2 program was just starting, and Russell was piecing it together. I think once he decided on the direction for the program, and he got the right players in and the right staff around him, he’s been able to do a wonderful job of it.”
An undefeated inaugural season in the USL Academy League can set the stage for Rowdies program to continue growing in years to come and provide the best young players a compelling reason to remain in Tampa Bay to further their development on the field.
“It’s always a temptation for kids from this area to go to one of the MLS clubs,” Casciato said. “I think a program like Rowdies 2 and the pathway to the first team that we’re providing for guys shows everyone that you don’t need to leave home to get the best possible development. Russell is a great coach. He’s got great people around him. He’s built a great program. Because of that, the best kids in Tampa Bay are going to want to be in Tampa Bay and represent the Rowdies before they move on to the next steps in their career.”
Rowdies 2 has also been strengthened by the involvement of former Rowdies players and current first team assistant coaches Leo Fernandes and Yann Ekra. Fernandes and Ekra, along with former Rowdies Goalkeeper Phil Breno have all pitched to assist Stirling over the last year, offering their energy and valuable experiences to work with the players and establish the program.
“It’s been tremendous to have those guys that have been in and around the club for so long involved with Rowdies 2 now,” Stirling said. “For me, I’m learning from them and we’re learning from each other, and I think it’s great for the players to have that influence and that camaraderie with them. There’s also great support from all the first team staff as well. Dom has been fantastic with the program, as have all the staff. A lot of the first team players are invested in it and are asking me what’s going on with the team.”
By winning the North Florida Division, the Rowdies 2 have earned a place in the USL Academy Finals in December, which was a part of the program’s ambitions from the beginning. Last year, the team was invited to participate in the showcase division, competing against development teams from other USL Championship clubs. That experience helped fuel a desire to enter the USL Academy League as a full-fledged member and ultimately earn a place in the USL Academy Finals.
“Now that we’ve qualified, we’re delighted to be part of it, and we want to go and showcase the Rowdies and see how far we can go,” Stirling said.
An undefeated inaugural season is certainly an impressive achievement, but the bigger accomplishment for Rowdies may be the foundation that has been laid behind the scenes to earn those wins.
“Winning is great, but the most important bit is the day-to-day stuff we do on the field and the culture that we strive to have here,” Stirling said. “I think our players that are involved in training every day, some of the guys that maybe didn’t even play huge minutes, are still going out and talking about what a great program it is to be part of, how much they’re improving, how much they’re striving to get better and better. I think it sells itself at that point. This is just another step in the right direction for the Rowdies. Ultimately, we want to help provide players for our club and provide pathways to college or for other professional opportunities for these players.”
