Rowdies Sign Former UNC Midfielder Verneri Välimaa

The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced on Monday the signing of midfielder Verneri Välimaa. 

 

Välimaa, 22, joined the Rowdies as a trialist two week ago and played in matches against the University of Tampa, University of South Florida, and Jacksonville Armada FC. His cross into the box against USF forced a Bulls defender into scoring an own goal in Tampa Bay’s 4-1 win on Saturday night.

 

A University of North Carolina graduate, Välimaa is a central midfielder capable of sitting deep and breaking up opposition play or playing higher up in the attack as a creative midfielder.

 

“We’ve added plenty of youth to our roster this offseason and Välimaa is another one of those young guys who is hungry to play each and every day,” Rowdies head coach Thomas Rongen said. “He has good technical skills and covers a lot of ground.  He reads the game very well for his age and is a fine addition to an already strong squad of players.”

 

Välimaa impressed Rongen and the Rowdies’ coaching staff with his positioning and decision-making ability on the ball. He’s a quick and a very accurate passer as well, helping to get the ball out of dangerous spots and creating advantageous situations going forward.

 

Originally from Helsinki, Finland, Välimaa came to Coral Springs, Florida, at the age of five. Välimaa won a Florida Class 2A state championship in 2010 with Plantation’s American Heritage, netting 32 goals and providing 18 assists that season. He was the South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Player of the Year in 2011 and an ESPN Rise All-American. He played one season at George Mason University before transferring to UNC-Chapel Hill. The holder of a US passport, Välimaa has represented Finland at the Under-20 level.