Tropics Sign Two More Local CFL Players to Inaugural Season Roster

by Brian Stanton

Lakeland, FL – The Tropics announced today the signing of 2 more players from Central Florida. Jowayne Laidley and Victor Rojas were discovered at the open tryout and have joined the Tropics inaugural season roster. While both players will be new to the professional indoor game, they have impressive resumes playing at very high levels in America’s youth development and abroad.

Jowayne Laidley was raised in Kingston, Jamaica. He enjoyed playing soccer on the streets and at just 9 years old, he began playing for local club Harbour View F.C. He also attended Wolmers’ Boys, where he played U-14 and U-16. Jowayne then took his talents to the United Sates with his mother and siblings. The family relocated to Orlando, FL where Jowayne attended Colonial High School and played for Nike Rush’s U-18 team. It was here that he received notable recognition for goals scored and assists, which led to his signing with the Kraze PDL team under Joe Avallone.

During 2011-2012, Jowayne went on to play college soccer for the Darton State Cavaliers. During his freshman year, he earned second team All-Region honors, scoring 11 goals and giving 4 assists in 19 games. Jowayne was instrumental in helping his team reach the NJCAA national championship, where they finished 3rd. The following year, Jowayne was named on the first team All-Region along with becoming an All-American. In his second year at Nationals with the Cavaliers, he helped the team finish in 3rd place with 13 goals and 3 assists in 16 games.

During his time at Darton, Jowayne was also a part of the Orlando City U-23s, who played in the USL PDL. He played 3 seasons with the team before deciding to sign with NPSL Miami Fusion F.C., a privately owned professional organization. Jowayne spent his last two seasons helping the Fusion win their first Sunshine Conference Championship in 2015. Jowayne will help add more attacking power to the Tropics offense.

Victor Rojas was born in Guarenas, Venezuela. Rojas grew up playing for Deportivo Petare and the U-17 squad of the Argentinian powerhouse, River Plate. After he moved to North America, Rojas found himself playing for the reserve and U-18 teams of one of Major League Soccer’s most successful franchises, the Seattle Sounders. After spending time developing with the Sounders, Rojas moved south to play for Coras FC, which is in the 2nd division of professional soccer in Mexico.

After gaining professional experience in Mexico, Rojas moved back to the U.S. to play for the Jacksonville Armada, which play in the North American Soccer League (currently the 2nd division in the U.S.). Rojas will help add strength to the Tropics defense, and he brings a lot of experience to the field while being such a young player.

“It is important for us to find the best local talent Central Florida has to offer for our inaugural season. I think both of these guys have great potential to quickly adapt their skills to the indoor game. They have impressive resumes and we expect them to be great additions to our team and community. I look forward to seeing them and the entire team come together in the next month as we prepare for a packed house on November 11th versus San Diego,” said Tropics CEO and owner Andrew Haines.

The Tropics will take the field in their inaugural season home opener on November 11th at 7:35pm. To purchase tickets, call the teams front office at 863-333-5353. For more information, visit www.FLTropics.com.

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

**Player contracts are pending league approval