Former Revs Boss Fired at NASL Post
- Updated: August 21, 2015
Former Revolution manager Thomas Rongen, who was also a central figure in the soccer documentary Last Goal Wins, was fired from his coaching post with the NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies on Friday after a recent stretch of struggles.
Rongen, who managed the Revolution in 1997 and 1998, was relieved of his duties with the Rowdies after the club went 2-5-1 to start the league’s fall season. Prior to his stint with the Rowdies, Rongen served as head coach of the bottom-ranked American Samoa National Team, which was the center of a 2014 documentary about the team’s daunting World Cup qualification process leading up to Brazil.
The Rowdies, which is the current home of former Revolution players Zak Boggs and Matt Pickens, also parted ways with president and general manager Farrukh Quraishi.
“As many in the community know, I am a fixer,” Rowdies principal owner Bill Edwards said in a team release. “I take broken things and do my best to turn them around. That was the case with Baywalk/Sundial, Mahaffey Theater and the Club at Treasure Island, among others. This is no different.
“When I identify a problem, I move swiftly and decisively to correct it. And I stand by my decisions. With the Rowdies, I felt it was important to make these changes now, while we still have time to improve our record for the fall season and secure a spot in the playoffs.”
Rongen was hired by the club prior to the 2015 season, and went 7-6-5 across the spring and fall seasons to date. The club brought in former child prodigy Freddy Adu in July, but his signing had done little to help the club’s success during the early part of the fall season.
“I wish both Farrukh and Thomas well, but it was clear the team was not performing at the level they should be and could be,” Edwards said. “My goal from day one has been to win the NASL Soccer Bowl Championship. That has not changed.”
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