by JAKE NUTTING

BREAKING: Tampa Bay Rowdies keeper Matt Pickens has revealed he has trimmed his beard in advance of the team’s upcoming match with the Carolina RailHawks. Don’t freak out, though, he’s only trimmed about half of it off.

Okay, so that doesn’t necessarily qualify as earth-shattering news. Summer is in full swing and beards across the country are on the chopping block. But the development is one tidbit of an interview Pickens did with Neil Morris of the Inverted Triangle Podcast on Thursday.

Turning to more serious topics of discussion, Pickens provided insight on his move to the Rowdies back in 2013, when he chose to forego his final year in Colorado and turned down an offer from New England with plenty of prime playing years ahead of him.

“2013 was a tough year for me,” Pickens told Morris. “I came in as a starter and played three games or so into that 2013 season and then I end up breaking my arm and I was out three and a half or four months. So obviously trying to get back into the lineup after that was hard for me to do. I still had another year on my contract [in Colorado] but I felt like, ‘Listen, I’ve been here five years, it’s time to go.’ Players start to feel that. Once you feel that ‘I’ve done my time here,’ it’s time to move on and that’s what I ended up doing. I ended up coming down and signing with Tampa after actually denying the New England Revolution a contract as well.”

Pickens’ elaboration why he specifically ended up in Tampa Bay is sure to draw some interest. The veteran mentioned a familiarity with the area that many others have expressed, but he also throws out that principal owner Bill Edwards brought up MLS as part of his ambitions for the club when he was being recruited.

“[My family] would come here in the offseason when I playing in MLS,” he said. “It was an area that I knew well, and I knew that Tampa had just gotten taken over by a very good owner. An owner that was ambitious, an owner that was a go-getter. And he was saying, ‘Listen I want to go MLS. I want to be big.’ And I said this sounds like a good place to be, a good organization that wants to succeed and go to higher levels than what it is at right now. I think to be a part of something like that is fun. I did a little bit of that in Colorado, going from the bottom up. I thought, ‘Hey this might be a challenge. Is this something I’ve done? Maybe I can help this team get to heights it hasn’t been to before.’ I took it as a challenge and I took it as a fun project to do.”

Taking Pickens’ comments as absolute evidence that Edwards has his ultimate sights set on moving the team from the NASL to MLS is perhaps a stretch. Primarily because the alleged statement came three years ago, before Edwards became deeply entrenched in the power structure of the NASL.

However, Pickens’ recollection would jive with ex-coach Thomas Rongen saying last year that Edwards had MLS ambitions, as well as a report from the Tampa Bay Times this year that Edwards told St Petersburg City Council members and Mayor Rick Krismean that MLS is part of his plan when discussing stadium expansion at Al Lang.

So, this offhand comment from the Rowdies netminder isn’t a smoking gun, but it does at least keep the Rowdies to MLS rumors simmering for those interested.

The interview with Pickens touched on a number of other topics, including his time playing overseas, but also his thoughts on the carousel of coaches in Tampa Bay and the impact Joe Cole has had on the team this year.

While acknowledging the lack of continuity has negatively impacted the locker room in the past, Pickens affirmed his belief that Stuart Campbell is on the right track to getting the team over the hump.

“Obviously you see it. [Turnover] affects what’s going on in the locker room. But I will say this — Stu has been here since I’ve been here. For me, that’s something familiar. That’s not like some guy coming in here that I’ve never known, never heard from before. I think for me this year, having Stu here for almost a year now, I think it’s good. We need this. He’s a former player. He’s a guy that knows the Rowdies in and out and I think he’s putting his best foot forward right now. The guys are all behind him. I think having a coach that’s actually played here and has been a part of this organization is a big deal. It means that much more to him.”

And for Tampa Bay’s blockbuster acquisition in the Spring Season, Pickens has nothing but high marks for Cole on and off the field.

“Joe’s been unbelievable for us. Not only has he been a top class guy in the locker room, he’s just fit in very well. In the midfield he’s kinda the guy that pulls the strings for us. I think when he’s not there we do miss him. When he is there he gives us that x-factor. He’s got that leadership that we need on the field in that position, higher up the field we need that. Joe brings that. He’s such a great guy. It goes a long way when you have a guy that experienced that comes into the locker room and he’s just seen that way. He talks to everybody. He’s not one of those snobby people that doesn’t talk to people. He wants to know everything about everybody. I can’t say enough about the kind of character he has.”

Listen to the full interview with Pickens, as well as an interview with Carolina’s James Marcelin, on wralsportsfan.com or through the Inverted Triangle’s iTunes feed.