Sports stats

NASL Minnesota United FC

Minnesota Stars FC Back on the Road to Face Rowdies

June 29, 2012 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


BLAINE, Minn. (June 29, 2012) -- Minnesota Stars FC travels south to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies this Saturday, June 30, at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla. for the third meeting between the teams in the 2012 season. The teams fought to a draw in the first meeting in Florida, and the Rowdies inflicted a 2-1 defeat on the Stars June 16 at NSC Stadium.

The match will be streamed on the Stars' website, mnstarsfc.com, as well as nasl.com/live.

"Tampa has been a tough place for us to play through the past few seasons," Stars head coach Manny Lagos said. "Primarily, they have a great roster and I think they're among the best teams in our league, and on top of that it's up to us as visitors to adjust to the heat and humidity and to a somewhat smaller field that make set pieces and counter attacks extra dangerous."

Minnesota will look to avenge its loss to Tampa Bay two weeks ago. In that match, the Stars took an early lead through Martin Nunez, but Tampa Bay wrested momentum away from the Stars with a tying goal right before halftime. Confident from the boost of equalizing, Tampa upped its pressure in the second half, finally finding the game winner with three minutes to play.

To do so, the Stars will look to forward Simone Bracalello to continue his recent good form. The Italian striker leads the Stars with five goals in all competitions, including the game-winner in last Saturday's 2-1 victory over the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. That win put an end to a four-game winless skid for the Stars in front of 2,442 fans at NSC Stadium. Bracalello's good form has come at a key time for the Stars, who have been without early season leading scorer Amani Walker for nearly a month after he sustained an Achilles tendon injury against Real Salt Lake in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Tampa Bay has won their previous two matches and are riding the high of a 3-2 comeback against then-NASL leaders San Antonio Scorpions last week. The Rowdies will be further boosted by their strong record at Al Lang Stadium, where they have lost only once all season. The Stars remain in third place in the NASL standings with 20 points. The Rowdies, who have played 13 games to the Stars' 12, trail Minnesota in fourth place with 18 points and a four goal differential between the two clubs. Both teams will look to capture the three points with a victory -- Minnesota to solidify their position in the standings, and Tampa Bay to steal it.

Following the match in Florida, the Stars will enjoy a long string of four matches at home in Blaine against Puerto Rico, Atlanta, Tampa Bay and Fort Lauderdale. The match on July 4th against NASL leader Puerto Rico Islanders will feature a fireworks display following the game. Tickets for the home matches are available now by calling 763-792-7355 or visiting the Stars' website.

Check out the Minnesota United FC Statistics



North American Soccer League Stories from June 29, 2012


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.

Other Recent Minnesota United FC Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central