MATCHDAY INFO:
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Indy Eleven
Saturday, March 11, 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL
Tickets: Fans can purchase tickets for the match here or at the Al Lang box office starting at 4 pm on matchday.
Pre-Game Fan Zone: From 5:30 to 7:30 outside of Gate 2 at every home match this year, fans are invited to the Rowdies Pre-game Fan Zone featuring a DJ, face painters for young fans, interactive soccer games for fans of all ages, shaved ice from the club’s new partner Kona Ice, and many more activities.
Big Storm Brewing Sampling: Stop by the Big Storm Brewing sampling table in the midfield area of Al Lang to sample some of Big Storm’s brews.
Watch: Can’t make it to Al Lang? Stream the match on ESPN+.
NEW FACES, OLD FACES
The Tampa Bay Rowdies kick off their seventh season in the USL Championship at Al Lang Stadium this Saturday against Eastern Conference foe Indy Eleven.
“When you’re starting a new season, I think it’s always great to start at home,” said Rowdies wing back Conner Antley. “I know we want to start on the front foot. Indy’s going to be a good team. They’re bringing a lot of talented players, but the staff have done a great job preparing us to go out there and get a win.”
Both squads have retooled their rosters in the offseason. For the Tampa Bay, the aim is for the changes to help them get over the last hurdle and claim a championship after reaching three straight conference titles and the league final two of the last three years. Meanwhile, Indy is hoping its refresh is enough to get the club in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The Rowdies have undergone their largest overhaul since the 2019 new season. Ten players on this year’s squad were not with Rowdies last season.
“We’ll really start learning about the group this weekend,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. Expectations are high as you can expect. We’ve kept a lot core guys that have been successful. The guys that we’ve added have all shown a real desire to be here. They all want to be here for all the right reasons. That’s a great starting point.”
However, two of those players who are very familiar to the Rowdies system and culture. Two-time USL Championship Defender of the Year Forrest Lasso has returned to Tampa Bay after a year spent playing in Sweden. Also returning is Irishman Jordan Doherty, who went back to his home country for the 2022 season but has chosen to rejoin the Rowdies for his fourth season. Both players are likely to play key roles for the Rowdies once again this year.
One new face to Indy’s squad is a familiar one to Rowdies supporters. Tampa Bay’s all-time leading scorer Sebastian Guenzatti now calls Indy home and will be returning to Al Lang this Saturday with the goal of taking three point off his former side. He joins several USL veterans in Jack Black, Cameron Lindley, and Aodhan Quinn as part of Indy’s rebuild.
Losing Leo
There’s no getting around the hole left by 2022 USL Championship MVP Leo Fernandes’ season-ending Achilles injury during preseason. With 19 goals and 9 assists, Fernandes accounted for nearly half of Tampa Bay’s league-leading 73 goals last year.
Even before Fernande suffered his injury the Rowdies were looking to bolster their attacking with reinforcements. Forwards JJ Williams and Cal Jennings were signed after proving to be consistent producers in the USL. Jennings posted two straight 11-goal seasons while on loan to Las Vegas Lights FC from MLS’ LAFC. Williams is coming off career season last year with 12 goals in USL play despite dealing with a transfer from Tulsa to Phoenix midway through the year.
Milestone Tracker
• Center back Aaron Guillen and midfielder Yann Ekra are nearing their 100th appearance for the Rowdies. Each player stands at 93 appearances heading into the new season.
• Jake Areman is nearing his 100th regular-season appearance. He currently has 98 appearances under his belt.
• Lewis Hilton is one assist away from his 30th regular-season assist in the USL Championship.
Lucky Mkosana is two goals away from his 50th regular-season goal in the USL Championship.
Injury Report
OUT: Connor Sparrow, Leo Fernandes (season ending injury)
