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USL Tampa Bay Rowdies

Matchday 6 Preview: Rowdies vs Miami FC

April 8, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release


The Tampa Bay Rowdies are back home this Saturday to face in-state rival Miami FC, and more than thankful to know they get to take the field at Al Lang Stadium again after a challenging road trip to the west coach and a scoreless draw at Oakland Root SC.

Tampa Bay showed just how happy the club is to be back home this past Tuesday with a rousing 6-0 win at home against USL League Two's The Villages SC in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

"We always look forward to playing at home," said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. "Last week was a tough road trip. The best thing about it was we got a point and a clean sheet. It's been a fantastic return home and response from the boys... Everyone that took the field showed a great purpose. They gave respect to the opposition and put in a good performance. We're looking for more of the same on Saturday."

Facing the Rowdies this Saturday are in-state rivals Miami FC, who have retooled their roster under new head coach Anthony Pulis. Miami have only posted four points under Pulis so far, but the season is still young and Collins anticipates Miami to be a team poised to only grow stronger as the campaign continues.

"I think Anthony's a fantastic appointment for them," said Collins. "I think we all know it takes time to get the club where you want to but you can see the recruitment's been very good. I don't know if the results reflect some of the performances they've put in. I think they've had some really good performances that the results haven't backed up. We're hoping that doesn't change on Saturday. We're hoping that if we perform the way we can that we can come away with three points."

Open Cup Takeaways

Several players who have yet to earn significant playing time for the Rowdies in the USL Championship season got their shot in Tuesday's Open Cup victory. Those players all made the most of their chance, as evidenced by the 6-0 scoreline.

Lucky Mkosana and Kyle Greig were a lethal duo up top, with Mkosana notching two goals and Greig nothing a goal himself as well as two assists. Jake Areman assisted on half of Tampa Bay's goals from his spot on the left wing. Center back Timmy Mehl and Raiko Arozarena helped the Rowdies record a shutout in their first competitive minutes of the year.

"I thought you saw a lot of players that were desperate to get into the team," noted Collins. "...Throughout the team there are guys that want to stake their claim to be on the field more regularly, and the lads that have been in the team regularly played well as well. So it was an all-around team performance littered with good individual performances."

Coaching Remotely

Collins will not be at Al Lang for Saturday's clash. Following Friday's training session, the Rowdies coach is off to Scotland to continue his UEFA Pro License coaching course. In his

"Ideally I'd be able to work around the schedule to not miss a game, but this time it's not proved possible,' said Collins. "I'm just thankful the club is supporting me to do this. No one wants to be at the game more than me but I think it's a good opportunity for the staff. The players will show we're not about one man, we're always about the team. That's on and off the field."

In Collins' absence, Assistant Coach Jon Stead will serve as acting head coach on the sideline, though the entire technical staff will be working in collaboration to keep the ship on course. Collins, of course, will still be watching live from Scotland and relaying instructions as best he can.

"Our staff have all got key roles and they'll all be carrying out those roles as they normally do," said Collins. "I think the staff will be the first to tell you that even when I make a decision, we all collaborate together and we talk."

Injury Report

OUT: Robert Castellanos

Matchday 6 Info:

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Miami FC

Saturday, April 9, 7:30pm ET

Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL

Tickets: Purchase tickets tickets for the match by calling 727-222-2000

Pre-Game Show: Catch Saturday's pre-game show hosted by The Unused Substitutes podcast. The streams live starting at 6:30pm ET on Twitch.tv/RowdiesGG.

Watch: Stream the match on ESPN+ here.

Follow Along: Live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday

Check out the Tampa Bay Rowdies Statistics

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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.

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