Prewiew: Rowdies vs Louisville
Published on April 18, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
The Tampa Bay Rowdies close out a busy three-day stretch with a matchup against Eastern Conference rivals Louisville City FC at Al Lang Stadium this Saturday. Louisville, last year's USL Championship Players' Shield winners, are off to a strong start in 2025. They are currently sitting second in the conference standings as the lone unbeaten team left in the east.
The Rowdies are set to play their next six straight league matches at Al Lang. They'll look to use the advantage of the lengthy home stretch to swing momentum in their favor after picking up just one win in their first five league matches.
"Louisville are obviously a great team," said Rowdies Interim Head Coach Steve Coleman. "They ran away with the conference last year. How they go about things is a real challenge to face. The history and rivalry between our two clubs adds a different dimension as well. Definitely looking forward to the match and definitely looking forward to playing in front of the home fans at Al Lang again and using them to drive us to get the result we're striving for."
Going in the Distance Naples
It took 120 minutes of play and a 10-round penalty shootout for the Rowdies to advance past FC Naples on Wednesday night in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The short turnaround for Saturday's match against Louisville after a physically and emotionally draining Open Cup match presents a challenge for a Rowdies squad carrying a few injuries at the moment.
"We were together for 120 minutes and penalties.," said Coleman. "The last penalty missed and the team all celebrated together... The result was the most important thing on Wednesday. It's all about us being together and making sure we can come through these difficult games and opponents with a spirit of togetherness and making sure we're heading in the right direction as we progress from here."
Rowdies Debuts
Wednesday's Open Cup bout offered the chance for a couple of Rowdies newcomers to make their club debut. Defender Joey Skinner and goalkeeper Ethan Bandre both earned starting nods against Naples. Both played all 120 minutes for the Rowdies in the contest and delivered in the dramatic penalty shootout. Skinner converted on his penalty attempt, while Bandre made a key save in the fourth round of penalties to keep the Rowdies alive.
Rowdies Availability Report
OUT:Blake Bodily, Lewis Hilton, Nick Moon
QUESTIONABLE: Lawrence Wyke
USL Championship Matchday 06
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Louisville City FC
Saturday, April 19, 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL
2025 League Records:
Rowdies: 1W-4L-0D, 3pts, 10th East (0-1-0 at home)
Louisville: 3W-0L-2D, 12 pts, 1st East (1-0-2 on the road)
Postmatch Fireworks: Stick around after the final whistle to catch a postmatch fireworks show from down on the field.
Tune In:Tampa Bay 44, CBS Sports Golazo Networks
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