Tropics re-sign former Southeastern goalie Jorge Navarrete
One local soccer star who played a pivotal role in the championship series has found his way back with the local Major Arena Soccer League team.
Goalie Jorge Navarrete, who competed at Plant City High and in college at Lakeland’s Southeastern University under Tropics coach Clay Roberts, recently re-signed to a one-year contract to the Florida Tropics. He originally signed 2016,and has been with the team ever since.
"I'm happy to be back. Happy to be back under coach Clay Roberts, who's been my coach since 2015," Navarrete said. "I'm also excited to be back with the boys. I've built a bond with the club and my teammates after being around for so long. I've been with the indoor team since 2018. ... I've really grown a sense of pride representing this organization. As for playing at a high level, it's a dream come true. I feel privileged to be around such great players every day, competing and learning. I'm looking forward to a great season."
But it wasn’t until last season that he played significant minutes in the regular season and playoffs, culminating the season with a record of 3-0 in five games (four starts) with a goals against average of 5.75 and a saves percentage of .744. If he would have played enough qualifying minutes, his saves percentage would have ranked second in the MASL. In his previous seasons, he has played just 65 total minutes in Florida, making a single start in 2018-19 in Mississauga, Canada.
In just last year’s playoffs, Navarrete made two starts, including the Tropics first-ever home playoff game — an 8-4 win over the St. Louis Ambush. He ended the postseason with a 6.10 GAA and .707 saves percentage.
“We’re thrilled for him to be back,” Roberts said. “For Jorge, as long as he’s able and capable, we’re going to try to get him back every year. He’s committed and he’s going to be a huge part of what we do this year.”
Navarrete made a huge impact for the outdoor team in 2020. That year, he led the team to the United Premier Soccer League's Final Four national championship round in which the team finished third.
As a part of the Southeastern Fire, he registered a 1.56 goals against average, and tallied a record of 37-19. For Plant City, he was a three-time varsity letter winner in soccer and football.
Florida will open its seventh season in the Major Arena Soccer League Saturday, Dec. 10 on the road against the Baltimore Blast. The MASL repreents the highest level of professional indoor soccer in the world, and features teams around North Aermica, with teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico, as well as players from over 15 other countries.
The 24 Tropics games are set to be broadcasted live on the MASL Twitch Channel.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Jorge Navarrete resigns with Tropics in MASL
