Major Arena Soccer League
TROPICS INK RICARDO CARVALHO TO THREE-YEAR EXTENSION
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Averaging more than a goal a game in his six year career in the Major Arena Soccer League, forward Ricardo Carvalho has signed a new three-year deal to remain with the Florida Tropics starting with the 2020-21 season which starts late this fall.
Carvalho started his career with the Chicago Mustangs, spent three years with the Harrisburg Heat, and has spent the last two seasons with the Florida Tropics, presented by Bond Clinic, who will start their sixth season in the league late this fall at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
The 32 year-old native of Salvador, Brazil has appeared in 113 career indoor games, scoring 115 goals. His best season came in 2018-19 when the Tropics won the Eastern Conference championship when he scored 30 goals and added 19 assists in 21 games. He increased his assists total for five straight seasons, culminating in a 23-assist campaign two years ago, to go along with 23 goals that season as well.
“Ricardo is a big part of the core group that we wanted to make sure would be coming back to us,” Head Coach Clay Roberts said. “Ricardo is just such a threat in our league. Teams know he’s one of our targeted players, and draws a lot of attention which frees up other guys to get goals, which just shows the depth and talent of our team.”
Roberts said Carvalho is primed for another big season.
“He just such a critical piece for us. We expect him to be operating on all cylinders like he has been for the past couple of seasons, and we’re excited to get a couple of new players around him that link up very well with Ricardo.”
The Tropics will kick off their sixth season in the Major Arena Soccer League later this fall at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, playing a 24-game schedule. The Tropics were the 2019-20 Eastern Conference champions with an 18-3 record. The season and playoffs were canceled in March that season because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, the Tropics won the regular season title with a 10-3 mark, but fell in the first-round of the MASL playoffs to the eventual champion San Diego Sockers in games played on a neutral field in Kansas City.
The league expects to announce its full schedule in the coming weeks, at which time the Tropics will also release information on tickets including a new fan-friendly policy that will allow thousands of local soccer fans to attend MASL games over the winter. For more information, visit fltropics.com, or any of the team's social media sites.
Carvalho started his career with the Chicago Mustangs, spent three years with the Harrisburg Heat, and has spent the last two seasons with the Florida Tropics, presented by Bond Clinic, who will start their sixth season in the league late this fall at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
The 32 year-old native of Salvador, Brazil has appeared in 113 career indoor games, scoring 115 goals. His best season came in 2018-19 when the Tropics won the Eastern Conference championship when he scored 30 goals and added 19 assists in 21 games. He increased his assists total for five straight seasons, culminating in a 23-assist campaign two years ago, to go along with 23 goals that season as well.
“Ricardo is a big part of the core group that we wanted to make sure would be coming back to us,” Head Coach Clay Roberts said. “Ricardo is just such a threat in our league. Teams know he’s one of our targeted players, and draws a lot of attention which frees up other guys to get goals, which just shows the depth and talent of our team.”
Roberts said Carvalho is primed for another big season.
“He just such a critical piece for us. We expect him to be operating on all cylinders like he has been for the past couple of seasons, and we’re excited to get a couple of new players around him that link up very well with Ricardo.”
The Tropics will kick off their sixth season in the Major Arena Soccer League later this fall at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, playing a 24-game schedule. The Tropics were the 2019-20 Eastern Conference champions with an 18-3 record. The season and playoffs were canceled in March that season because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, the Tropics won the regular season title with a 10-3 mark, but fell in the first-round of the MASL playoffs to the eventual champion San Diego Sockers in games played on a neutral field in Kansas City.
The league expects to announce its full schedule in the coming weeks, at which time the Tropics will also release information on tickets including a new fan-friendly policy that will allow thousands of local soccer fans to attend MASL games over the winter. For more information, visit fltropics.com, or any of the team's social media sites.