Match Preview: #TBRvOTT
June 29, 2019 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Ottawa Fury FC
Saturday, June 29, 8 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday
Tickets
Tickets for Saturday's match are available by calling (727) 222-2000. Gates will open at 7 p.m., 60 minutes before kickoff.
How to Watch
The match will be broadcast online on ESPN+ here. International viewers can watch online here.
Records
Tampa Bay: 9-1-6 (W-L-T), 2nd place; 4-1-4 at home
Ottawa: 7-2-6 (W-L-T), 6th place; 2-1-4 on road
Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies slipped to second place in the USL Championship's Eastern Conference on Wednesday night as the Indy Eleven beat Birmingham Legion FC 3-0 in Indianapolis, bringing Indy even on points with the Rowdies at 33. Indy claimed first place via the league wins tiebreaker. The teams are tied on goal differential, the second tiebreaker.
This will be the first match since May 18 that the Rowdies are not in first place at kickoff. The Rowdies beat New York Red Bulls II 2-0 on that night to knock the Red Bulls out of first place and claim it for themselves.
The Rowdies made their first two player transactions of the season this week. First, forward Brandon Allen was transferred to Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday. Allen scored once in eight league games for the Rowdies this season. On Friday, the Rowdies acquired forward Lucky Mkosana in a trade with Louisville City FC, sending forward Antoine Hoppenot in the other direction. Mkosana has scored five goals in all competitions for Louisville this season. He played for the Rowdies in 2013 and 2014.
Flipping a trend from recent seasons on its head, the Rowdies have actually been much better away from Al Lang Stadium this season than at home. Tampa Bay has averaged 2.43 points per game on the road with a record of 5-0-2 (W-L-T), compared to 1.44 points per game at home.
Midfielder Yann Ekra returned to the starting lineup in Tampa Bay's 2-1 win over Bethlehem last weekend. Ekra has been sidelined by an ankle injury since April 20, missing a total of nine matches. He appeared off the bench in the Rowdies draw against Charleston two weeks ago in his return from injury.
Defender Shawn Barry made his return to action in Bethlehem, appearing off the bench in his firts game action since May 8 due to a rib injury. Barry missed three matches with an ankle injury before sustaining a rib injury 17 minutes into his return to play, subsequently missing a further five matches before playing in Bethlehem.
Injury Report
DOUBTFUL - Jaime Siaj (quad strain)
QUESTIONABLE - Andrew Tinari (groin)
PROBABLE - Leo Fernandes (hamstring)
United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 29, 2019
- Real Monarchs SLC Claims 3-1 Win over Tulsa Roughnecks FC - Real Monarchs
- Rowdies Reclaim First Place with Dramatic 2-1 Win over Ottawa - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Hounds Hammer Birmingham, 4-1 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Tulsa Roughnecks Fall to Real Monarchs SLC 1-3 - FC Tulsa
- Sparrow Earns Man of the Match with Acrobatic Saves against North Carolina - Nashville SC
- Switchbacks FC Fall on the Road in First Meeting with Austin Bold FC - Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
- Fury FC Looks to Start New Unbeaten Streak After Falling 2-1 in Tampa Bay - Ottawa Fury FC
- Battery, Red Bulls Finish 1-1 - Charleston Battery
- Indy Eleven Continue Unbeaten Streaks Via 1-1 Draw with Louisville City FC - Indy Eleven
- Independence Dash Memphis - Charlotte Independence
- North Carolina FC Moves into Fourth Place with 1-0 Win over Nashville SC - North Carolina FC
- Legion FC Falls at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC - Birmingham Legion FC
- Nashville SC Sees Unbeaten Streak Snapped in Loss to North Carolina FC - Nashville SC
- Fresno FC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC Match Preview - Fresno FC
- Memphis 901 FC Short in Tight Road Match - Memphis 901 FC
- Darnell King Makes 200th Professional Appearance - Nashville SC
- Match Preview: #TBRvOTT - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Atlanta United 2 Releases Yosef Samuel - Atlanta United 2
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