January 13, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – Today, the Tampa Bay Rowdies continued to bolster the club’s roster ahead of the 2023 season with the announcement that three-time USL Championship Defender of the Year winner Forrest Lasso is making his return to the squad.
Tampa Bay acquired the 29-year-old center-back from Swedish side GIF Sundsvall, where he spent 2022 playing in Sweden’s top tier. Per club policy, the terms of the deal to bring the veteran defender back were undisclosed.
“My job is to constantly look at how we get better, and we can be successful,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “When someone like Forrest becomes available, I think I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t make sure we were in line to make his return a possibility. We all know how successful Forrest was here. That was in large part due to the people Forrest had around him and the environment he was in. I think we both recognized that. We definitely missed some of the things that Forrest brought at times last year. We look forward to bringing that back into the fold.”
Lasso was an essential piece of Tampa Bay’s two Eastern Conference Championship titles in 2020 and 2021, anchoring the club’s back line to 24 shutouts in 55 league appearances. In 2021, Lasso helped guide the defense to a record-setting 891-minute shutout streak as the club went on to finish with the best regular season record in the league.
“As soon as my wife and I touched down in Tampa, we’ve been smiling ear to ear,” said Lasso. “It feels like home. It just feels right.
“Playing for the Rowdies the two years that I did and now being able to come back, it’s special. It’s a club and system that makes you feel valued and respected. You’ve got your best friends in the locker room with you. If you have these few things, going out on the pitch and getting results is kind of easy at that point. To come back here and have that camaraderie again is amazing.”
A native of North Carolina, Lasso play college soccer at Wofford College before making his professional debut with the Charleston Battery in 2015. After three seasons with the Battery, Lasso made the move to FC Cincinnati in 2018. That year, Lasso won his first USL Defender of the Year award as Cincinnati claimed the USL’s regular season championship. Lasso remained with Cincinnati when the club moved to Major League Soccer in 2019, making five appearances before being sent on loan to…