Local pros eager to help Tampa Bay Sun FC grow

TAMPA, Fla. - Erika Tymrak has spent a career running around on soccer fields. 

"I've been playing professional for 12 years, and I've been all over the place; all over the world and all over the country," Tymrak said. 

Never knowing quite where she was running to, this summer Tymrak got her answer – she was running home. 

RELATED: Tampa Bay Sun FC hold history-making first practice

"The fact that I can come back to where I grew up and where soccer all started for me, it's surreal," she said. 

Growing up in Bradenton, Tymrak played college soccer at the University of Florida before beginning her professional career. Now, that career has brought her back to the Tampa Bay area to join the upstart Tampa Bay Sun FC. 

Tymrak, however, wasn't the only local product to come home to play for the Sun. Goalkeeper Kaylan Marckese grew up playing youth soccer in St. Petersburg, and after also playing college soccer at UF, she headed overseas to join the London-based Arsenal. 

"Playing in Tampa Bay never seemed like an option," Marckese said. 

PREVIOUS: Construction underway at temporary home stadium for Tampa Bay Sun FC – Blake High School

In reality, it wasn't. 

With the creation of the USL Super League and the Sun, that option became a reality for players like Tymrak and Marckese. 

"Growing up and going to the Rays games, and being a massive Bolts fan, being able to be a part of that group of people is really special," said Marckese. 

But, it isn't enough for Tymrak and Marckese to just be able to play for their hometown club. After all, they're helping start it from scratch, and that means more to them than soccer. 

"As a soccer player, you fall into the identity of 'I am just a soccer player,'" Marckese explained. "I think this really interested me, because it gives us more. It gives us a purpose."

SPORTS: Steven Stamkos pens emotional goodbye to Tampa Bay: 'I'd be lying if I said it wasn't heartbreaking'

That purpose isn't just to win games, either. It is to try and win over a community. 

"In professional sports, the community is so important. You have to get the community behind you," Tymrak said. 

Now, as that community gets introduced to a new team, there are familiar faces they can look at to bridge that gap between club and community. 

"I'm not just a soccer player anymore. I get to be more than that here," Marckese said. 

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:

SIGN UP: Click here to sign up for the FOX 13 daily newsletter