Tampa Bay Rowdies Sign Star CPL Midfielder Ollie Bassett

Canadian Premier League star midfielder Ollie Bassett will be donning his trademark long-sleeve look down in Florida with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The USL Championship side has now confirmed its acquisition of the midfielder, who becomes their first brand new signing for 2025 and will don the number eight.

Bassett left Canada’s capital as Atletico Ottawa’s all-time appearance leader, representing the red-and-white some 92 times following his arrival from a championship-winning Pacific FC side. He tallied 26 goals and 12 assists for Ottleti, bidding farewell to TD Place with a playoff Olimpico goal.

His three seasons in Ottawa saw him help the side to a regular season championship as he hoisted trophies for both the CPL Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year award in 2022, with Bassett adding a golden boot one year later. One needs to look no further than the block ‘Olliewood’ lettering at TD Place to see the impact he’s made in the nation’s capital.

A source from Atletico Ottawa revealed that Bassett’s former side had received offers for the midfielder in both 2022 and 2023, though they turned down the interest and kept Bassett in place through to the full length of his contract. Suffice to say, when Ollie Bassett’s contract came to its end, plenty of USL Championship interest had stuck around – and Tampa Bay moved quickly to win him over.

His time in the CPL overall has been quite fruitful, especially considering he had dropped out of the professional game before joining Pacific en route to a league championship in 2021. The former Yeovil Town prospect ultimately made 112 appearances between Atletico Ottawa and Pacific, making a staggering 43 goal contributions in that time.

Now well-established in North America, Bassett says he now wants to test himself in a new league with a new environment, with Tampa Bay clocking in as the right choice for the next step in his career.

“For me, Tampa Bay was my number one choice and ideal destination in this league. I’ve heard good things about how the club is run and Tampa Bay as a place to live. When the offer was put forward, it didn’t take long to get it moving and get it signed.”

His move to the USL Championship comes pending league and federation approval. As the midfielder was out-of-contract, the move comes as a free transfer.

Header Image Photo Credit: Matt Zambonin / Freestyle Photography