ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 1, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies added an experienced defender Friday, signing Shawn Barry ahead of the upcoming USL Championship season.

A South Florida native, Barry arrives in his home state after spending the 2018 Major League Soccer season with Real Salt Lake. A natural center back that can also play on the right side, he made four appearances for RSL last season and also played one match for the Real Monarchs.

“Shawn will come in as one of the most experienced members of the squad,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “He played at a high level in Poland and Germany and then in MLS last year. I’m surprised we had the opportunity to bring Shawn to the club, but I’m really excited. He will fit into our system well and he’ll have a big role in our squad on and off the field. I’m excited to get to work with him and see what he can bring to us.”

Barry’s return to the United States came after seven years in Europe. Barry made the leap from USL League Two (then the USL PDL) in 2011, signing with Austrian top flight side LASK Linz. Barry made 86 appearances for LASK Linz’s first team after moving up from LASK Linz Juniors and won the league title three times in five years.

His play in Austria earned him a move to FSV Frankfurt in the 2. Bundesliga where he played two seasons before joining with Polish top flight side Korona Kielce for a short time.

Barry, 28, joined Puerto Rico’s national team in 2018, making a total of three appearances at the international level last year.

The Rowdies current roster is below:

Goalkeeper (1): John McCarthy

Defenders (4): Shawn Barry, Ryan Felix, Tarek Morad, David Najem

Midfielders (6): Yann Ekra, Leo Fernandes, Dominic Oduro, Kwadwo Poku, Zach Steinberger, Andrew Tinari

Forwards (5): Brandon Allen, Sebastian Guenzatti, Antoine Hoppenot, Malik Johnson, Leon Taylor