USL Tampa Bay Rowdies

Match Preview: Rowdies at Las Vegas

Published on June 30, 2023 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release


Matchday 17 Info:

Tampa Bay Rowdies at Las Vegas Lights FC

Saturday, July 1, 10:30 p.m. ET

Cashman Field, Las Vegas, Nevada

Watch: U.S. based fans can stream the match on ESPN+. International viewers can watch on Youtube.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies close out their three-match road trip this Saturday against Las Vegas Lights FC. This will be the third competitive meeting between the two sides, with the Rowdies claiming victory in both prior contests.

It has been a rough first half of the season for Las Vegas, who currently sit dead last in the Western Conference with the lowest points total in all of the USL Championship. Las Vegas lost all four of their matches in June and were shutout entirely in their last two. Only Detroit City FC has scored fewer goals than Las Vegas' 13 goal tally.

"Las Vegas has a lot of talent, a lot of experience," said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. "They've got a past league MVP, Emmanuel Ledesma. They've got Andrew Carleton, who is a really talented player. They had two really tough, tight road games against Louisville and El Paso that they maybe didn't deserve to lose.That shows just how tough they are. They'll be at home and they'll have the crowd behind them, so I think there's a lot of things we've got to consider. But equally we know that we've got to perform well ourselves, keep improving our performance level. When we do that we give ourselves a great chance."

Jennings Back on His Home Turf

Las Vegas' Cashman Field won't be unfamiliar territory for Rowdies forward Cal Jennings, who spent the last two seasons with the club while on loan from Major League's Soccer's LAFC. Jennings knows what it takes to put the ball in the net at Cashman Field, with 13 of his 22 goals scored Lights FC coming at the venue.

"Vegas is a place I'm familiar with," said Jennings. "I'm happy to get back and see some friends, but really it's just about staying focused. There's a lot of distractions when you get to Las Vegas. First thing's first, it's about having a good session the day before and then also being ready for the game."

Jennings is hitting his stride just in time for his return to Las Vegas. This week, the 26-year-old attacker was named USL Championship Player of the Week after notching two goals and an assist in the Rowdies 4-2 comeback win against Loudoun United.

Unbeaten in Nine

The Rowdies will look to extend their unbeaten run to double digits this weekend in Las Vegas. Last week's win in Virginia brought the undefeated streak to nine matches, four shy of the longest unbeaten run in club history. The Rowdies have posted 13-matches unbeaten runs twice during Collins' tenure as head coach, at the start of the 2019 season and again last year.

Like most teams, we've had our fair share of adversity, but I think how you respond is what's most important. If we can continue with the same resilience and attitude this weekend, then hopefully we can get some more points on the road.

Injury Report

OUT: Lewis Hilton, Zach Herivaux, Tate Johnson, Felix Schröter

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 30, 2023


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