Burt happy to help bring the sport back home

The Rowdies come home tonight in Rowdies green and gold. Only not those Rowdies, but a new bunch, more than 30 years after the originals.

That's good enough for Chad Burt.

"I was born and raised here," Burt said. "My parents grew up with the whole Rowdies thing. It's an honor to bring back soccer under the name Rowdies, to bring the Rowdies back."

He's a 22-year-old attacking midfielder for the FC Tampa Bay Rowdies, who tonight play their inaugural home opener against the hated Austin Aztex at the soccer mecca of George M. Steinbrenner Field. Pay no attention to the infield dirt, and heads up for the postgame fireworks display. It's a big night.

Especially for Burt, who was raised in St. Petersburg. His parents, Hans and Linda (Hans is director of coaching at Strictly Soccer in St. Pete), told him about the old Rowdies, which in their heyday regularly drew huge crowds at Tampa Stadium. Tonight, 7,000 would be just fine.

"My dad has films of Rowdies games, and I've watched them," Chad Burt said. "I know a lot of the ex-players. I know how big they were back then."

He sort of remembers the great old Rowdies song.

"I remember '... a kick in the grass,'" Burt said. "I don't know it all, but it was a catchy jingle."

The music died in 1993. No more Rowdies. Chad Burt was 5.

Then there was the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

Burt was a huge fan.

"My favorite Mutiny player was Steve Ralston. He never did anything flashy, but he never lost the ball. He was a work-ethic guy, and I love work ethic."

Not that Burt minded flash. He wore his Carlos Valderrama wig to some Mutiny games.

"That was my team," he said.

His team died nine years ago. Chad Burt was 13.

"We've had all the other professional teams," he said. "But no soccer for a while ... no soccer team for a young player to watch soccer on another level."

Until tonight.

Burt grew up playing for his dad, attended Northeast High. He played for the University of Tampa, then for pro teams in Colorado, Atlanta, North Carolina and Milwaukee. In tryouts, he impressed Rowdies coach Paul Dalglish. Burt has started two of the first three games in this inaugural Rowdies season.

"Chad is a player. He's really clever, and he's tactical, an intelligent player," Dalglish said. "He's a great technical player, a great passer, he can create things. He'll only get better. He's cutting his teeth on professional soccer here. The thing is, it's unfair to put too many expectations on him ... just let him grow."

You know, along with the new soccer team in town. Burt coaches nights for Strictly Soccer after Rowdies training sessions. The 5-foot-7 Burt got 5-8 goose bumps the first time he saw the soccer pitch at Steinbrenner's field.

"I just loved seeing soccer at a high level in my own town as a kid," Burt said. "Hopefully all of us can do it for the kids growing up in this area."

Someone asked about his old Valderrama wig.

"I think I lent it to a friend for Halloween and I didn't get it back."

Time marches on. So does soccer in Tampa Bay.