TAMPA — Tampa Bay Rowdies forward Cristian Oritz was very honest about his level of nervousness when he made his professional debut.
"I felt like I was gonna throw up," he laughed after Saturday night's 4-1 win over Rhode Island FC.
That's pretty normal for a 16-year-old who's about to go up against pros for the first time in his life.
"It was an awesome experience when [Rowdies head coach Robbie Neilson] came over and told me that I was going to go in," Ortiz said after Friday's training session. "As soon as I stepped onto the field, everybody started cheering. It was an awesome feeling. It’s like no other. "
Cristian entered the game in the 88th minute, and he wasted no time trying to earn the respect of everyone on the field. He picked a yellow card after making an aggressive tackle five minutes into his debut.
"I know that if I don’t make a statement, then these guys are gonna run all over me," he grinned. "And I won’t have that happen to me."
Veterans like Rowdies defender Forrest Lasso think the sky's the limit for young players like Ortiz, who know that they have to continue to work hard every day.
"I told him this, maybe first or second week: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard," Lasso recalled. "For a player like myself who’s kind of relied on that work ethic, first and foremost, I think someone with his skill set- if he keeps his head down and does the hard work, then his skills will take him to pretty special places."
Now, the challenge for Ortiz is to build on his experience so he sees more of the field as the season rolls along.
"I expect more of myself. I expect to be a lot better on and off the pitch," he added. "I expect myself to be at the standards that [head coach Robbie Neilson] mandates for this team."
"With Cristian, he just needs to keep developing. The opportunities will come as we start to progress as well," explained first-year head coach Robbie Neilson. "Whether it’s ten minutes, whether it’s 45 minutes. And ultimately we’ll look to try and get him a start."
Ortiz is the second-youngest player to take the field for the Rowdies at 16 years, 11 months, and 7 days. Tate Johnson made his debut in 2022 at 16 years, 8 months, and 26 days.
The Rowdies (1-0-2) head to Pittsburgh this weekend for a match-up with Riverhounds SC (0-3-0). Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
