Tropics Sign Three Players from Central Florida

Lakeland, FL – Tropics Owner and CEO Andrew Haines announced today the signing of three new players found during the team’s open tryouts. Julian Pavlovski, Raphael Nascimento and Alexi Cortez will join the likes of Freddy Moojen, Anthony Arico, Piotr Sliwa and the rest of the signings on the Tropics inaugural season roster. The team is set to take the field for the first time on November 11^th against San Diego.

Julian Pavlovski was born in Rochester, New York. He attended Lake Howell High school in Winter Park, Florida, and has been playing locally in Central Florida ever since. He ventured outside of Florida for a short stint, having played a few years at Western Texas College, and Barton Community College. Pavlovski then decided to leave the college game and pursue a professional career. He has since played for a number of top Central Florida Clubs, such as East Orange, Central Florida Craze and most recently Orlando City Premier. Pavlovski is a right-footed midfielder, with the ability to play either side of pitch.

Raphael Nascimento was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but grew up in Brazil. Nascimento played for America, Santa Cruz and Clube Atletico Mineiro during his youth in Brazil. Before moving to the states for college, he gained professional soccer experience with Ipatinga Futebol Clube, who have played at the highest level in Brazil, Série A. In 2010 Nascimento moved back to the US to play for Marshalltown Community College for two years before transferring to Grand View University, where he would see out his final two years of his college career. During his college years, Nascimento played in the USL PDL with the Des Moines Menace. After college, Nascimento got his start in professional soccer with the Tampa Bay Rowdies organization. Nascimento is a defender who will add strength to the Tropics back line.

The final signing announced is a former Florida Southern alumnus. Alexi Cortez is a midfielder who spent his final 3 years playing for Florida Southern after completing his freshman year playing at Jacksonville University. As a senior, Cortez started every game and scored 3 goals as a holding midfielder. During his youth, Cortez attended Al Sousa at Osceola High School in Largo, Florida, where he received First Team All-Pinellas County awards both his junior and senior year. He scored 21 goals in his prep career, including nine as a senior captain, along with 12 assists. On the club side, Cortez played for the renowned Tampa Bay United. Cortez will serve as an important asset for the Tropics defensive midfield.

“All three of these players are great, young signings for the Club. They provide depth to our lines and an opportunity to develop homegrown players at the professional level. We hope the community will come out to support these guys as they work hard to make a name for themselves, and help us build a team that can stick together and win championships for many years to come. I look forward to having these guys out in the community helping us build our brand, both on and off the field,” said CEO and Owner Andrew Haines.

The Tropics have announced that they will take the field against the San Diego Sockers for the team’s inaugural season game. The game is set to kick off at 7:35pm on November 11^th at the Lakeland Center.

To purchase tickets to see Pavlovski, Nascimento, Cortez and the rest of the Tropics inaugural season roster in action, call 863-333-5353. As a reminder, by purchasing season tickets to the Tropics indoor side (which are still available at a discounted rate), you will also receive season tickets to the Lakeland Tropics inaugural USL PDL outdoor season FREE!

About Florida Tropics SC: Florida Tropics SC is a professional indoor soccer team that will begin play in November of 2016 at the Lakeland Center. The team will play in the Major Arena Soccer League, which is the highest level of professional indoor soccer in North America. To stay up to date on team information, player signings and special offers, “Like” the teams Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/FLTropics). For more information visit www.FLTropics.com. To purchase tickets, call 863-333-5353, or visit Store.FLTropics.com