Match Preview: Rowdies vs Miami FC
April 7, 2023 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
Matchday Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Miami FC
Saturday, April 8, 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL
Tickets: Purchase tickets here or at the Al Lang Stadium box office starting at 4 p.m. on matchday.
Postmatch Fireworks: Following the final whistle, fans are invited down to the field to view a postmatch fireworks show.
Ladies Night: Get together your with best gal pals and catch the Rowdies in action. Ladies Night ticket includes complimentary food and drinks from 6:30 to kickoff and exclusive access to the Bayshore Lounge at Al Lang. Purchase Ladies Night tickets here.
Watch: Stream the match on ESPN+.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are home again this Saturday to defend Al Lang Stadium against in-state rival Miami FC. Both sides in Saturday's contest will be looking to register their first wins of the campaign. This current four-match stretch is the longest the Rowdies have ever gone without a win to start a USL Championship season since joining the league in 2017.
"There's a lot of things I'd like to see at home in front of our own fans," said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. "We want to see the values that we've got coming out. More intensity, more sustained attacks, a better job restricting more opportunities at the other end. That was our focus this week... I think the most important thing is that we see a real positive performance on both sides of the ball. When we do that, we're obviously a very good side. We've just not done it enough in games."
With two losses in their last two outings, the Rowdies are aiming to get in the win column and start to build some momentum. The Rowdies have only lost three straight matches once during Collins' tenure. Coincidentally, two of those loses in July of the 2021 season were versus Miami. The Rowdies eventually finished the 2021 season with the best regular-season record in the league.
Tampa Bay split the regular-season series with Miami last year, with the visiting side claiming a win in each matchup. However, the Rowdies got the better of Miami at Al Lang in the playoffs with a 3-1 victory.
"These in-state rivalries are always tight affairs," said Collins. "We played them in the playoffs in a game that could have gone either way at different points. Probably like ourselves they've had a couple injuries, they're waiting for things to jel in their squad. But you know they're going to be well organized. They've got some experienced players and an experienced coach."
Open Cup Boost
While the Rowdies search for their first win in the league play, the club did take care of business with 2-0 result over USL League Two side Nona FC in the Second Round of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night. The Rowdies made a handful of lineup changes for the Open Cup match. With the current run of form in the league, starting spots are up for grabs all over the roster for anyone who can stake their claim.
"All these players are here for a reason," said Collins. "They're all here because of certain aspects and attributes they've got. They might not be showing them all right now, and they might not all be in top form and picked this weekend, but we know they've all got important roles to play. They've all shown in the past and in their time here what they can offer... We'll keep working hard with them. When they're all collectively at their best, then we'll have real competition."
Milestone Tracker
Aaron Guillen and Yann Ekra are nearing their 100th appearance for the Rowdies. Guillen stands at 98 appearances, while Ekra has 97 appearances heading into the weekend.
Yann Ekra is nearing a major USL Championship milestone. With 249 regular season appearances, Ekra needs three more appearances to surpass Dane Kelly as the league's all -time regular-season appearances leader.
Forrest Lasso is nearing his 150th regular-season appearances in the USL Championship. Lasso currently has 148 appearances under his belt.
Lewis Hilton is one assist away from his 30th regular-season assist in the USL Championship.
Lucky Mkosana is two goals away from his 50th regular-season goal in the USL Championship.
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