TAMPA, Fla. — Preseason is in full swing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and for two of the younger players, it’s just like old times.
Second-year Rowdies defenseman Freddy Kleemann and newcomer Blake Bodily were college teammates and roommates at the University of Washington.
"He’s a character,” Bodily said when recalling the duo’s college days. "He’s always saying whatever comes to his mind. He’s a funny guy, whether he means to be or not. Having him as a roommate was awesome.”
Bodily was the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2019, and Kleemann said that dominance is what he’ll remember about their time as Huskies.
"Celebrating all those wins. We were number one in the country for a lot of the time. I think that’s a pretty vivid memory for me,” Kleemann said after practice. "He was just playing out of this world and doing really well. And we went really far in the [NCAA Tournament].”
Bodily spent last season with the San Diego Loyal. He was a free agent this offseason, and the Rowdies organization checked all the necessary boxes- with an assist from his old friend.
“[Freddy] introduced me to everyone. He kinda showed me the ropes when I first got here,” Blake explained. "Having someone like that to lean on when I arrived was great. And I think it’s really helped me transition.”
Bodily, 26, found out that not much has changed since their collegiate days, especially Kleemann’s gaming habits.
"He played and still plays it. He’s a big 'League of Legends’ guy,” Bodily laughed as Kleemann walked by after practice.
But it’s a good thing the two aren’t roommates now because there might not be any actual room for Freddy.
“[Blake] liked collecting sneakers. There were new sneakers coming to our place every once in a while. And they were always something I’ve never seen before,” Kleemann remembered. "He likes collecting things. Pokemon cards! Very big into Pokemon cards. An avid collector of all sorts of things."
The Rowdies are going through their first season under new head coach Robbie Neilson, and he said he likes what he sees from his roster so far.
“I think the last couple of weeks, we started to develop that relationship with everyone. They understand what we’re looking to implement, what the expectations are, what the values are,” he said after Wednesday’s training session. "We can start to see it coming together now."
Tampa Bay is 2-1 this preseason. They’ll host an exhibition game against USF on Saturday at the team’s training facility. The regular season kicks off on March 16 when the Rowdies host San Antonio FC.
