ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced on Tuesday the club had acquired forward Manuel Arteaga via transfer from fellow USL Championship club Phoenix Rising FC ahead of the 2024 season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval, and per club policy, the terms of the transfer agreement were not disclosed.

“We are delighted to bring Manuel to Tampa Bay,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson.  “He's a highly regarded goalscorer who will bring a dynamic dimension to our attacking play. Having recently won the USL Championship title in Phoenix, Manuel also brings a wealth of experience and a winning mentality to the group.”

In his lone season in Phoenix, Arteaga helped lead the club to its first league title. The Venezuelan attacker finished the regular season as Phoenix’s second-leading scorer with 15 goals while also bagging seven assists. Arteaga also converted the decisive penalty kick in a shootout to secure victory against the Charleston Battery in the USL Championship Final.

Before joining Phoenix, Arteaga spent two seasons with Indy Eleven. He led Indy’s attack with 10 tallies in his first season in 2021 and followed that up the next year with five more goals and three assists.

Analysis

The Tampa Bay Rowdies have found a likely replacement for the departing JJ Williams – now at Rhode Island FC – with Manuel Arteaga providing a similar combination of finishing and creativity at the No. 9 position that should mesh well with returning forward Cal Jennings and the rest of the Rowdies’ creative core including Leo Fernandes and Charlie Dennis.

Arteaga’s combined 22 goals and assists in the 2023 campaign were tied for third-most in the Championship, placing him alongside Jennings in that category. While his form dipped in the final third of the season, he remained a valuable piece rotating into the lineup from the bench during Rising FC’s run to the title. This move should ensure the Rowdies’ attack remains among the best in the league in 2023.