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NASL Ticker: Heinemann signs with Rowdies, Minnesota United adds Pinho; and more

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After a 2015 NASL season that saw him score a brace in the NASL final, Tom Heinemann will move from the Ottawa Fury to the Tampa Bay Rowdies on a two-year contract.

The 28-year-old striker completes his move after scoring 12 goals in the 2015 NASL season. Heinemann also managed an impressive four postseason goals in two games en route to The Championship Final.

“I value Tom Heinemann very highly and I’ve been tracking his game for a while now,” Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach Stuart Campbell said in a release. “I believe he’s a very good player and he’s scored plenty of goals, which is obviously required for a striker, but even if he’s not scoring, he brings a lot to the show. He holds the ball up well, he’s big and he always puts in a lot of work for his team.”

Heinemann started his career with the Charleston Battery in 2009, and has since bounced around from the Carolina RailHawks, the Columbus Crew and the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Here are some more news and notes from around NASL:

GOLDEN BOOT, GOLDEN BALL WINNER JOINS MINNESOTA UNITED

Stefano Pinho scored 16 goals in the 2015 NASL season to take the Fort Lauderdale Strikers to The Championship playoffs, and now the Brazilian forward has signed for Minnesota United.

After earning himself Golden Boot and Golden Ball honors in 2015, the all-star attacker will head north to work with a team and front office that has found a lot of success over recent years.

“We are really excited to get a player of Pinho’s quality and his specific skill set,” said Minnesota United sporting director Manny Lagos. “We had a fantastic offense last season with a lot of quality and we did a great job scoring goals, but you’re always looking to add finishers, you want guys that are hungry to score. Pinho is someone we identified that brings all those key qualities to the table and we are very excited to add him to our already potent offensive roster.”

The 24-year-old striker has been a journeyman since fighting into the first team at Fluminense in Brazil, with stints in his native country and Finland before his loan move to the Strikers in 2015.

BRAD RING WILL REMAIN IN INDY

After a memorable sophomore season with Indy Eleven, former Indiana University standout Brad Ring will return to the midwestern side in 2016.

The 28-year-old midfielder started 16 games for the Eleven in 2015, appearing in five others and scoring a single goal.

Despite a number of injury problems, Ring logged almost 1,500 minutes this season from defensive midfield.

“The return of a player with Brad’s experience both with the club and in the American game puts a strong building block back into an Indy Eleven jersey,” said new Indy Eleven head coach Tim Hankinson in a release. “I look forward to our work and victories together.”

RAILHAWKS SIGN MOSES FROM EDMONTON

Trinidad and Tobago international defender Kareem Moses has moved on from FC Edmonton to the Carolina RailHawks.

The 25-year-old will join the RailHawks after two years with the Eddies, where he logged over 4,000 minutes and scored two goals.

Moses will bring international experience to his new side, as he has clocked almost 700 minutes with the Trinidad and Tobago national team in the past three years.

“Kareem is a very experienced defender, someone who always did well when we played against him, so we are very happy to have him join the team next season,” RailHawks head coach Colin Clarke said in a release. “Kareem is a hard-nosed, athletic, and aggressive defender that will help our back line gain even more stability.”

Comments

  1. That photo makes me so sad. Can you really put a lounge chair on the field in front of five rows of seats? If so, it’s tough to be excited about playing in Ottawa.

    Reply

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