The Tampa Bay Rowdies are now the Official Professional Soccer Partner of the Chargers Soccer Club U.S. Development Academy.

The Chargers have been the premier youth soccer development program in the Bay Area since their founding in 1972. The Club fields competitive boys teams in the U-8 through U-19 age groups and girls competitive teams in the U-10 through U-18 age groups. The boys’ program has produced over 40 Florida State Champions. The girls program has produced over 12 State Champions. In 1997, the Club placed a remarkable eight teams in Florida’s Final Four, winning five State Championships with one team winning a National Championship.

CSC has chapters in Clearwater, Tampa and Lakewood Ranch, and is a member of the United States Soccer Development Academy, which provides the optimum developmental environment for the nation’s top youth soccer players.  With a direct connection to U.S. National Team programming, the academy emphasizes long-term development through quality training and limited, meaningful competition.

The Rowdies will have an advisory role in the development and execution of the technical aspects of the Academy (e.g., coaching selection, technical staff selection, player selection.) The competitive Chargers teams consist of more than 825 players who are trained by a skilled coaching staff that is dedicated to their improvement. CSC coaches strive to develop individual skills and sportsmanship in the context of a competitive environment. Our strength lies in our sense of team and community loyalty.
Nearly 800 Chargers Soccer Club alumni have gone on to play college soccer since 1972, including more than 100 during the past four years.

The vertical integration of youth soccer through the professional level is something that we have been striving to achieve,” Chargers Director of Coaching Peter Mannino said. “The real winners from this partnership are the players and fans. At the end of this process, the benefits to both organizations involved will be outstanding.”

The merger that formed Chargers SC brought together a pair of clubs established in the 1970s – the Clearwater Chargers (encompassing the former Countryside Lightning Soccer Club) and Fusion Futbol Club of Tampa Bay (formerly Black Watch Soccer Club and the New Tampa Soccer Association).

Chargers Academy teams play at the U-14, U-16 and U-18 levels. Current Rowdies Brian Shriver, Kyle Clinton, Blake Wagner and JP Rodrigues all played youth soccer for the Chargers. Shriver is the reigning NASL Golden Boot Winner, awarded to the league’s top goal scorer.

Other Chargers veterans include a pair of goalkeepers currently plying their trade in Major League Soccer, Zac MacMath and Jeff Attinella, and defender Ben Sweat. MacMath is in his fourth season with the Philadelphia Union and is nearing 100 appearances with the club. Attinella is in his second year with Real Salt Lake. Sweat was a 2014 MLS SuperDraft selection of the Columbus Crew.