Tropics Trade Laidley to St. Louis for Six-Year League Veteran, Antonio Manfut

LAKELAND, Fla –  The Florida Tropics and St. Louis Ambush today announced a swap of veteran players. The Tropics sent second-year veteran forward Jowayne Laidley to the Ambush in exchange for six-year veteran midfielder Antonio Manfut.

Laidley has appeared in eight games played by the Tropics, posting one goal, four assists and two blocked shots. Manfut has appeared in all eight games for the Ambush this season, tallying two goals, two assists and three blocked shots. 

Manfut, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, played five seasons with the Syracuse Silver Knights from 2012 to 2017 and last season (2017-18) with the Rio Grande Valley Barracudas. He signed with the Ambush as a free agent in May. Over his last three full MASL seasons, Manfut has 56 goals in 57 games played. 

Laidley hails from Kingston, Jamaica. He joined the Tropics in 2016 and has been with the team since. In his rookie season, he scored nine goals in 20 games, but his 2017-18 indoor season was derailed by a broken leg suffered during the outdoor season. He appeared in just five games and did not score.

“We are delighted to add Antonio to our team. We were looking to change some things and the timing works great for both clubs to receive new energy with this trade,” Tropics coach Clay Roberts said.

Added Ambush Head Coach Hewerton, “We are very happy to add Laidley to our squad. His speed and physicality will help us be stronger and more dangerous offensively.” 

The Tropics will be back in action this Saturday, January 19, when they host the first-place Milwaukee Wave at 7:05 p.m. ET at the RP Funding Center. For those unable to attend in person, all MASL games are webcast live at masl.tv. For ticket information and the latest Florida Tropics news, visit the teams official website, fltropics.com.