ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced on Wednesday the club had added defender Mateus DeJesus as a USL Academy signing for the 2025 USL Championship season. The transaction is pending league and federation approval.

Under a USL Academy contract, players are eligible to play in professional matches while maintaining their NCAA eligibility. DeJesus was one of five Rowdies players on a USL Academy contract last season. The 19-year-old defender was included in the matchday squad six times after signing for the Rowdies last July.

“Mateus came in late last season, and you could already see him making good progress toward the end of the year,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “He’s familiar with the intensity of training in a professional environment now and he’s had a good preseason with us. The senior players all like him and trust him, which is a big thing. He’s starting to believe more in himself and trust his physicality, so I think we’ll start to see more of him this season.”

Born in Indiana, DeJesus moved to Tampa Bay in 2022 and continued his development with local academy, Tampa Bay United.