Free replica jerseys highlight doubleheader weekend for Tropics in final home push for playoffs

LAKELAND – The Florida Tropics SC will play their final two regular-season home games this weekend at the Lakeland Center, with their sights set on reversing their playoff hopes which suffered a setback last Saturday. The Tropics will host the Syracuse Silver Knights on Saturday and Sunday, with kickoffs set for 7:05 p.m. and 5:35 p.m. respectively. The first 1,000 fans Saturday will receive free Florida Tropics replica jerseys courtesy of Bond Clinic.

The games are the final two on a seven-game homestand as the first-year Major Arena Soccer League team continues to make a bid for post-season play. The top two teams in the eastern division will make the playoffs. Baltimore is first in the division at 10-5, but Harrisburg, Syracuse and Florida are only separated by one game for the final playoff berth. Harrisburg is 7-8, while Syracuse is 6-8 and Florida is 6-9.

After this weekend, the Tropics will be off next weekend, before finishing the regular season with three road games in three days, starting with a visit to Harrisburg for matches Feb. 24 and 25, and in Syracuse Feb. 26. Most recently, The Silver Knights had a two-game win streak snapped Feb. 3, falling at home to Milwaukee 8-6, while Florida lost its second straight – after winning three in a row – to Harrisburg, 6-2.

The Tropics welcomed back Ricardo Diegues last weekend, after he missed all of the games in January with a hamstring injury. This weekend is also expected to be the debut of Ptah Myers, a veteran defender who has a nose for the goal. During his 10-year career in the Major Indoor Soccer League, Myers recorded 96 goals and 42  assists with three different teams. Myers scored 73 times with the Philadelphia KIXX from 2004 until 2010, including a career-high 19 goals during the 2007-08 season. He was a teammate of current Tropics coach Clay Roberts. He notched 12 goals in the KIXX’s 2006-07 championship season. Myers suited up for the Baltimore Blast for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. He scored 18 goals for the Blast, two coming in the first game of the best-of-three 2013 MISL championship series, which Baltimore won in two straight.

Freddie Moojen continues to lead the Tropics offense with 10 goals and 12 assists. Moojen, Diegues and Victor Parreiras are tied for the team lead in goals with 10 each.  Kenardo Forbes tops the Syracuse attack with 14 goals and 15 assists. Joey Tavernese leads the team in goals with 21.

Tickets are available at www.fltropics.com, or by calling 863-333-5353. All Tropics games home and away are broadcast live, free of charge, at www.masl.tv.