Conference Quarterfinal Preview: Rowdies at Detroit
October 31, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
For the first time since 2019, the Tampa Bay Rowdies will open the USL Championship playoffs on the road. After finishing as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference standings, the Rowdies are set to square off against Detroit City FC at Keyworth Stadium this Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
"I can definitely feel the excitement," said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. "This is my first time being involved with these kinds of playoffs. It's almost like a clean slate for everyone. We've got eight teams in the east and eight teams in the west. Now it's about bringing your best game in a one-off showing."
Saturday will be the first-ever playoff meeting between Tampa Bay and Detroit. The Rowdies hold a slight edge in their all-time series with Detroit with three wins, two losses, and one draw. They've made three trips to Keyworth Stadium in the past and have come away with one win, one loss, and one draw.
Should the Rowdies defeat Detroit, they would advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinal to face the winner of the Quarterfinal matchup between the Charleston Battery and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
A Lift for the Playoffs
The Rowdies got a much-needed confidence boost in their regular season finale with a convincing 3-0 victory over Indy Eleven. Securing those three goals and a clean sheet were worth more than three points for the Rowdies. The result served as a great reminder of what the squad can achieve when playing to their full potential.
"It's always good to enter the playoffs coming off of a win," said Midfielder Danny Crisostomo. "Obviously we were going through a lot the last couple months of the season with the hurricanes and the little slump that we had. We're definitely flying high now and staying focused on what we need to do against Detroit."
Regular Season Series
The Rowdies earned a hard-fought point in a 1-1 draw in their first trip to Keyworth Stadium on July 6. Detroit was reduced to ten men when Abdoulaye Diop was shown a second yellow card in the 59th minute, the hosts still managed to nab the opening goal in the 71st minute after the Rowdies could not sufficiently clear a free kick sent into the box. Rowdies wingback Nick Moon then grabbed a late equalizer in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to ensure the club came home with a point.
Detroit finished on top 3-2 when the two sides met again at Al Lang Stadium on August 21. The visitors jumped ahead only three minutes into the contest through a corner kick opportunity. Tampa Bay's Zane Bubb leveled things before the half through a corner kick, but Detroit pulled away again with tallies in the 58th and 74th minutes.
"It will be a tough game," said Neilson. "It's a direct game, a physical game up there because of the artificial turf, but it's one we're quite comfortable playing in. We had a lot of chances our last time there. We took over 20 shots and put five on target in the match. So, we need to just go up there and take our chances."
Scouting Detroit
This year, Detroit had their best season since the club joined the USL Championship in 2022. First-year head coach Danny Dichio helped lead Detroit to the number three seed in the Eastern Conference while finishing the regular season on a nine-match unbeaten run. As they have in years past, Detroit also proved to be one of the strongest defensive sides in the league. Only Pittsburgh conceded fewer than Detroit's 32-goal mark this season, with only 12 of those given up at Keyworth Stadium.
"Detroit has a great atmosphere at their games," said Crisostomo. "I think we handled it pretty well this year. We came out with a draw, which is a tough thing to do there. We have to bring that same intensity and a little extra for the playoffs now."
Attacking Threats
One of the more encouraging takeaways from Tampa Bay's regular season finale last week was that it was the first time Cal Jennings, Manuel Arteaga, and Leo Fernandes were all together in the starting lineup. That attacking trio up top is a formidable threat to any defensive unit in the league. Although their production dipped toward the latter half of the season, Arteaga (17 goals) and Jennings (15 goals) both finished in the top four of scoring across the league season. Meanwhile, Fernandes is looking closer and closer to the form that saw him named league MVP in 2022. The Rowdies veteran started back-to-back matches for the first time since his Achilles injury in the final matches of the regular season and finished the regular season with two goals and three assists in only 551 minutes played.
Availability Report:
OUT: Phil Breno, Forrest Lasso
Eastern Conference Quarterfinal:
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Detroit City FC
Saturday, November 2, 7 p.m. ET
Keyworth Stadium, Detroit, MI
2024 League Records:
Rowdies: 14W-12L-8D, 50 pts, 6th East (4-8-5 on the road)
Detroit: 15W-8L-11D, 56 pts, 3rd East (10-4-3 at home)
Watch Party: The Rowdies are hosting official watch parties Colony Grill's Tampa and St. Petersburg locations. Fans wearing Rowdies gear will receive discounts on pizza and be eligible to win prizes.
Tune In: Saturday's match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
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