Preview: Rowdies at Monterey Bay
August 1, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
The Tampa Bay Rowdies hit the road again this Saturday for a showdown with Western Conference foe Monterey Bay FC. Tampa Bay will look to maintain their momentum from three straight wins, including last week's rally from down 2-0 to defeat second-place Charleston Battery 4-2. Carrying that momentum forward will be key for the Rowdies as they open up August with back-to-back trips out west before returning home again on August 17.
"Last week's game was huge for us," said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. "We beat Charleston, a top league team. We managed to beat them and Louisville. Those are the teams that we're competing with for that top end of the table. That was an important one, but now we've got back-to-back away fixtures, which are even more important. We can win our home games, but now can we go to the west coast and win back-to-back?"
Saturday's bout will be only the third meeting between Tampa Bay and Monterey Bay. The Rowdies have claimed victory in their previous encounters, knocking off Monterey Bay 2-1 at Cardinale Stadium in 2022 and then 4-1 back at Al Lang Stadium last season.
Road Form
Since falling to Loudun United at the end of June, the Rowdies have put in two solid performances in their subsequent road trips in July. While they didn't come away with all three points, a point earned in the tough environment of Detroit City FC's Keyworth Stadium is always a valuable point. Following that, the Rowdies dominated Indy Eleven, the club directly below them in the standings, in a 2-0 result at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.
"It comes down to mindset," said Rowdies Defender Freddy Kleemann. "I think at the start of the year we may have been a little naive because we get to play on a nice grass field every day here. We need to make sure when we go away to places like Detroit or Indy that we switch our mindset and get ready for those tough games. A lot of it comes down to winning individual duels and focusing on ourselves, even when we're in a tough environment."
Leo's Back
In all the excitement of last week's comeback win it could be easy to overlook the importance of Leo Fernandes's contribution off the bench. Coming off the bench in the 75th minute, Fernandes made his first appearance since being sidelined by a calf injury in early June. The Rowdies longest tenured player recorded an assist on Damian Rivera's stoppage time goal, which was Fernandes' 31st assist for the Rowdies across all competitions. Fernandes is now nearing Rowdies legend Georgi Hristov's modern-era club record of 33 assists. Moreover, the assist on Rivera's tally was Fernandes' first goal contribution since tearing his Achilles in the 2023 preseason.
Scouting Monterey Bay
It's been an eventful week for the Rowdies hosts. On Wednesday, Monterey Bay parted ways with Sporting Director and Head Coach Frank Yallop, who has served in those roles for the past two and a half seasons. Yallop is the head coach in Monterey Bay's short history. He departs the club with a record of 33 wins, 44 losses, and 18 draws. The club also announced the departure of assistant coach Ramiro Corrales. No interim coach has been announced yet to handle coaching duties for Monterey Bay on Saturday, but the club did indicate a new head coach will be announced on Monday.
Monterey Bay makes the coaching move while sitting 8th in the Western Conference standings, holding a tenuous grasp on the last playoff spot out west. The club has yet to qualify for the playoffs since it joined the league in 2022. Scoring consistently has been an issue for Monterey Bay throughout this year's campaign. Only three teams in the league have tallied fewer goals than Monterey Bay, who have notched 19 goals through 21 matches.
"Like any west coast team, [Monterey Bay] have got key players in the wider areas," said Neilson. "We'll have to deal with that. Having watched their game against Louisville last week, there are areas where we think we can get at them. So there will be a little focus on them, but the majority of our preparations will be on how we want to play."
Availability Report
OUT: Forrest Lasso, Nick Moon
MATCHDAY 21 INFO
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Monterey Bay FC
Saturday, August 3, 10 p.m. ET
Cardinale Stadium, Seaside, CA
2024 League Records:
Rowdies: 11W-4L-5D, 38 pts, 3rd East (4-3-3 on the road)
Monterey Bay: 7W-9L-5D, 26 pts, 8th West (4-2-4 at home)
Tune In: Saturday's match will be available to stream exclusively on CBS Sports Golazo.
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