The native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has torn his right ACL not once but twice and has been released by RSL on three different occasions. After his latest stint on the Wasatch Front, Rowland landed with Wilmington of the USL Second Division. In 18 games with the Hammerheads, he scored five goals.
In August, Rowland used his ties to former RSL head coach John Ellinger, now an assistant with FC Dallas, to get a trial with the Hoops. FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman liked what he saw and added him to the developmental roster just before the MLS roster freeze deadline.
"He was a very good player at New Mexico," Hyndman said of Rowland. "He's a solid post-up striker, very strong. He's a good finisher and is something we don't really have right now, somebody who can hold the ball in the penalty box and lay balls off. If you give him half a chance, he's going to do something with it. I thought that with where we are right now in our year, this is a great opportunity to look at him. Instead of looking at him when he's out of shape, let's look at him when he comes right off a season."
For Rowland, he is just glad to be back in MLS for another shot at making it in the league.
"I'm really excited to be here," he said. "It's been a long couple years coming back from injury but I couldn't be more excited to get back, to get this opportunity and the chance to play again. It's great to be back."
There could certainly be a question of Rowland's physical condition, given the two knee surgeries. But he says it has improved greatly.
"It was my right knee (that was injured) but it happened multiple times," Rowland said. "I tore it but now these last few months, I have really started feeling like myself. I feel like it's really coming around. I feel like I'm 100 percent and ready to go." Rowland calls his time in the USL very productive as it was the first competitive soccer he's played in some time.
"It was a tough experience at first because you go down," he said. "I wanted to be in MLS and had to go down. It was a great opportunity. In MLS, I wouldn't have gotten to play right away but there, I got games and trained day in and day out to get healthy. That really gave me confidence with my leg. I just started playing again, which is what I needed. It had been two years since I had played."
But after a solid season with the Hammerheads, he decided to touch base with his former coach at RSL.
"I was playing in Wilmington for the summer, which was good for me because I got back and just started playing again," Rowland said. "That was the biggest thing for me, to get over that mental block of playing every day, day in and day out. I went there and the season ended in early August. Through my agent, I got in contact with John (Ellinger) and Dallas and asked them if they could bring me in and give me a shot. Thankfully, they did and thankfully, they're giving me this opportunity.
"He (Ellinger) has been great to me," he continued. "He keeps giving me opportunities and has believed in me to give me these opportunities the last few years. I really appreciate him giving me the chance to get back out here and show what I can do. I can't say enough good things about John for him bringing me back."
Once he joined FCD, Rowland wasn't exactly coming to a team where he didn't know anyone.
"I played with both Jamie Watson and Jeff Cunningham (before)," he said. "They were in Salt Lake when I was there. I played with Ray Burse in PDL before during the summer. It's very nice (to have some familiar faces here)."
Rowland admits he will never forget how tough all that rehab work was to get his knee back to 100 percent.
"It was really hard," he said. "The rehab was just two straight years of rehab. Mentally, it was tough at times and draining. I had a goal in sight to get back and try to play because you only get one chance to play in your life, so I wanted to give it all I could to do that."
But in the end, staying focused on his goal of getting another shot at MLS was what kept him from losing hope that he would rebound from those injuries.
"I had people urge me on," Rowland said. "That's what I wanted. When you're off for that long, you realize how much you love the game and how much it means to you to be out there, compete, work your hardest day in and day out to get those opportunities. I've had it before in high school when I tore my ACL just before college and didn't get recruited."
Even though he is signed with FCD for the balance of the 2008 season, Rowland is keeping his goals simple.
"My goals here are to just come into practice and play as hard as I can," he said. "I'm thankful that I'm here. I'm going to work hard every day. My goal is to make it on the team for next year. My first goal is to be in the 18. I haven't been there yet. I want to prove myself and play as well as I can for next year to play here."
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