TAMPA, Fla. — Pro soccer is back in Tampa Bay. The USL Championship Series begins on Saturday and the Rowdies are ready to roll.
“The players are great here, there’s a high level of competition every day between the players so it’s a good atmosphere and good that I mean hopefully we’re competing for trophies,” Rowdies defender Brian Schaefer said.
What You Need To Know
The Tampa Bay Rowdies open the season on Saturday night in the USL Championship Series.
Brian Schaefer is a new addition this offseason, acquired on loan from the FC Cincinnati club.
Schaefer is familiar with Tampa Bay, playing four years of college soccer at USF.
He is from the Jacksonville area and is looking forward to playing in the Sunshine State again.
Schaefer, a center back, was a roster addition late in the offseason, aquired on loan from FC Cincinnati’s MLS Next Pro team.
“Yeah I was very excited,” Schaefer said when asked what his reaction was when he learned he would be joining the Rowdies. “The club has been a historic club in the league and the pieces they have been putting together looks like they’re trying to win a championship so when you see those things it’s always exciting to be wanted to join that team and be a part of it.”
The transaction happened in late January, certainly not a bad time to take a detour to Florida. But Schaefer has spent plenty of time in Tampa Bay. He played college soccer at USF, four years as a stout defender and scored five goals in 53 games for the Bulls.
“Sometimes in college we’d get asked when they needed numbers for training if we’d come out and train with them but it was never you’re a part of the team so when I got the news that it was a possibility it was something that I wanted to make happen,” Schaefer said.
After finishing at USF, Schaefer took his talents to the pros, getting selected No. 27 overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft and signing with the club’s FC Cincinnati 2.
“Yeah it was awesome it’s something you dream of as a kid and you’re sitting there waiting for the pick to happen and you don’t know when it happens and finally it happened it’s something that you can’t really describe just emotions and it was a great feeling,” Schaefer said.
“Yeah Brian’s been great I’ve tracked him since he first got drafted actually out of USF to Cincinnati he’s been one of the best defenders in MLS Next Pro for a couple years now and when he went on loan last year we were tracking him and trying to bring him here so we were delighted to get it done,” Rowdies head coach Dominic Casciato said.
Schaefer’s Sunshine State roots extend all the way up to Jacksonville; he went to Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach so he will certainly have a section cheering for him at Al Lang Stadium.
“It’s exciting I have family in the area and friends that you always dream of having people come watch you play and having that opportunity is exciting and it should be a fun year,” Schaefer said.
After a handful of closed preseason matches, fans get a chance to see Schaefer and the Rowdies kick off the season this Saturday night at Birmingham Legion FC. The home opener is two weeks later on March 21.