March 11, 2023 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – Florida Tropics SC News Release
LAST TIME / ALL TIME – This is the eighth all time meeting between Utica and Florida, with the Tropics
holding a 5-2 advantage in games. The most recent was a 10-9 win in Utica on Dec. 28. Vini Dantas had two
goals and two assists to lead the Florida while Ricardo Carvalho had two goals and an assist. Nilton de
Andrade and Cristhian Segura had two goals each. Ricardo Carvalho is Florida’s active leading goal scorer all
time between the two, with seven, while Nate Bordeau is the active all-time goal getter for Utica against
Florida with four.
VIVA VINI! — One of the most dangerous target forwards over the past eight years in the Major Arena
Soccer League – Vini Dantas – has joined the Florida Tropics on a two-year deal to start the 2022-23 season
… Dantas played most of those years with the Baltimore Blast, starting his career the 2014-15 season –
when he earned All MASL Rookie Team honors – and was an immediate offensive force, scoring 16 goals in
15 games. Since that time, he has gone on to score 209 goals and add 100 assists in 172 career regular
season, all-star and playoff games. A physical presence at 6′-1″ and 200 pounds, the 32-year old native of
Sao Paulo, Brazil, had his best season in 2019-20 when he banged home 37 goals and added 17 assists in
22 games. He was traded to the Tacoma Stars prior to the start of the 2020-21 season, and was traded back
to the Blast with just three games remaining in the 2021-22 campaign. He finished last season with 19 goals
in 16 games played, to go along with eight assists for 27 total points. … He was a key part of Baltimore’s
three-straight MASL championships between 2017-2019, and was the 2017 Most Valuable Player in the
playoffs, getting the game-winning goal in the finals against Sonora. He ended that post season with 18
total points (nine goals and nine assists) in nine games.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION – More information on the 2022-23 Tropics can be found at www.fltropics.com.
Under the news tab, you will find the team’s 193-page record book. The record book was created and
compiled by the Tropics official photographer Christopher Arnold.
A TERRIFIC TRIO – The last three years have been very good ones for the Tropics. Their 46 regular season
wins in that time span is tops in the Major Arena Soccer League. Next on the list is the San Diego Sockers
with 42. The Sockers defeated Florida two games to none in the Championship…