ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 11, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies have signed defender Papé Diakité to a new contract for the upcoming USL Championship season, pending league and federation approval. He would be the eighth player to return from the Rowdies 2018 roster.

Diakité, 26, joined the Rowdies last July and quickly became a key figure in the second half of the season. Diakité made 15 appearances in 16 matches the Rowdies played after he signed. He played the full 90 minutes in every match apart from his debut.

“We’re happy to welcome Papé back to the Rowdies,” Head Coach Neill Collins said. “He was a really big boost to our team in the second half of last season and his reliability is a big asset for us. He’s a big, physical defender that plays the way we want to play.”

Diakité came to the Rowdies from Police Tero in Thailand, but the majority of his professional experience came with FC Edmonton in the NASL in 2016 and 2017. He played 56 matches for the Eddies and won the Defender of the Year award in 2016.

His previous playing experience also includes AS Trenčín in Slovakia and Royal Antwerp FC in Belgium.