VCMOR ELIGWE SIGNS DEAL TO STAY WITH TROPICS

LAKELAND, Fla -- A key contributor in the Florida Tropics run to the Major Arena Soccer League's post-season last spring, VcMor Eligwe, has signed a new two-year deal to stay with the team.

Eligwe was on loan for the 2021 season from the Mesquite Outlaws, but became a free-agent at the end of the year. Per team and league policies, no further information on the contract is being released.

Eligwe, 30 and a native of Marietta, Georgia,  joined the Tropics on February 12, and promptly scored a goal in a 6-5 win over the Dallas Sidekicks. In two March games, he had two goals in a 6-3 win over the Ontario Fury and a hat trick in a 7-5 win over the Tacoma Stars. He had four points overall in each of those two games. He also had a goal and an assist in two playoff games this past spring.

In 86 career games in the MASL -- including three years with the Sidekicks -- Eligwe has 74 goals and 24 assists

"He's a big, physical, strong target who made an immediate positive impact with us," Head Coach Clay Roberts said. "He came in and scored goals for us without much practice time. He's one of the most consistent guys in front of goal and a veteran. He knows how this game is played. To have him from the get go is great for us. He'll be a lot for teams to handle. He's a beast."

He also played for the USA Men’s National Arena Soccer team at the World Cup in Australia in 2019. and went to the Division II Final Four in NCAA soccer while playing for Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Kansas.

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 cancelled in March that spring because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, the Tropics won the 2021 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