ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 18, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies have signed forward Kyle Murphy to a one-year contract with a club option for 2021, the club announced Wednesday. Per club policy, further contract details were not disclosed.

“I am very excited to be joining the Tampa Bay Rowdies,” Murphy said. “We all have high expectations for this club and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this historic team and I cannot wait to get down to Tampa Bay, meet all of the fans, and to get to work.”

Murphy, 26, joins a Rowdies forward group that also includes Sebastian Guenzatti, Malik Johnson, Lucky Mkosana and Juan Tejada. He is a versatile forward that can play as part of a two- or three-forward lineup, either centrally or off the wings.

“Kyle is someone we tried to bring to the club during last season and are delighted to have him on board for this coming season,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “He adds some great physical qualities to our front line that our other strikers will enjoy playing alongside. On top of that Kyle has shown he can score all different types of goals at this level. Most importantly Kyle is the type of person we wanted to add to the locker room with his willingness to work hard and lead from the front.”

Murphy has played in the USL Championship since 2016, first for the RGV Toros for two years, then one season with San Antonio FC and finally Loudoun United FC this past season. Murphy has appeared in 101 USL Championship matches, netting 25 total goals including 13 in 27 starts for Loudoun in 2019.

Murphy is the third new addition to the Rowdies this offseason, joining nine returning players from 2019.