Tampa Bay Sun FC’s Rising with Potential: How The First Signings Could Shape the Season

With the announcements of several new signings this week, the Tampa Bay Sun now have enough players to field a full team in a competitive game of soccer! That’s an incredible achievement for a club whose crest and colors only became known this year. The one thing missing is a goalkeeper. If there were a game tomorrow, the Sun would likely have to stick their tallest outfield player in net and simply hope for the best. 

A keeper will surely be signed in the near future, along with the full trappings of a team that has depth enough to complete an entire season. If the Sun intend to be one of the best clubs in the USL Super League, all of that will be necessary, of course. But, with the current roster of exactly 12 players, it’s worth looking at who could line up where a couple months down the road – if for no other reason than to examine the level of the talent on hand. 

In many instances, these are women with international pedigree. While many have spent time abroad, three players have represented their countries at the senior level. Local legend Erika Tymrak has played for the US women’s national team, while Toronto-native Jordyn Listro has played for Canada and Ghanaian Wasila Diwura-Soale has pulled on the jersey of the Black Queens. Listro in particular stands out because her appearances came during the 2021 edition of the prestigious SheBelieves Cup, starting in a win over Argentina and subbing on in a loss to Brazil. Tymrak’s three caps came around the time she won back-to-back NWSL titles with FC Kansas City, now replaced in the league by the Kansas Current. Diwura-Soale also won several trophies in her native Ghana with Hasaacas Ladies.

This is to say nothing of the women who played at the youth international level. The three aforementioned players all took to the field for their countries at younger age groups. Additionally, Domi Richardson, Carlee Giammona, and Brooke Denesik represented the US in different age brackets. Vivianne Bessette did the same for Canada while forward Natasha Flint played for England all the way up to the under-23 age group. FIFA Under-17 and Under-20 World Cup caps dot the roster.  

Defensively, there appear to be several options both out wide and in the center. While Bessette and new signing Amanda Kowalski have good height, the latter has also played out wide, particularly during her time with the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL. There, she was named the Rookie of the Year for her club. Her playing time diminished in 2023 with the return of several USWNT players to the fold. 

Richardson and Denesik could be options at the back as well, as each has the versatility to pop up in different spots. Richardson is listed as a midfielder on the Tampa Bay Sun website, similar to how she was listed when she was a member of the Houston Dash roster in the past. This could mean her taking the shape of a fullback or wingback, depending on the formation. Denesik started her professional career in Kazakhstan before moving to Aalborg in Denmark. 

Listro, Tymrak, and Diwura-Soale are joined in the midfield by another new addition announced this week, Carlee Giammona. Giammona comes to the Sun from Glasgow City in Scotland, one of the most successful clubs in the Women’s Premier League. The attacking midfielder originally joined that team from CF Monterrey in Mexico. Glasgow City boss Leanne Ross praised her signing, saying “her technical and physical attributes will without doubt strengthen our squad.” Central midfield right now appears to be a position of strength for the Blue and Gold as they prepare for the new year. 

The last group of players is the attackers. With information limited in specific positions for many of those on the Sun roster, predicting individual roles for any one of them can be difficult. Right now, Americans Riley Parker, Ashley Clark, and Hannah Keane are joined by the aforementioned Briton Natasha Flint. There is a lot of height among this group, with Ashley Clark being the only player shorter than 5’8” tall. Clark has played for Marseille in the very strong Division 1 Feminine in France.  

Parker played last year at Racing Louisville in the NWSL; but, she mostly spent time on loan at Tigres in the women’s league in Mexico. Keane, standing 5’11”, spent the last two seasons in Australia playing with Western United. In the club’s inaugural season, she won the A-League Golden Boot and was named to the Team of the Season. Finally, Manchester, England-native Flint comes from Liverpool in the top division. She spent the last few months on loan at Celtic in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, where they won the title over rivals Rangers by virtue of a superior goal differential. 

The broad summary for this group of footballers the Sun front office has assembled can be condensed to one word: impressive. These are women with silverware up and down the roster, as well as individual plaudits dating back to their college days. Seeing how they line up and who else joins will be both exciting for fans and perplexing for manager Denise Schilte-Brown, who must put together the jigsaw puzzle of a formation. Luckily, she has worked with a few of them before during her days as the head coach of the University of South Florida Bulls. Roughly two months of preseason will determine who starts on Sunday August 18, the all important season opener vs. Dallas Trinity.