
Meet the Opponent: Tampa Bay Rowdies
November 23, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Orange County SC News Release
Come Sunday evening, Orange County SC will play the highest-profile match of their 11-year history-the 2021 USL Championship Final. OCSC will face the Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL on November 28 at 5:30 PM PST on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and SiriusXM FC. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
The Rowdies entered the playoffs as the No.1-seed from the Atlantic Division and finished with the highest point total (71) in the USL Championship after finishing 23-7-2 in the regular season. Coached by former Scottish international Neill Collins, the Rowdies defeated FC Tulsa, Birmingham Legion FC, and Louisville City FC en-route to their second consecutive conference title. Forward Lucky Mkosana has scored three goals during the playoffs all off the bench.
Despite OCSC never playing the Rowdies, there is a connection between the two conference champions. OCSC head coach Richard Chaplow and Collins were both teammates at Preston North End over a decade ago in the second division of English football. In addition, both Chaplow and Collins ended their playing careers in the USL in 2018 for the club's they currently coach. Collins was promoted to the head coaching position during the 2018 campaigns and has led the Rowdies to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.
There will be a watch party at Left Coast Brewing Co. in Irvine and more information can be found at https://www.orangecountysoccer.com/playoffs.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from November 23, 2021
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- Meet the Opponent: Tampa Bay Rowdies - Orange County SC
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- 2021 USL Championship Awards Finalists Revealed - USL
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- Head Coach Harry Watling Returns for 2022 Season - Hartford Athletic
- Four Rowdies Named to USL All-Teams - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Danny Barrera Named to USL Championship All-League First Team - Hartford Athletic
- KONAMI and United Soccer League Enter an Exclusive, Multi-Year Partnership Agreement for eFootball© - USL
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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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