Tampa Bay Rowdies Close England Preseason Tour with 1-1 Draw against Stoke City
March 15, 2016 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
Tampa Bay Rowdies in England
(Tampa Bay Rowdies)
BURTON-UPON-TRENT, England - The Tampa Bay Rowdies will return home from their preseason tour of England unbeaten after drawing 1-1 against a Stoke City XI at St. George's Park on Tuesday.
In cold and windy conditions, the Rowdies led for most of the second half after Darwin Espinal's goal in the 54th minute, but were denied victory by a Stoke City goal in stoppage time.
Tampa Bay remained in its 4-2-3-1 formation with Matt Pickens in goal behind a back line of Darnell King, Tamika Mkandawire, Neill Collins and Zac Portillos from right to left. Michael Nanchoff paired with Juan Guerra as the double pivot behind Eric Avila, Junior Burgos and Darwin Espinal in midfielder. Tommy Heinemann played as the lone forward.
Stoke City selected a strong lineup for the match, anchored by Premier League veterans Charlie Adam and Stephen Ireland, who both started the match and played 70 minutes.
"We were playing against a really good side and it was a great experience for our players playing against two season Premier League professionals who moved the ball better than anyone else we've come up against this preseason," Tampa Bay Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell said. "I thought it was a very evenly contested game where both teams were aggressive and looked to play football the correct way."
After a scoreless first half that featured a few clear-cut chances for both teams and a highlight-reel double save by Matt Pickens, it was the Rowdies that found the scoresheet first in the 54th minute. Nanchoff, in possession in an advanced position, slotted the ball between two Stoke City defenders to Espinal, who beat the goalkeeper into the far side netting to give the Rowdies a 1-0 lead.
Campbell made a number of changes in the 66th minute after making just one change at half time, replacing Pickens with Michael Langer at the break.
Jeremy Hall, Frankie Sanfilippo, Stefan Antonijevic and Ben Sweat formed the new backline from right to left in front of Langer from the 66th minute on. Guerra Nanchoff remained as the double pivot with Espinal flipping to the right side and being joined by Georgi Hristov and Walter Ramirez. Danny Mwanga replaced Heinemann as the lone forward.
Even after changing nearly the entire team, Tampa Bay continued to manage the game well and nearly won before conceding an equalizer in stoppage time to draw 1-1.
The Rowdies will now return home to Tampa Bay on Thursday with the next match set for Tuesday, March 22 against the University of Tampa at UT's Pepin Stadium.
Images from this story
 Tampa Bay Rowdies in England |
• Discuss this story on the North American Soccer League message board...
North American Soccer League Stories from March 15, 2016
- Fondy's Two Goals Lead Armada to 3-0 Win over JU - Jacksonville Armada FC
- Tampa Bay Rowdies Close England Preseason Tour with 1-1 Draw against Stoke City - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- OSEG Seeking Candidates to Perform Anthems - Ottawa Fury FC
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.
