TAMPA — This week, the Tampa Bay Rowdies kicked off preseason training camp as they begin their 50th anniversary season. The feeling around the team facility is like the first day of school - only much better.
"Literally, this is what we live for. This is everything," Rowdies defender Forrest Lasso smiled. Last year, Lasso suffered a torn ACL that ended his season in May. Now, he's ready to make the most of every moment he gets to step onto the field.
"I’m 31. I’ve been doing this for 11 years. There’s a quick second of, like, maybe this is it. Maybe this is where the ride finally ends, the wave’s finally done," Lasso explained after Thursday's workout. "That wasn’t it for me. That’s not how I operate. My journey was just locking in and getting back to where I could be."
Lasso is joined by fellow Rowdies veteran Leo Fernandes, who admits that it's never too early to start building a championship contender.
"We know it takes a day at a time to reach those goals. For us, it’s just coming in and making sure everyone is honest with each other and putting in the work," Fernandes said. "You can’t skip steps. We know that it’s week one of preseason. It’s gonna take a lot of effort, but we’re all bought in and ready to go."
One of the newcomers to Tampa Bay is midfielder Ollie Bassett. He joins the Rowdies after a great three-year stretch in the Canadian Premier League. The 26-year-old says Tampa Bay checked off all the boxes when it came to choosing a landing spot in the USL Championship.
"It’s very important to come into a group that’s been together for a few years. Those guys set the standards in training," Bassett said after Thursday's practice. "They make you aware of what they expect, day in and day out. I’ve come in and everyone’s made me feel welcome straight away. It’s been very easy for me to settle in and hit the ground running."
The Rowdies will play a handful of preseason games before opening the regular season on March 8 in Las Vegas.
Tampa Bay will play their first four regular season games on the road. This will ensure the finishing touches are put on Al Lang Stadium as the post-hurricane remodel is complete.
The Rowdies open the home slate on April 12 versus Loudoun United FC. That starts a run of six straight home matches.
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John King shared with ABC Action News the flooding in his Zephyrhills community - more than 3 months after Hurricane Milton.
