Indoor soccer: Tropics re-sign Defender of the Year Chad Vandegriffe

Robert Magobet, The Ledger
·2 min read
Florida Tropics defender Chad Vandergriffe, pictured here during a game with the Kansas City Comets, signed a three-year contract with Florida earlier this week.
Florida Tropics defender Chad Vandergriffe, pictured here during a game with the Kansas City Comets, signed a three-year contract with Florida earlier this week.
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One of the key pieces to the Florida Tropics 2022 playoff run will be back next season.

Chad Vandegriffe, the Major Arena Soccer League Defender of the Year, re-signed with the Tropics, who made it all the way to the championship game for the first time in team history this past season.

Vandegriffe, who signed a three-year contract, led the MASL in blocks last season with 54.

Vandegriffe, a native of St. Louis, will enter his ninth year in the MASL. He debuted with the St. Louis Ambush in the 2013-14 season and played there for three years before joining the Milwaukee Wave for four years. He signed with the Tropics as a free agent during the 2020-21 season and helped the team win the MASL regular-season title.

“Obviously, Chad was pivotal for us to get re-signed,” Florida Tropics coach Clay Roberts said. “One, the consistency of his play is pretty unmatched. I can’t look back at any game last year and think that he was not just very good for us. And two, he’s so consistent, not only in how he plays, but his leadership and how he fuels the other guys. To get him re-signed for multiple years is huge for our organization.”

Vandegriffe has racked up 32 goals and 37 assists in 153 regular season and playoff games, eventually becoming more of an offensive threat since joining Florida. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound defender scored five goals last season with the Tropics.

Still, it’s on the defensive side of the ball where Vandegriffe has made a name for himself, defending some of the most dangerous scorers in the MASL such as Franc Tayou (Ontario Fury), Ian Bennett (Milwaukee Wave), and Vini Dantas (Baltimore Blast).

“I am looking forward to this season, Vandegriffe said. “We are headed in the right direction to bring home the first-ever championship to our deserving fans all over Florida.”

Vandegriffe is the second Florida defender in the past three seasons to win the Defender of the Year award — Drew Ruggles also who won the award in 2019-20.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Indoor soccer: Tropics re-sign Defender of the Year Chad Vandergriffe