Yesterday evening the Tampa Bay Rowdies revealed they had mutually agreed to terminate the contract of forward Eliot Richards less than a month after his initial signing on April 4.

The 24-year-old arrived in Tampa Bay on April 14 and trained only one week before returning to home to England.

Richards’ contract was only for the NASL Spring Season, and he was likely to start out seeing playing time with the reserve squad Rowdies 2 in the NPSL before integrating with the first team.

A team source has informed the Unused Substitutes that personal matters drew the player back across the Atlantic and it was uncertain how long it would be before he would be able to return. Given the short nature of his deal, the team felt it was in the best interest to dissolve the contract and allow Richards to resolve his personal issues.

The same source also said that the team may revisit signing Richards down the line.

Richards’ departure is unrelated to the recent confirmation that English midfielder Joe Cole will soon be joining the Rowdies. The team has known for some time that Cole would be coming and had already freed up an international spot for him thanks to midfielder Juan Guerra receiving a green card last month.

The Rowdies now have one remaining international spot.