Rowdies vs. Sounders - Match Preview
May 28, 2013 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
The Basics: Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Seattle Sounders FC (Major League Soccer) Presented by the Tampa Bay Times and tbt* 100th Edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (#USOC100)
Wednesday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Al Lang Stadium (230 1st Street SE, St. Petersburg, Fla. 33701)
Admission: Tickets are available by clicking here or by calling the front office at 813-287-1539. The box office will open on Wednesdaythree hours prior to kickoff.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesSoccer or watch the live broadcast at SoundersFC.com.
Donations: The Rowdies have teamed up with SCORE International to help the victims of the Oklahoma tornados. You can help make a difference by bringing non-perishable food, bottled water and personal hygiene items to home games in May and June.
About the U.S. Open Cup: The 2013 tournament features 68 teams, an increase from the 64 that competed last year, marking the largest field in the modern era (1995-present). This year also marks the second-consecutive year in which all U.S.-based Division I, II and III teams will participate in the tournament proper: 16 from Major League Soccer, six from the North American Soccer League and 12 from USL PRO. All Division II clubs and eight of the Division III sides will enter the competition in the second round. Division I teams receive a bye to the third round.
If matches end in a tie after the 90 minutes of regulations, two 15-minute halves will determine the team that will advance to the third round. If the score is still tied after extra time, the match will be decided with a penalty shootout.
Rowdies Notes: After picking up two straight away wins against Minnesota and VSI, the reigning NASL Champions suffered their second loss of the season on Saturday at home against Minnesota. The Rowdies had initially erased a Minnesota lead, but United FC was able to score two quick goals to make it 3-1 by the 26th minute. Forward Georgi Hristov, who had scored the initial Rowdies goal, cut the lead back to one in the 30th minute, but Tampa Bay was unable to score any second-half goals to tie things up.
Tuesday's 2-1 victory over VSI in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup granted the Rowdies the rights to host Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m. at Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg.
The Rowdies offense is led by Hristov, who has six goals in all competition, including four goals in his last two matches. In the midfield Luke Mulholland also is an attacking threat, second on the team with four goals. Both Hristov and Mulholland lead the club with three assists each.
In last week's cup match, it was goalkeeper Diego Restrepo who stepped up defensively and pushed Tampa Bay in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. He denied VSI the lead early on, saving a penalty kick, while making several crucial saves in the second half to hold the one-goal lead.
Scouting Seattle: The Sounders enter the third round of the U.S. Open Cup after a 4-0 defeat in league play against the Galaxy on Sunday. Prior to the 4-0 loss, Seattle was unbeaten in their last six matches, which included three straight wins. The Sounders will travel to Al Lang Stadium without Brad Evans and Eddie Johnson, who after the match in L.A. joined the U.S. men's national team.
Seattle has enjoyed recent success in the U.S. Open Cup, reaching the finals the last four years and winning the title in three of those trips. Their 2011 championship run earned them a spot in the 2012-2013 CONCACAF Champions League, where Seattle would eventually make it to the Semifinals before being knocked out by Mexico's Santos Laguna.
Quotable: Rowdies Head Coach Ricky Hill "We are aware of Seattle's recent form, but on the pitch it is 11 versus 11. I have been fortunate myself to be part of upsets in the FA Cup and there is no reason why we can't do that this Wednesday. Saturday's loss was a difficult one as defensively we conceded too many goals in the first half. We have given up too many goals this season and we can't have that happen on Wednesday if we want to come out victorious."
Up Next: Tampa Bay will have two league matches on the road, with the first one against FC Edmonton on Sunday, June 2 at 4:00 p.m. ET and the second match against the Carolina RailHawks on Saturday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Rowdies will then return home to play San Antonio on Saturday, June 15th at Al Lang Stadium. For information on 2013 season tickets or individual tickets contact the front office at 813-287-1539 or tickets@rowdiessoccer.com.
If the Rowdies can defeat the Sounders on Wednesday, they will travel to play either the Portland Timbers (MLS) (Wednesday, June 12) or Wilmington Hammerheads (USL PRO) (TBD) in the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup.
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North American Soccer League Stories from May 28, 2013
- Strikers Battle, But Fall to FC Dallas 2-0 at Lockhart on Tuesday - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- RailHawks Host LA Galaxy in Third Round U.S. Open Cup Rematch - North Carolina FC
- NASL Clubs Face MLS Opposition in U.S. Open Cup - NASL
- Former Rowdies Striker Talks About NASL Tradition - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Rowdies vs. Sounders - Match Preview - Tampa Bay Rowdies
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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