Rowdies Aim to Continue Hot Streak in Charlotte
June 4, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Charlotte Indpendence
Saturday, June 5, 7 p.m. ET
Sportsplex at Matthews, Matthews, NC
Watch: The match can be viewed on ESPN+.
Follow Along: Live updates for the match will be posted on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday. Score Updates will also be posted on the Rowdies' Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies look to continue to their perfect start to the season this Saturday against the Charlotte Independence. Wednesday's 1-0 win at New York Red Bulls II gave this year's Rowdies squad unique status as the first ever to win to five matches straight out of the gate.
Another win this weekend would match the USL Championship's record of six consecutive wins to kick off a season, which is currently held by the 2011 Richmond Kickers and 2012 Rochester Rhinos. In three trips to Charlotte since joining the USL Championship, the Rowdies have always taken at least a point back home (1 win, 2 draws).
Saturday's match will be the first time the Rowdies take the field on short rest. With only a days in between matches, Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins could shake up the starting XI more than he has in recent weeks. Forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith impressed making his first start on Wednesday as scored the winning goal off a well-executed counterattack. Other newcomers could be in line for their first starts as well if Collins chooses to give some of the regular contributors a break during this busy stretch.
One notable newcomer did have his first shot at minutes on Wednesday. Forward Foster Langsdorf made his Rowdies debut as a late substitute, just a few hours after the announcement of his loan from Major League Soccer's Minnesota United. Langsdorf had just three training sessions with his new teammates before the match. As attackers Lucky Mkosana, Juan Tejada and Steevan Dos Santos all recover from their injuries, the Rowdies will count on Langsdorf having a quick and smooth transition into the club.
"Really difficult for (Foster) coming into that environment, so credit to him," said Collins. "He really put in a shift for us and won a couple of free kicks for us at important times. We'd like to get Foster more of the ball in around the box because that's where he's dangerous. He came on and did a great job for the team. To get him (on loan) is huge. It's a good opportunity to be out there (against New York) and at least see through the victory. I'm sure we'll see more of him over the coming weeks.
Rowdies keeper Evan Louro had his busiest night of the year so far going up against his former club on Wednesday. Louro was asked to make 5 saves on the night, after recording 8 in the previous four matches. His two most crucial saves at New York came in the 90th minute, as he parried away threatening free kick and then stymied another effort from point-blank range just a few seconds later.
Opposition Notes
Tampa Bay's winning streak began with a 3-0 victory over Charlotte in the season opener on May 1. After that match, Charlotte recorded back-to-back win, but the club fell 2-1 to Miami in its most recent outing last weekend. Forward Irvin Parra leads the team with three goals tallied in the two victories. Since these two sides last met, Charlotte has also re-signed USL veteran attacker Dane Kelly, who bagged 11 goals for the club in 2020. Kelly returns after a brief stint with Bnei Sakhnin F.C. in Israel. So far, the Jamaican born forward has made just one appearance off the bench since re-signing.
Saturday night will serve as Charlotte's home opener, though the club won't be playing at its new permanent home of American Legion Memorial Stadium. Renovations on that venue won't be done until July, so Charlotte will be playing at its home of the last several seasons, the Sportsplex at Matthews.
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