ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 5, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies have signed international defender Mohamed Kone, the club announced Tuesday.

He is the 20th player on the Rowdies roster for the 2019 USL Championship season.

Kone, 25, is a 6-foot-3 center back that plays internationally for Burkina Faso. He most recently signed with Luch Minsk in the Belarusian Premier League in March of last year.

Since leaving the Africa Sports youth academy in the Ivory Coast in 2014, Kone has gathered experience around eastern Europe and western Asia, signing with clubs in Moldova, Cyprus and Uzbekistan, as well as Belarus.

“Mohamed comes having played in various different leagues across Europe,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “He brings great physical presence to the team. He’s exceptional in the air and impressive with his feet on the ball. He’s someone that I think we can improve and a player that will really suit the system we want to play. Our scouting picked up on him as a really good fit and we’re looking forward to working with him.”

Kone is the sixth defender on the Rowdies roster for the upcoming season.