TAMPA, Fla. — Barring unforeseen circumstances, Tampa Bay midfielder Leo Fernandes will make his 174th appearance in a Rowdies uniform. He'll break a tie with Georgi Hristov for the most in the modern era of the franchise.
"Super grateful. Super grateful to be able to be here for so long. To wear the jersey for that amount of times, it’s a blessing, Fernandes said after practice. "It’s always been a dream of mine to play professional soccer. And to do it for such a great club like Tampa Bay, it’s been an honor."
From the time he arrived in Tampa Bay in 2017 Fernandes said he hasn't been much of an overly-talkative leader. He lets his approach to the game define his role on the team.
"Putting the work in off the field, on the field. I think a lot of guys see that and try to copy that," the 32-year-old explained. "Obviously, now a little bit with the younger players coming in, trying to put my arm around them and just guide them and give them advice or anything that they need."
Fellow Rowdies midfielder Lewis Hilton has played alongside Fernandes for five of his nine professional seasons. He doesn't mince words when talking about Fernandes.
"Leo is the best player that I’ve played with," Hilton said bluntly.
Both Fernandes and Hilton battled through injuries last season. Hilton said Fernandes never stopped being a leader for him or his teammates.
"Been super fortunate to play five seasons with him. He’s our best player, but he’s also one of the hardest working," Hilton added. "Day in, day out, he trains so hard. When your best player works that hard, it sets the example for everyone else to follow."
174 is a historic number, but Fernandes' focus is on the number 7. That's the number of points Tampa Bay needs in their last five regular-season games to earn themselves a playoff spot for the sixth straight season.
"The playoffs are amazing. The fans show up. The building’s super loud. We gotta get these wins," Fernandes grinned. "We’ve gotta get these seven points and make sure we get a home playoff game."
The Rowdies (13-9-7) travel to Rhode Island FC (10-7-13) for a Saturday night match-up set for 7:30 p.m.
