PLAYER OF THE WEEK | Rowdies Forward Maicon Santos
Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Maicon Santos has been named North American Soccer League (NASL) Player of the Week after scoring a pair of goals in his team’s 3-2 victory over Jacksonville Armada FC on Saturday night.
The Brazilian veteran opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the first half, and then finished off the Rowdies’ comeback effort, heading home the eventual game-winner in the 77th minute. The Rowdies and league newcomer Armada FC were meeting for the first time, and the win gave Tampa Bay a perfect start in the Coastal Cup – the annual competition between the league’s Florida-based sides.
"It was amazing to score two goals and be able to give our fans their first home win this season,” Santos said. “Winning Player of the Week is the start of something great for me this year. It's a compliment to the hard work we've all put in throughout the preseason and so far in the regular season. It's even better that this award comes after a win."
Santos, who missed the first two matches of the season, signed with the Rowdies during the offseason after spending last season playing in Liga MX with Puebla F.C. He is the second Rowdies player to take home NASL Player of the Week honors in 2015, joining teammate Stefan Antonijevic, who was given the award in Week 1.
"Maicon Santos is very deserving of this Player of the Week award. It was his first home match in front of the great Rowdies fans, and he scored big goals when we needed him to,” Rowdies head coach Thomas Rongen said. “He worked hard for us all night, and I'm so happy to see that it paid off. Hopefully those goals were the first of many more to come for both him and and our team."
The 31-year-old forward brings extensive experience to the Rowdies. He has previously played – and scored for – five different Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, while also spending time in the professional ranks in Mexico, Israel, Libya, Tunisia, and his native country of Brazil.
With Saturday’s victory, the Rowdies now sit in second place – just one point behind the league-leading New York Cosmos. Santos and his teammates will take to the road this weekend, visiting the Carolina RailHawks at WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday. The match can be seen live on ESPN3.
