Tampa Bay Rowdies Aquire Luis Álvarez on Record Transfer Fee
The 2024 USL League One Young Player of the Year nominee should bring a jolt of offense to a struggling Rowdies squad
The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced today the acquisition of 22 year old midfielder and left winger Luis Álvarez from Charlotte Independence on an undisclosed transfer fee. The league indicated that the terms include the highest interleague transfer fee in the joint history of USL Championship and USL League One.
“Luis is a fantastic addition to the squad,” said Rowdies Interim Head Coach Steve Coleman in the team’s press release. Said Coleman:
“His energy and technical quality will make a big impact for us in games. He’s a talented young player that we’ve been following for a little while. When you carry a smaller squad like we do, it’s valuable to have players who can fill different roles at different moments of the game. Luis is someone who gives us options in a couple of different areas of the field. He’s done well in his time in Charlotte, and I’ve been impressed every time I’ve seen him play, so we’re all looking forward to having him here with the Rowdies.”
The young Honduran has seen his stock rise since signing with Charlotte ahead of the 2023 season. With 71 total appearances across regular season, Jägermeister Cup and playoff matches, he departs Charlotte with 15 goals and nine assists. Prior to signing with Charlotte, he turned professional with Honduran club Lobos UPNFM in 2021.
Álvarez provided depth support in his first season at Charlotte, a year in which his side appeared in the USL League One playoff final against North Carolina FC. In that match, he provided the assist on Hector Acosta’s go-ahead goal in extra time. Charlotte would concede a goal later and went on to lose the match in penalty kicks.
He had a breakout year in 2024, starting in 28 matches across all league competitions, scoring seven with three assists. He earned a nomination for Young Player of the Year, and had been linked to a transfer to Spanish third division side AD Alcorcón in the off-season. However, he returned to Charlotte at the start of the 2025 campaign.
So far this season, Álvarez has scored four with two assists in regular season and Jägermeister Cup play. He contributes mostly from the left, but is also able to contribute from the center midfield. He is tied for second in regular season chances created with Richmond’s Nils Seufert, and just behind Greenville’s Connor Evans.
Regarding the transfer fee, USL Head of Global Football Development and Sporting Director Oliver Wyss stated:
“Luis Álvarez has shown himself to be one of the brightest young talents in the USL at the Charlotte Independence. His ongoing success in League One and against higher-level competition in the USL Jägermeister Cup & U.S. Open Cup has shown he is ready to take the next step in his very promising career. More importantly, in raising the bar for an intraleague transfer record, the move also shows how clubs who invest and give opportunity to their young talent can reap significant financial rewards in the short- and long-term.”
Impact to Charlotte Independence’s Roster
Álvarez was known to be on the transfer market since the off-season, so the club appears to have been laying out plans to account for a mid-season transfer.
The club signed 20 year old Rafael Jauregui from Sacramento Republic ahead of the season, and while the midfielder/winger has been slotted mostly on the right side for Charlotte, he spent a good portion of his time in Sacramento on the left.
The addition of 23 year old Colombian Juan David Moreno also pointed to the need to develop another left winger. Moreno joined the squad in early April, and has made four appearances off the bench.
The wild card in all of this is the recall of loanee Alfredo Midence who returned to Lexington SC last week. The 2024 Young Player of the Year joined Charlotte on loan in late March, and alongside Álvarez, was a massive contributor to Charlotte’s recent success that has the club sitting at third in the table. The pair was responsible for seven assists in regular season and Jägermeister Cup play.
With strikers Christian Chaney and Souaibou Marou each finding their rhythm on the squad, and Jon Bakero able to fill in at central midfield, a bulk of the chances coming form the wing will fall to Jauregui and possibly Moreno.
Tampa Bay Rowdies: A Shot in the Arm?
The USL Championship club has been struggling this season, sitting at last in the Eastern Conference, and with the fewest points in the entire league. The offense has been stagnant, with only nine goals in ten matches. 2024’s goals leader Manu Arteaga was held scoreless through the first nine, one season after scoring 18.
Tampa’s problems were compounded by the loss of Cal Jennings in the off-season after he scored 16 in 2024, and midfielder Lewis Hilton’s struggle to return from injury a season after leading the squad in chances created. Neither contributors have been effectively replaced in the roster through the first three months of the 2025 season.
A bulk of the chances this season have fallen to Ollie Bassett, who leads the squad with 15, but none have converted to assists.
Álvarez likely fills a depth need on the left and center midfield, where he should compete for minutes with Bassett, Blake Bodily, Danny Crisostomo, Leo Fernandes, Nate Worth and others who have rotated in and out of the left and center attacking midfield roles this season.
It may not fix Tampa Bay’s defensive woes, with 18 goals conceded over these ten league matches. However, if quality chances and goals improve, it could push the team out of the basement and into the middle of the table.
Tampa Bay will travel to Louisville City on Saturday, June 7th, while Charlotte travels to South Georgia Tormenta on the same day. There is no word if Álvarez will be available for selection.
What the heck is wrong with the Tampa Bay Rowdies???
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This piece will also run at Beyond the 90