Al Lang Stadium
Saturday, April 9
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: ESPN+
Miami, Fla. (Friday, April 8) – The Miami Football Club arrives at St. Petersburg, Fla., to face state rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, April 9. Miami FC returns to USL Championship action after a 3-0 victory against Miami United in a midweek U.S. Open Cup second-round fixture.
U.S. Open Cup second-round win, a step in the right direction
Forwards Adonijah Reid and Kyle Murphy scored their first goal of the 2022 campaign against Miami United, while forward Romeo Parkes scored his second consecutive goal in back-to-back substitute appearances. Fellow Reggae Boy Lamar Walker was involved in the scoring, drawing the penalty Murphy converted in the first half and assisting Parkes’ goal in the second half. On the defensive end, goalkeeper Connor Sparrow kept a clean sheet in his first game back from injury after missing the previous three matches.
Now, the focus turns back to the USL Championship. Miami FC looks to break a three-game winless streak by finding its second league win of the season. However, the task will not be easy, with the team traveling Northwest to face the Rowdies, who sit third in the Eastern Conference after two wins and three draws.
Miami FC looks for its third win against Tampa Bay Rowdies since its Cinderella run to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals in 2017, where the Orange and Blue took down the Rowdies at FIU Stadium 2-0. Since then, the record between the two sides sits at 2-5-1 in favor of Tampa Bay. Miami’s latest win against the Rowdies happened last season, with former captain Ariel Martinez and left-back Othello Bah scoring a 2-1 home success.
The South Florida side aims to win its first match against Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium.
Injuries
Callum Chapman-Page – Questionable
Christian Sorto – Questionable
Luca Antonelli – Questionable
About Tampa Bay Rowdies
Tampa Bay Rowdies are coming off a 6-0 home win against USL League 2 side The Villages FC in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup. With the win, the Rowdies snapped a two-game winless streak after consecutive league draws against Hartford Athletic at home and Oakland Roots away.
Forward Jake LaCava is the danger man in attack for the Rowdies. The 21-year-old forward has found early success during his loan move from New York Red Bulls, scoring three goals in five appearances for Tampa Bay so far this season. Another player to watch out for is goalkeeper CJ Cochran, who earned USL Championship Team of the Week honors for his four saves and clean sheet against Oakland.
Up next for Miami FC
Miami FC hosts Hartford Athletic at FIU Stadium on Saturday, April 16, at 7 p.m. ET. The last meeting between the two sides ended in a one-all draw at Hartford in August 2021.
The Hawks currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference with only one point to its name. They will face Birmingham Legion on Sunday before traveling to face Miami next weekend. Fans can buy tickets for the game here.
