The Rowdies Take on the Austin Aztex Tonight at 7:30 P.M.
September 16, 2010 - U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 (USSF D-2)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
The FC Tampa Bay Rowdies take on the Austin Aztex at George M. Steinbrenner Field tonight, Thursday, September 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Prior to kickoff on Thursday, fans can enjoy Thirsty Thursday with $1 beers from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Fans will also be treated to a celebrity game during the Anheuser Busch/Pepin halftime. Local Bay area celebrities expected to attend include former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Martin Gramatica and Shelton Quarles, former Rowdies Neill Roberts, Farrukh Quraishi, Peter Ward, Peter Anderson and Wes McLeod, and media personalities Mike Pepper, Meredith from 93.3 FLZ, Victoria Lim and Charley Belcher.
After tonight, the Rowdies have one more road game against the Montreal Impact on September 19, followed by two homes games on September 24 against NSC Minnesota and October 1 against Crystal Palace Baltimore to close out the regular season.
Tickets to tonight's match can be purchased at the Yankees Box Office at Steinbrenner Field.
Impact of Tonight's Match on Rowdies Playoff Chances and Other Qualifiers
As the regular season comes to a close, the sense of urgency and anticipation surrounding the playoff standings seems to grow exponentially.
Teams that have already clinched spots in the playoffs are the Rochester Rhinos (51 points), Austin Aztex (49), Vancouver Whitecaps (44) and Portland Timbers (42). With four more spots up for grabs, the last few weeks of the season will be crucial.
Still realistically vying for playoff spots are FC Tampa Bay, AC St. Louis, Minnesota Stars, Montreal Impact, Carolina RailHawks and Puerto Rico Islanders.
For the Rowdies, the playoff picture is not as bleak as it may appear, as just six points separate Tampa Bay from number eight seed NSC Minnesota, and the Rowdies have the benefit of having played two less games entering tonight's match with Austin. The two teams face off in Minnesota's season finale in Tampa next Friday, September 24 in what is shaping up as a possible play-in game.
Tampa Bay still controls its postseason destiny if it can win a few key matches down the stretch. The result of Minnesota's contest this Saturday night against Vancouver will also have an impact on what the Rowdies need to do in their final games.
If Minnesota loses to Vancouver, a Tampa Bay win over Minnesota and a win in one of any of its other three remaining matches gets the nRowdies into the playoffs. If the Stars tie or defeat Vancouver, the Rowdies would need to match those points.
Here is a look at the playoff contenders with their current point total, maximum number of points they can reach and their remaining schedules.
PLAYOFF CONTENDERS REMAINING GAMES
Carolina RailHawks: 38 points (Maximum possible total: 47)
at Baltimore, vs. Puerto Rico, vs. Austin
Puerto Rico Islanders: 36 points (Maximum possible total: 45)
at Portland, vs. Carolina, at Miami
Montreal Impact: 34 points (Maximum possible total: 43)
vs. Tampa Bay, at Vancouver, vs. Austin
NSC Minnesota Stars: 34 points (Maximum possible total: 40)
vs. Vancouver, at Tampa Bay
FC Tampa Bay: 28 points (Maximum possible total: 40)
vs. Austin, at Montreal, vs. Minnesota, vs. Baltimore
AC St Louis: 26 points (Maximum possible total: 38)
vs. Austin, at Miami, at Austin, vs. Rochester
U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Stories from September 16, 2010
- Timbers Face Islanders in Puerto Rico Saturday - Portland Timbers
- Miami FC Plays Final Road Game of Season Against Rochester - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Palace Baltimore Set to Face Carolina at Home - Crystal Palace Baltimore
- The Rowdies Take on the Austin Aztex Tonight at 7:30 P.M. - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- NSC Minnesota Stars Top RailHawks 1-0 in Rain-Soaked Game - Minnesota United FC
- RailHawks Fall to Stars 1-0 in Minnesota - North Carolina FC
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
