Tampa Bay Rowdies sign forward Tom Heinemann from Ottawa and extend Freddy Adu’s contract.
Heinemann is fresh off an appearance in the NASL’s Championship Final, where he scored two goals for Ottawa Fury FC in a 3-2 loss to the New York Cosmos. He also scored twice against Minnesota United FC in the semifinal round of The Championship, tallying four postseason goals in two games.
“I value Tom Heinemann very highly and I’ve been tracking his game for a while now,” Tampa Bay Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell (pictured above) said. “I believe he’s a very good player and he’s scored plenty of goals, which is obviously required for a striker, but even if he’s not scoring, he brings a lot to the show. He holds the ball up well, he’s big and he always puts in a lot of work for his team.”
In the last two seasons, Heinemann has played in more than 50 matches for Ottawa, scoring 18 goals, including 12 in 2015.
“My family and I are very excited to be joining the Tampa Bay Rowdies next season,” commented Heinemann. “I’m happy to be joining an organization with a rich tradition of winning and giving back to the community. I would like to thank Bill Edwards, Stuart Campbell and Perry Van Der Beck for this opportunity, as well as my agent Eddie Rock and Libero Sports. I look forward to meeting the fans in Tampa Bay and getting started on a successful 2016 season. COYR!”
The 28-year old forward is originally from St. Louis, Missouri and began his professional career with the Charleston Battery in 2009. Heinemann played for the Carolina RailHawks in 2010, scoring six goals in 12 matches for the NASL side before moving on to Major League Soccer.
Heinemann played for the Columbus Crew from 2011 to 2012, before making his way to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2013.
Midfielder Freddy Adu (pictured above) is set to return to the field for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2016, having signed a new one-year contract with a club option for 2017, the club announced today.
Adu, 26, joined the Tampa Bay Rowdies July 14, 2015 and took a role as one of the most dynamic attacking players in the North American Soccer League. Adu made eight appearances, including six starts in the NASL Fall Season, logging 560 total minutes.
Originally from Tema, Ghana, Adu spent time as a wide midfielder, an attacking central midfielder and as a withdrawn striker. He provided three assists in 2015.
“We liked what we saw from Freddy Adu last season and we’re excited to see what he can do with a full preseason of preparation,” Tampa Bay Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell said. “He hasn’t had a regular preseason experience in a while now and I think it’ll be hugely beneficial to him to have the chance to build up to the regular season instead of getting thrown into the mix midway like last year.”
