Preview: Rowdies vs Loudoun United

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USL Tampa Bay Rowdies

Preview: Rowdies vs Loudoun United

August 16, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release


Matchday 23 Info:

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs LOUDOUN UNITED FC

Saturday, August 11, 7:30 p.m. ET

Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL

2024 League Records:

Rowdies: 11W-4L-7D, 40 pts, 3rd East (7-1-2 at home)

Loudoun: 8W-8L-6D, 30 pts, 8th West (1-5-4 on the road)

Matchday Special: Gates open early at Al Lang for Saturday's drink special. Fans can enjoy $5 Bud Light beer from 6 until kickoff at 7:30 pm.

Tune In: Saturday's match will be broadcast locally on Tampa Bay 44 and available to stream on ESPN+.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies return home this Saturday carrying a six-match unbeaten streak. Lining up against the Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium this weekend will be Loudoun United, who happen to be the last team to hand Tampa Bay a defeat. The Rowdies fell 2-0 on the road to Loudun United on June 29.

While the Rowdies remain unbeaten since the start of July, they come home disappointed to have only earned two draws in back-to-back road trips, including last week's scoreless stalemate versus Phoenix Rising FC.

"We always want three points on the road," said Rowdies Captain Aaron Guillen. "We played against a very good team, a team that likes to have the ball. They gave us some challenges and at the end of the day we did well to keep the clean sheet. One point on the road is not always bad, but we wanted three points."

Saturday will be the first rematch of the season for the Rowdies as they commence their second run through the Eastern Conference table. All but one of Tampa Bay's remaining 12 matches will be against Eastern Conference foes. So far, the Rowdies have posted 6 wins, 2 losses, and 3 draws against Eastern Conference foes.

"When we were (at Loudoun) we obviously had a disappointing result," said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. "We found it really difficult on the surface... Its kind of down to implementing how we want to play. We should have that overload in the midfield area so we should be able to play through, because we found that quite difficult to do that up there on their surface."

Busy Week Ahead

Saturday's match kicks off a busy three-match stretch for the Rowdies at home. Following Loudoun United, the Rowdies will face off with Detroit City FC on Wednesday, August 21 and then Miami FC on Saturday, August 24. The Rowdies will aim to take all nine points from these matches as they continue trying to gain ground on second place Charleston and first place Louisville. To accomplish that, expect the Rowdies to rely on their depth over the next week.

"These games are massive, as every game is when you're trying to win the league," said Neilson. "It's important, especially at home, that you pick up three points. For me, it's more about the excitement of going back to Al Lang, the boys enjoying it and scoring goals and really just playing our game."

Farr's 40-Shutout Milestone

Rowdies keeper marked a major milestone in last week's scoreless draw in Phoenix. The 29-year-old posted four saves to earn his 9th clean sheet of the year, becoming only the eighth keeper in league history to record 40 regular season shutouts. Farr reached the mark in his 111th regular season appearance in the league. Farr's shutout percentage of 36 percent currently ranks third in the Championship among players with at least 40 shutouts in the league's history, trailing only Sacramento Republic FC keeper Danny Vitiello and former Charleston Battery keeper Odisnel Cooper, who recorded 40 shutouts in 110 regular season appearances in his career.

Scouting Loudoun

Loudoun United sits eighth in the Eastern Conference standings heading into Saturday, holding on to the final playoff spot. Since beating the Rowdies at the end of June, Loudoun United has won only two of their last six outings.

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