March 26, 2023 – Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) – Florida Tropics SC News Release
LAST TIME / ALL TIME – The Tropics have matched up against Utica on eight previous occasions, and have
a 5-3 record against their upstate New York foes. The most recent meeting was in Utica on March 12, a 5-4
Utica win in overtime. Gordy Gurson scored on a shootout for the winning goal. Ricardo Carvalho scored
twice for Florida. Bo Jelovac had two goals for Utica. Florida’s all time leading scorer against Utica is Ricardo
Carvalho with nine goals. Utica’s all time active leading goal scorer against the Tropics is Jelovac with five.
SAVE BY SILVA – Goaltender Hugo Silva re-joined the Tropics in late March. Silva, who had been unable to
play due to visa issues, is now eligible to play, and has joined the Tropics for the final three regular season
games and playoffs. Silva is a two-time MASL all star, and was on his way to perhaps a Goaltender of the
Year honor in 2021-22 when he became ineligible to play after nine starts. In those nine games, however,
Silva was 8-1 with a goals against average of 3.45 and saves percentage of .801. In 97 career regular season
appearances, including 95 starts, Silva is 53-36 with a 5.43 goals against average. His two prior seasons with
Florida before last year he had goals against averages of 4.43 and 4.14.
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 211 goals and add 100 assists in 174 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…