Joe Cole: This Week

By @WestHamAmerican

For those of you wondering “Where is Joe Cole?” he has taken is scoring skills to the sunny coast of Florida in the United States.  The 34-year old former England midfielder currently plays for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, a club in the second tier of American soccer.  The Rowdies were formed in 2008 and currently play in the same league as recent West Ham opponents Carolina Railhawks.

Cole signed with Tampa Bay in May of 2016 and immediately brought his pace and attacking style to the US gulf coast.

Most recently Tampa Bay hosted fellow Florida club, the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers, on Saturday evening.  After a scoreless first half, the second half broke open when Cole’s cross found Keith Savage in the box to take a 1-0 lead in the 50^th minute of play.

Moments later, Cole added to the score sheet when he took a cross from his own forward, Georgi Hristov, on a counterattack and scored a goal of his own.  It would be Joe Cole’s 4th goal of his short time with the Rowdies.  He also has 4 assists in only ten appearances. Tampa Bay took the win 2-1 despite a late goal from striker Jose Angulo.

Having an experienced professional on the pitch, surrounded by a team of young American footballers must be an asset for this ambitious club.  Cole brings an 82.2% passing accuracy through the first ten matches of his career.  Tampa Bay currently sits 6^th in the table of 12.  Their next fixture is against the New York Cosmos on Saturday.

From time to time, The West Ham Way will update you on Cole’s time on the Florida Gulf Coast.