August 25, 2022 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – Florida Tropics SC News Release
FLorida Tropics defender Rafa Alves
(Florida Tropics SC, Credit: Christopher Arnold)
LAKELAND, Fla. – One of the longest-tenured members of the Florida Tropics will be
returning to the Major Arena Soccer League team on a new two-year deal.
Rafa Alves, who joined the club during its first-ever season in 2016-17, has agreed to
terms after becoming a free-agent at the end of last season, when the Tropics advanced
all the way to the MASL Championship series. Per team and league guidelines, no
additional contract information will be released.
Alves appeared in seven games in Florida’s inaugural season, and has now dressed for
67 regular season and playoff games, with 12 goals, seven assists and 58 shots blocked.
He had career highs in goals (four) and total points (6) in 10 games for Florida this past
year.
Alves was a standout outdoor player before joining the Tropics, and Head Coach Clay
Roberts said the transition indoors as been steady and impressive.
“What you see is Rafa’s positive impact on our team from years of watching and playing
and learning,” Roberts noted. “To have a strong presence on the back line is key when
you’re playing people like Franck Tayou or Vini Dantas. He’s a great player, his growth
over the years has been tremendous because he chose to learn the indoor game. He
was a Top 11 player in the NASL at one point, and played at a very high level. For him to
have success in the indoor game speaks to his quality as a player and a person.”
Alves joined the arena team after four strong years in the North American Soccer
League, and most recently as a defender for Juventude, a second-division (Serie B) club
in Brazil which has also played in past years in Serie A, the country’s top league.
“I decided to stay with the Tropics because I’ve seen the entire evolution of the club. This
will be my sixth season and I’m sure we are very close to our biggest goal, which is to be
champions,” Alves said. “We have a great base of players who have been together for a
few years, an excellent coach who knows the league very well and all the necessary
support from the front office to continue to compete at a high level. I have created a
special identity with this club and I didn’t think of any other possibility than to stay.”
He appeared in 67 NASL games from 2013-2016, including 35 for the Fort Lauderdale
Strikers and 32 for the Ottawa Fury. His best offensive season came in…