USL Penn FC

Penn FC Hits the Road for Second Straight Away Match

June 21, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release


Penn FC celebrates a win against Toronto FC 2
Penn FC celebrates a win against Toronto FC 2
(Penn FC)

Match Day Info:

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Penn FC

Kickoff: Friday, June 22, 2018 - 7:30 p.m.

St. Petersburg, Fla. - Al Lang Stadium

Follow us and interact live: @PennFCOfficial | #TBRvPEN

National broadcast: ESPN+

Live Stats: https://www.uslsoccer.com/tampabayrowdies-pennfc-971341

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Penn FC (4-4-6) embarks on its second of three straight away matches when it heads south to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies (5-5-3) on Friday, June 22.

The match against Tampa Bay is loaded with intrigue following Penn FC's decisive 3-0 victory against the Rowdies last month. Tampa Bay and Penn FC both have 18 points on the season, but Tampa Bay sits one spot above Penn FC in the table because of goal differential.

Of course, Head Coach Raoul Voss holds the bragging rights against his former team, and the Rowdies will be raring to spoil their former assistant coach's homecoming.

"It's going to be nice to see old friends and it is a great city with great people, but for us it's all about the game really," Voss said. "It's all about building from the momentum and trying to get the result -- hopefully three points."

Midfielder Saalih Muhammad believes the Blue and White have the mental edge as they head south for a key matchup between USL Eastern Conference bubble teams.

"I think, mentally, winning 3-0 shows we can beat them regardless of whether it's home or away," he said. "We have the ability to beat them and go to their place knowing that we've done it before and can do it again -- regardless of the weather or conditions."

Penn FC's attack heads to Tampa with momentum after ripping off eight goals in its last three matches. Captain Ken Tribbett bagged a brace in Penn FC's 3-2 win against Toronto FC II while Lucky Mkosana earned a brace in a 3-3 draw at Louisville City FC. Issac Osae and Dan Metzger scored a goal each against the Richmond Kickers while Prince Baffoe scored the equalizer against Louisville.

The attack is earning goals all over the pitch and Voss will look to his team to continue its progress. Muhammad stressed that communication and structure will keep the goals coming.

"I think there's hype on the offense," Muhammad said. "I think, as long as defensively we're structured, we communicate, we're all organized and get after it on the counter attack we'll be ok."

The Tampa Bay roster is experiencing an overhaul this week after it was announced that midfielder Jack Blake was loaned to Real Monarchs SLC for the remainder of the season. Friday's match also marks the final match for Marcel Schäfer who will leave the team to join the technical staff at his former club VFL Wolfsburg. The Rowdies brought in two new midfielders Dominic Oduro and Afrim Taku to bolster their roster.

No matter who takes the opposite side of the field in Al Lang Stadium, Voss knows their quality and is preparing his team for a tight matchup.

"They are very good at home," Voss said. "They, I think, haven't lost a game at home so far, and last year I believe they only lost one. So historically they are very strong at home. They have a new coach now and I've seen their past few games and they are a very strong team."

The match between Penn FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. in St. Petersburg, Fla. Fans unable to travel to Florida can stream the match live on the ESPN+ streaming platform.




Images from this story

Penn FC celebrates a win against Toronto FC 2
Penn FC celebrates a win against Toronto FC 2
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 21, 2018


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