Tampa Bay Rowdies Name Thomas Rongen Head Coach
December 3, 2014 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 2, 2014) - The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced today the hiring of Thomas Rongen as head coach. Rongen becomes the third head coach in modern Rowdies history, bringing nearly 30 years of experience, an MLS championship and player development expertise.
Born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Rongen played for Ajax Amsterdam before moving to the US to play in the NASL where he won Rookie of the Year, Defender of the Year and other honors. Rongen was the original head coach of the Tampa Bay Mutiny, leading it to earn the Supporter's Shield in the league's inaugural 1996 season (awarded to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record). He was awarded the MLS Coach of the Year Award that season and was appointed coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star Team, which included six of his own Mutiny players. Rowdies President and General Manager Farrukh Quraishi was President and GM of the Mutiny at that time.
"Thomas brings deep level experience to the Rowdies and a level of professionalism that will be appreciated by anyone connected to our organization," said Quraishi. "He is in demand and has been courted by other clubs so this is a significant 'get' for us. I am confident and excited to have him with us."
Rongen's other MLS experience includes stints as head coach for D.C. United, where he won the 1999 MLS Cup, the New England Revolution and as the first head coach and sporting director for Chivas USA in Los Angeles, California.
Additionally, Rongen has extensive experience developing young players, serving as head coach of the United States Under-20 Men's National Team for nine years. He was recently the head coach for the long suffering Men's National Team in American Samoa, which lost 30 consecutive games in their 17 year existence prior to Rongen's appointment. Most recently the subject of an award winning documentary "Next Goal Wins," the feature-length film highlights his remarkable turnaround of the team in what Esquire magazine calls "the most rewarding, gutsy and rather magnificent sporting story in recent cinematic memory."
In addition to his coaching experience, Rongen also served as the Netherlands' team liaison at the 1994 World Cup in Orlando, and most recently spent the last three seasons as Academy Director at Toronto FC. He has provided color commentary for Comcast, Fox Soccer and Sportsnet.
"Working as part of a team has always intrigued me and I like the challenge of creating a winning and competitive culture," said Rongen. "Being back in the Tampa Bay area is sort of like home for me as I loved living here when I coached the Mutiny. I promise the fans that I will work hard to deliver an entertaining style of soccer as well as become a contributing member of the community. Our players will do the same. It is a very exciting day for me."
Rowdies fans will have an opportunity to meet Rongen soon, as details are being planned for a coach meet and greet. Stay tuned to RowdiesSoccer.com for more information. In the meantime, call (877) ROWDIES now to place your refundable $100 deposit for season tickets during Rongen's first year with the club. It is sure to be an exciting season at the updated and improved Al Lang Stadium!
Further news announced by the club is the release of four players including goalkeeper Ryan Thompson, defender Jordan Gafa and midfielders Kyle Clinton and Evans Frimpong. All four players are now free agents, effective immediately.
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North American Soccer League Stories from December 3, 2014
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- Tampa Bay Rowdies Name Thomas Rongen Head Coach - Tampa Bay Rowdies
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