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Plenty of new faces dot Rowdies' roster

 
New Rowdies captain Marcelo Saragosa, right, speaks with IndyCar Series driver and St. Petersburg resident Sebastien Bourdais last month at the Rowdies practice field in St. Petersburg. [SCOTT KEELER | Times]
New Rowdies captain Marcelo Saragosa, right, speaks with IndyCar Series driver and St. Petersburg resident Sebastien Bourdais last month at the Rowdies practice field in St. Petersburg. [SCOTT KEELER | Times]
Published April 4, 2015

ST. PETERSBURG — Even members of Ralph's Mob might need to keep a roster handy for the first few Rowdies games. Only the most studious of the devoted fan base can be expected to follow all of the team's offseason changes.

The revamped — and by the looks of it improved — Rowdies take the field tonight for their NASL spring season opener at 2014 champion San Antonio.

Tampa Bay was 7-2-2 in the preseason, equaling its win total from last year's 27 regular-season contests. Only six players return from that squad — with 20 newcomers and a new, yet familiar, head coach.

Thomas Rongen, who coached the Tampa Bay Mutiny to the MLS's best record in its inaugural 1996 season, reunites with new Rowdies general manager Farrukh Quraishi. With plenty of support from team owner Bill Edwards, they have crafted a roster with designs on winning a title.

"I told Bill in order to build a championship team, you have to spend some money. And he's done that," Rongen said Wednesday at the team's well-attended kickoff party at the Mahaffey Theater.

Edwards poured millions into renovating Al Lang Stadium, which is now fully controlled by the team. There are no more remnants of a baseball diamond. The seats are all team colors and the field is larger, perfectly manicured and ready for the April 11 home opener.

But the spending didn't stop there. Rongen asked for, and received, an unhesitating "no problem" from Edwards for an on-site weight facility, upgraded video facilities, a strength and conditioning coach, yoga instructor and help to improve the roster.

Plenty of MLS and international experience dot the lineup. The new captain, 33-year-old midfielder Marcelo Saragosa, captained Dallas and Chivas USA throughout a nine-year MLS career.

"The spine, the axis of our team is filled with veterans. We did our due diligence. We identified not just good players but very special people," Rongen said.

New central defender Stefan Antonijevic could be a fan favorite. He's the giant of the team, both in terms of height (6 feet 6) and personality (already the locker room DJ).

Brazilian Maicon Santos, one of five South American additions to the club, scored 10 goals for MLS Toronto in two seasons there and paced the Rowdies in the preseason with five goals. Starting goalkeeper Kamil Contofalsky, 36, led Fort Lauderdale to the Soccer Bowl last year after a successful European career that included 34 caps for Slovakia.

But there's plenty of intriguing youth as well.

Robert Hernandez, 21, has played more than 90 matches across four seasons in the Venezuelan First Division. Marquez Fernandez, 22, led unheralded Maryland-Baltimore County to the College Cup his senior season.

Despite the overall sense of purging — "We had a lot of holes," assistant GM Perry Van Der Beck said — there are several key returners, including last year's top goal scorer, Georgi Hristov, and starting forward Corey Hertzog.

"We're two to three deep at every position," said forward Zak Boggs, a USF product and one of several on the team with bay area ties.

It might take a few games for Rongen to sort out his top 11. But better sooner than later, as the spring season is only 10 games with the winner guaranteed a spot in the Championship, the NASL's four-team playoff.

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"It's an interesting problem to have, so much talent. But I'd rather have that than to not have any at all," Rongen said.

Fans can watch the opener at another of Edwards' additions, the Rowdies Den. The new sports bar at 200 First Ave. S, where Midtown Sundries once was housed, is having its grand opening today to coincide with a watch party.