ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Forrest Lasso announced on Friday that he will retire following the conclusion of the 2025 USL Championship season.

“I first want to thank my wife, my kids, my parents, my siblings, but I also want to thank everyone that’s been involved in this great club,” said Lasso. “My teammates, coaches, staff, the supporters at AL Lang Stadium, and the supporters abroad. Without your love, your support, none of the memories we created over the past five years would’ve been possible. This club is special, this city is special, and I’m immensely grateful to have been a part of it.” 

The Rowdies defender ends his career as the most decorated defender in league history. Starting his career with the Charleston Battery in 2015, the 32-year-old is the lone player to have won the USL Championship Defender of the Year on three occasions, earning the honor with FC Cincinnati in 2018 and in 2020 and 2021 with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Additionally, Lasso earned five consecutive selections to the USL Championship All-League First Team between 2017 and 2021, the only player in league history to achieve such a feat. Overall, Lasso has recorded 215 appearances in the USL Championship’s regular season and playoffs, logging 17,075 minutes, 19 goals and seven assists.

“Soccer has been everything to me” Lasso said. “It’s always overfilled my cup. It’s given me more than I could ever imagine, and it’s allowed me to turn a dream into reality. When I started playing, I had three foundational pillars. Three things that meant the most to me— my faith, my family, and football. And now it’s come time for the toughest challenge of my career, to leave football in the place that it needs to be, because my family is more important and my faith triumphs all of it. I have faith in my decision.

“I have faith in my teammates. I have faith in this club, but most of all I have faith in my family. I just want to thank everyone that has been a part of this club and helped me and my family get to where we are today.” 

Lasso’s 11-year professional career started in his home state. After a four-year career as a standout for Wofford College, Lasso joined the Charleston Battery as a trialist and won over the coaching staff to earn his first professional contract in 2015. Lasso moved from Charleston to sign with FC Cincinnati ahead of the club’s final season in the USL Championship in 2018. That season saw Lasso earn his first of three USL Championship Defender of the Year awards, anchoring the back line as Cincinnati ran away with the USL Championship Players’ Shield.

After splitting the 2019 season between Cincinnati for their inaugural season in Major League Soccer and on loan to Nashville SC, Lasso inked a deal to join the Rowdies. Lasso, along with other key additions that offseason leading into the 2020 season, helped transform the club into a powerhouse. The Rowdies shocked the league in Lasso’s first season by knocking off Louisville City FC in the Eastern Conference Championship Final.

The Rowdies followed that in 2021 by claiming the club’s first USL Championship Players’ Shield and another victory over Louisville in the Eastern Conference Championship Final, with Lasso recording the crucial assist on Lucky Mkosana’s last-minute goal to send the match into extra time. The same year, Lasso aided the Rowdies in establishing a remarkable, record-setting 891-minute shutout streak during the regular season. Lasso was also awarded Defender of the Year and earned All-League First Team selection for his outstanding contributions in both seasons.

Following the 2021 season, Lasso accepted an opportunity to play in Europe with Swedish side GIF Sundsvall. He returned to Tampa Bay, though, in 2023 and has remained a mainstay of the Rowdies locker room since.

“This is a bittersweet moment for our club,” said Rowdies President Ryan Helfrick. “We are deeply grateful for Forrest’s unwavering commitment and dedication during his time with the Rowdies. He was the cornerstone of our back line during our back-to-back Eastern Conference Championship runs and has consistently exemplified leadership on the field and in the locker room. Forrest will always be a cherished member of our club’s family. We wish him, his wife Melody, and his sons the very best as they embark on this exciting new chapter in their lives.”