Florida Tropics SC is a professional soccer club based in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal ci ...

. They are owned by Central Florida Sports Ventures, LLC, led by Dr. Panos Iakovidis, and former USL commissioner and

Rochester Rhinos Rochester New York FC, formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos, are an American professional soccer team based in Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1996, as the Rochester Raging Rhinos, they changed their name to Rochester Rhinos t ...

owner Chris Economides. The organization was originally founded in 2015 as a team in the

Major Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American professional indoor soccer league. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. MASL is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. MASL players ...

before expanding into other leagues. The Tropics organization operates three senior teams across two different leagues. The first team is Florida Tropics SC, which plays in the professional

. The club also fields two men's outdoor teams. The top outdoor is Tropics SC, which plays in the

United Premier Soccer League The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) is an American soccer league that was founded in Santa Ana in Southern California, with teams in regionalized conferences throughout the United States, and recently Canada and Mexico. The league was found ...

First Division. There is also a Tropics Reserves team playing the UPSL's Second Division. The club previously fielded a

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

team known as the Lakeland Tropics, and a

Women's Premier Soccer League The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the top amateur league for women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, below only National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). ...

team. In addition to the senior squads, the Tropics organization also oversees two youth clubs in Central Florida. Lakeland Tropics FC in Lakeland, and Celebration FC Tropics in Celebration.

History

On May 3, 2016, the Tropics, in conjunction with the newly formed IPL, held a press conference at the

RP Funding Center The RP Funding Center (formerly the Lakeland Civic Center and the Lakeland Center) is a multipurpose entertainment complex in Lakeland, Florida, comprising a convention center, arena and theater. Currently, it is home to the Florida Tropics SC of ...

and stated they would be joining the IPL alongside the Baltimore Blast, Harrisburg Heat, and St. Louis Ambush. However, on August 29, 2016, it was announced that all IPL teams including Florida would be joining the MASL. The team finished 3rd in their division in their inaugural season, and averaged over 2,500 fans a game including one sell out. In their second season in the MASL, the Tropics again fell just short of the playoffs, finishing 3rd in the Eastern Division. It was in 2017 that the club fielded their first USL League Two franchise, and in 2019 a new squad was created to play in the UPSL Pro Premier Florida Division, who went on to win the leagues national championship. The official supporter group of the Tropics organization is the Swan City Syndicate. The Tropics succeed the

Tampa Bay area The Tampa Bay area is a major populated area surrounding Tampa Bay on the west coast of Florida in the United States. It includes the main cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. It is the 18th largest metropolitan area in the Unite ...

as the local indoor soccer club. The team is unrelated to the original Tampa Bay Rowdies, who were notorious for their indoor soccer success, as well as their outdoor. A current Rowdies team began to play in 2010 and is also unrelated to that club; the team exclusively plays outdoor soccer. Indoor soccer by the original Rowdies had officially ended when the team played in the

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

for one season ( 1986–87). For two seasons, another Tampa Bay area team played in the same league, from 1995 to 1997, called the Tampa Bay Terror; however, the team did not last more than two seasons, despite having some members of the Rowdies on the roster. It would not be until the Tropics first season that indoor soccer would return to the area.

Personnel

2022–23 roster

Active players

*As of December 28, 2022

Inactive players

Staff

* Clay Roberts – ''Head coach, (2016–present)'' * Kevin Curtin – ''Assistant coach, (2022–present)'' * Nick Olgee - ''Trainer, (2021–present)'' * Dr. Panos Iakovidis - ''Team owner, (2017–present)''

Notable players

* Rodrigo Fernandes Alflen – MASL *

Robbie Aristodemo Robert David Aristodemo (born May 20, 1977) is a professional soccer midfielder who is the current head coach for Montverde Academy's varsity girls team, the Orlando Kicks FC of United Women's Soccer, and an assistant coach with the Major Arena ...

- MASL * Marko Bedenikovic – MASL * Christian Blandon – MASL * Lucas Coutinho – MASL & PDL *

Gordy Gurson Gordy Gurson (born May 2, 1992, in Park Ridge, Illinois) is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for Utica City FC in the Major Arena Soccer League. Early life and education Gurson was raised in the Chicago suburb of Buffalo ...

– MASL * Daniel Mendes – MASL *

Pascal Millien Pascal Millien (born 3 May 1986) is a Haitian professional footballer who plays for Winter Haven United in the United Premier Soccer League. Career Youth and college Millien was born in Léogâne, Haiti, but moved to Lakeland, Florida as a te ...

– UPSL * David Paul – MASL * Tosan Popo – MASL * Victor Rojas - MASL & PDL * Raheem Taylor-Parkes – PDL/League Two * Juan Tejada – PDL

Venues

, Lakeland ( MASL; 2016–present) * Bryant Stadium, Lakeland ( USL2 & WPSL; 2017–2019) * St. Petersburg High School Stadium,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

(WPSL; 2018) * Lake Myrtle Sports Complex, Auburndale ( UPSL & USOC; 2019–present) * Tournament Sportsplex of Tampa Bay, Tampa (WPSL; 2019) * Premier Sports Complex, Lakewood Ranch (WPSL; 2019)

References

External links

Official website - MASL teamOfficial website - PDL team
{{Tampa Bay Sports Major Arena Soccer League teams Sports in Lakeland, Florida Indoor soccer clubs in the United States Soccer clubs in Florida 2016 establishments in Florida Association football clubs established in 2016 Sports in Polk County, Florida Tropics SC Women's Premier Soccer League teams Sports in St. Petersburg, Florida Sports in Manatee County, Florida