New Tampa Bay Rowdies acquisition Woobens Pacius joins the club on loan from Nashville SC having recorded eight goals and two assists in MLS NEXT Pro during the 2024 campaign. | Photo courtesy Nashville SC
TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced on Monday the club had acquired forward Woobens Pacius on loan from Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC for the 2025 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.
Pacius boosts the Rowdies attacking options for the upcoming campaign. The 23-year-old forward bagged 32 goals in 93 appearances across all competitions over three seasons for Forge FC, helping the Canadian Premier League side claim back-to-back league titles.
Following his productive stint with Forge FC, Pacius signed with Nashville in 2024 before joining the club’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Huntsville City FC on loan. Woobens continued to show his skills while with Huntsville, notching eight goals and two assists in 17 appearances, posting a strike rate of a goal every 145.4 minutes.
“Woobens brings a lot of attributes that we need within the team,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “He’s got pace and he’s got power, but one of the key things for me when bringing any striker in is that he’s got a history of scoring goals. I think that’s so important. Woobens has been consistent in his time up in Canada and in MLS Next Pro. We hope to be a good platform to continue his development and score goals.
“He’ll add some young energy up top and we’re confident he’ll do well playing next to Manuel Arteaga. I’m excited to see what he does for the team.”
Born in Canada, Pacius is also of Haitian descent. As a native of Terrebonne, Quebec, Pacius played youth soccer for the semi-professional club FC L'Assomption. He also developed as a member of CF Montréal’s youth academy during his teenage years.