by JAKE NUTTING

Joe Cole has had a lot to take in since he arrived in Tampa Bay from England late on Tuesday this week. renergized

He’s had to get quickly acquainted with new teammates, coaches, club staff, some fans, and has probably had a dozen microphones in his face from media looking to get a quote from the latest foreign import to North American soccer.

While the jet lag from a cross-Atlantic trip and the unfamiliar Florida humidity are enough to wipe anyone out, the former Premier League star seems to be taking it all in stride and is eager to dive headfirst into his new venture.

Before Cole even sat down for our interview, he spotted a few pictures from the original era of the Rowdies hanging on the wall of the club’s conference room and was curious if he could identify any of the players in them.

He instantly looked for a shot of the legendary Rodney Marsh, the most famous English player to ever don the green and gold hoops, and also one of the players Cole’s grandfather wanted him to emulate.

“I think the Rowdies have got massive history,” Cole said “I know Soccer is sort of a new sport to this country, relatively, but I think the Rowdies history stands up with any of the big teams in America. I mean I knew about them because Rodney Marsh was my granddad’s favorite player. He was a Queens Park Rangers fan, so it was Rodney Marsh and Stan Bowles. He wanted me to play like them. So now I’ve shared the same team as Rodney Marsh. He’ll be happy with that.”

During Cole’s official introduction to fans and media on Wednesday, he had the chance to meet some fans that cheered on Marsh in person back in the 70s and 80s during the club’s heyday. As is the case at every match and club event held around the Bay Area, old school supporters showed up, this time looking to welcome the biggest star to join the club in decades.

One of the intriguing aspects of the pitch the Rowdies made to Cole when trying to recruit him back in February was the opportunity to establish a new generation of Rowdies fans and raise the club’s profile back to the level it was at when Marsh and company packed Tampa Stadium on a regular basis.

“It’s so different to England,” he said. “With the team here, you’re really bought into the community. Whereas football in England I think is very tribal. Here, rather than just be successful on the pitch, we’re trying to build a fanbase so that families can come for generations and generations and fall in love with soccer. To be a part of that is important. You’re associated with the community. There’s work to do, but hopefully we can build the team on and off the pitch.”

Of course for Cole to help fulfill that ambition, he needs to be a regular contributor on the field before anything else. His fitness level was in doubt after a couple years struggling to find playing time at Aston Villa in the Premier League, and the frustration from that situation led Cole to develop some dissatisfaction with the sport in general.

“When you’ve not played like I did at Aston Villa for such a long time, or just sporadically, you just get a bit angry with football and that you can’t keep yourself fit. It’s really frustrating,” Cole admitted.

According to him, though, his move to Coventry City in England’s third division early in the season helped reignite his passion for the sport and proved what he felt to be true through all injury setbacks — he has plenty of years on the field left to go.

“The last few years I haven’t found the right formula to keep myself fit,” he explained. “I had a lot of muscle injuries. You can get frustrated when you can’t do what you used to do. At Aston Villa I wasn’t getting a look, wasn’t playing, and the team was really doing badly.

“People were rightly saying, ‘well is he going to be able to stay fit?’ I knew I could if given the chance to manage my body. I spoke to Tony Mowbray, went there and ended up staying for the whole season. Loved the whole experience. It got me playing in 25 games in less than six months. Playing regularly, my body felt stronger, and I enjoyed it.”

Cole’s is so reinvigorated that he passed up the chance at a break following Coventry City’s long season and decided to join up with the Rowdies right away for the second half of the ten-game Spring Season. He believes the league will likely see the best of him come the Fall Season, after he’s had more time to adjust to his teammates and freshened up during the NASL’s midsummer break.

That doesn’t mean he won’t be seeing action soon, though. Cole is hoping to start his first match on Saturday night when the Rowdies host Rayo OKC. After playing for years in high-pressure environments like the Premier League and multiple World Cups, he’s eager to jump into his new challenge as a main piece on the field and as a face of the club off the field.

“You’re a big name and everyone wants to watch you play, so there is that added pressure but I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t want to,” he asserted. “I’ve been lucky enough to play enough in an era where I could comfortably retire but I’m still excited to play. I embrace the pressure. I like competing. Hopefully we come into the dressing room tomorrow night with a win so it’s going to be a great start.”