The captain is home again. If he had his way, Frankie Sanfilippo never would have left.
Sanfilippo, 34, was cast out last year by the Rowdies after four years. He had been a champion here. He had been a captain. He was a mainstay.
And then he was a Striker.
Now, after the Rowdies didn’t want him a year ago, Sanrilippo has returned home. Once again, he is a member of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Once again, he is a leader. And everything feels right.
โIt was very tough to leave,โ said Sanfilippo, 34. โI had been here four years. I was the captain. I had won a championship here. I didn’t see it coming. I was very disappointed. I thought I could end my career here. I’m very fortunate to be back
โI’ve loved every bit of being back. The field was different when I was here the first time. We didn’t have the stands. I’ve been here through everything. I’ve watched it grow up. It’s evolved so much. The pitch is immaculate.โ
Sanfilippo is 34 now, near the end of a productive career. But he can still play. When coach Stuart Campbell was looking around for players, he was immediately interested in Sanfilippo. โHe’s as good as anyone,โ Campbell said.
Sanfilippo, as well as the other eight newcomers to the Rowdies, play their second preseason game tonight against the Philadelphia Union. For the Rowdies, much of the preseason will be spent on team building, on player combinations, on melding. That’s a particular strength of Sanfilippo, who takes pride in being a leader.
โI bring the team veteran leadership,โ Sanfilippo said. โI can show the young guys what’s it’s like to bea professional on and off the field. I’ve won a championship. I know what it takes. I want to show the younger ones what you do. You want guys to look up to you. I want to show everyone I can still play.
โThis team is very good. It’s a very talented team. We have guys who can fill in roles. That’s how deep this team is. It’s a good group in the locker room.โ
It doesn’t matter the sport. Leadership is important. It was when Sanfilippo played high school football (running back, defensive back) in high school in San Jose.
It takes time, Sanfilippo said. It will take a preseason’s worth of play for the Rowdies to get to know each other. But the team showed promise in its 1-0 loss to D.C. United last week.
Tonight, it needs to show a little more.
โI know it’s not the important thing in a preseason game,โ Sanfillippo said, โbut I want to win. Every time I go out there, I want to win.โ
