- December 4, 2025
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Felipe Rojas sat in silence alone on the bench after the Sarasota Paradise's 2-1 playoff loss July 20 to Fort Lauderdale United at Premier Sports Campus Stadium in Lakewood Ranch.
Rojas grew up playing soccer in the Sarasota area, and eventually at Riverview High School. Playing for the Paradise for the past three years has given him a chance to fulfill dreams that might not have otherwise materialized.
“It means the world,” Rojas said. “My dream was to play at a high level, play in front of thousands of people, and play for my hometown. Getting to see my loved ones here supporting me and getting to see the local crowd finally have a soccer team is testament to what Marcus Walfridson (the team owner) has built, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Rojas, 27, said he is “getting up there in age,” and isn’t sure if he will be invited back to play next season. He isn’t alone.
For Rojas and many of his teammates, there is a good chance that the team’s loss in the semifinal round of the USL League Two Southern Conference playoffs will be the last time they suit up for the Paradise.
Next year, the club will move up to USL League One — a professional level of soccer with better competition.
That means the amateur team that Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch residents have come to embrace could have an entirely new look next summer.
Paradise Head Coach Mirko Dakovic isn’t immune to the potential changes coming to the club.
“I’ve been coming here since I was 8 years old,” said Dakovic, who is from Toronto, Canada, but has visited the area since his childhood when his parents purchased a home in North Port in 1984. “This is home to me. I wear the crest on my heart. What happens going forward is out of my hands. I’m ready to go into battle for the club if they call on me at any point. I’m proud of my two years here. I’ve put my heart and soul into it.”
Though the Paradise might be forced to part ways with players and coaches with local ties, it could be in the best interest of its sustainability.
The USL League Two club has made significant strides in its three-year history.
After playing its games at Sarasota High School in front of a few hundred fans for its first two seasons, the Paradise moved to Premier this summer and averaged over 1,200 fans per match.
The club won its second consecutive South Florida Division title this year, and hosted playoff matches for the first time in club history.
Continuing that forward progress at a higher level of play, and building its fan base, will likely require a winning product on the field.
Rojas, who also is the head of marketing for the Paradise, said having local players is important, but the Paradise needs to win to reach its goals. “If it’s local players, that’s great," he said. "But it’s most important we have a team that will take us far.”
If the Southern Conference playoffs are an indication of what’s to come, the team should be able to build its fan base.
The 1,235 people in attendance who came out on a Sunday night — and waited around for a heat and humidity delay that pushed a 7:30 p.m. start past 8 p.m. — were rowdy and excitable.
Fans chastised referees on arguable calls, cheered boisterously when forward Romeo Dahlen scored on a header off a corner kick in the 47th minute, and some fans hung around to console the players after the defeat.
It remains to be seen whether that same level of investment continues next season with a new roster at a higher level of play.
"The level difference is rough," Walfridson said of the move up to USL League One. "I'll be surprised if you see more than three guys from this roster next year. It's a big difference. We have some talent and some guys who potentially can make it, but I would say three to five guys could, if we even get to three."
