The Tampa Bay Rowdies got a little bit better on defense Monday, announcing the signing of former Minnesota FC defender Damion Lowe.
Lowe, 23, joins the Rowdies back line after an impressive 2016 season in the North American Soccer League with Minnesota United FC. He was in Minnesota on loan from Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders and was featured in 27 games for Minnesota United, starting 25 matches and logging 2,241 minutes as one of the Loons’ first-choice center backs.
“We got to see Damion up close last year when we played against him,” Rowdies’ coach Stuart Campbell said. “He’s a handful to play against due to his size and strength, but he’s also a smart defender. He’s got the grittiness we’re looking for and we’re excited to bring him to Tampa Bay.”
After a collegiate career at the University of Hartford from 2011 to 2013, Lowe signed with MLS as a member of the Generation Adidas. He was selected eighth overall by the Sounders in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.
Lowe played for the Seattle Sounders’ reserve team in 2014 and Seattle Sounders FC 2 in the 2015 USL season before joining the Loons on loan last season, where he became a key player for Minnesota and took the step onto the international stage.
Lowe made his senior international debut for Jamaica in October of 2016 against Guyana in the Caribbean Cup. He is the son of Onandi Lowe, who was capped 65 times by the Reggae Boyz from 1995 to 2004.
