In 2015, Tommy Heinemann finally made good in Ottawa. In 2016, the Tampa Bay Rowdies will be hoping he can make good for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. After a 12-goal, break-out season in the NASL, Heinemann is cashing in for a big move to the Rowdies.
Northernpitch.com has learned that Heinemann has sealed a move to the Rowdies on a free transfer that is in the final stages of ink-drying. Multiple sources confirmed the deal to be for 2 years and around $150k a year. He also apparently rejected a deal from Minnesota United FC for half the amount the Rowdies offered. According to an anonymous source, Indy 11 also had several opportunities to trade for the striker that they did not take.
In 2014, when he signed for the Fury, few people would have predicted Heinemann’s 2015 success. Ryan Shannon, co-host of the Ours is the Fury podcast, remembers: “When I first heard Tommy was coming to Ottawa my expectations were low,” adding, “Four goals in 45 MLS matches wasn’t blowing me away.” In the team’s inaugural 2014 season Heinemann made only 18 appearances, scoring six goals as he struggled with an ankle injury.
The Fury’s meteoric rise up the standings in 2015 coincided with Heinemann catching form. He scored only one goal in the 2015 spring season and Ottawa finished in 9th place. In the fall, however, Shannon describes him as “born again as a soccer player.” Heinemann went on to score 11 goals in the fall season, driving the Fury to win the fall season and 2nd in the overall standings. The Rowdies will be hoping to capture some of that goal scoring touch, since their leading goal scorer, Maicon Santos, only notched up seven goals in 17 appearances.
Rising Wages
Heinemann’s payday, while not outrageous for the top three NASL spenders (Minnesota, New York, and Tampa) would make him one of the higher paid players on even Minnesota’s team. It also represents the growing trend about which Neil Morris recently wrote: “The owners of Indy Eleven, Jacksonville, Carolina and an incoming expansion club in Miami have signaled intentions to ramp up their player budgets, even if they won’t—or can’t—keep up with the Cosmos.”
When The Rowdies’ new owner Bill Edwards came on the scene, he started spending to keep up with Minnesota and New York. For the most part, though, the rest of the league’s budgets remained entrenched below the $1 million mark.
The evidence of Morris’s observations seems to be that NASL veterans are finding themselves in high demand. I asked former Minnesota Star and current Carolina RailHawk, Connor Tobin, about this trend as he contemplates offers from clubs and he said, “The only thing I feel comfortable saying is the money is improving in the league. A lot more guys are finally earning non-poverty level money.”
As for the Fury, they are losing out on their top goal-scorer just as they lose their manager Marc dos Santos. Shannon calls Heinemann “The face of the franchise… and a fan favourite.” His worry isn’t apocalyptic, but certainly sees a lot of rebuilding to be done after losing dos Santos and Heinemann. The Rowdies will be hoping that they’ve made a safe bet with someone who showed he can score goals in NASL.
The rest of the league might be looking around at the wages suddenly inflating. Tobin’s comment reflects the reality that a majority of the league’s players make very little money at all and many of the teams don’t provide health care. It is hard to say if the trend will see the wages rise for the entire squads.
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