Prior to the opening of the international transfer window on July 15, FC Tampa Bay has made two roster moves. FC Tampa Bay today announced that it has signed forward Kerry Baptiste, pending league approval.
In addition, the club has bought out the contract of defender Omar Jarun and he is no longer a member of FC Tampa Bay.
Baptiste, who most recently played for San Juan Jabloteh and Joe Public, will be reunited with his former coach at Jabloteh, current FC Tampa Bay head coach Ricky Hill.
“Kerry is a proven international player who can play a variety of positions from midfield to forward," said Hill. "He possesses a high level of football knowledge and is a very technical player.”
Baptiste, 29, scored more than 100 goals during four seasons with Joe Public and was named Trinidad & Tobago Professional Football League Player of the Year in 2009. He was part of the 2008-09 and 2010-11 Joe Public teams that participated in the CONCACAF Champions League. Baptiste also played for the T&T National Under-20 and Under-23 teams.
“This team has a solid core group of players, and now I believe we’ve addressed two key areas for the team’s playoff run,” said President/Owner Andrew Nestor. “We’ve added a strong defender in Kwame Watson-Siriboe to play alongside Andres Arango in the middle of the pitch, and now a proven goal scorer in Kerry Baptiste, who will add depth to an already strong attack.”