Matchday 7 Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies at San Diego Loyal SC
Sunday, April 23, 6 pm ET
Torero Stadium, San Diego Loyal SC
Watch: Stream the match on ESPN+.
After a weekend off, the Rowdies are ready to resume USL Championship play this Sunday. The Rowdies will make their first-ever road trip to face San Diego Loyal SC, who currently sit third in the Western Conference standings at the start of the weekend. Now lead by Head Coach Nate Miller, who previously served as an assistant coach with the club, San Diego are unbeaten in their last three matches and have only dropped one match so far this year.
The Rowdies suffered a 2-1 defeat to Charleston the last time they took the field, conceding a heartbreaking stoppage-time goal against the run of play. It was a tough result for the Rowdies to swallow coming off their first win of the campaign the week before.
“It’s always tough to concede a goal like that last minute. It’s always gutting,” said defender Jordan Doherty. “The thing about football is you’ve always got the next game, so right now it’s important for us to go into the next game and focus on ourselves, focus on our performance as a team. If we perform well, the results will look after themselves.”
Sunday will be just the second time Tampa Bay has met San Diego in a competitive match. The two sides battled a year ago almost to the day at Al Lang Stadium. Similar to the Charleston loss last week, the Rowdies allowed a late goal to give San Diego a 3-2 result.
“We know there’s things we need to do better,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “It’s about building on the positives, building on the things we’ve done well, and then of course trying to improve those areas where we can do better. We get to work on the training ground and work with individuals on making them better and getting ready to go and play a tough team in San Diego on the road. It’s a great game, a great opportunity for us.
Spaulding Joins Up
The Rowdies made one addition to the squad this week’s ahead of this Sunday’s matchup in San Diego, bringing in left wingback Ryan Spaulding on loan from Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution. After a full week of training with his new teammates, Spaulding will be available for selection against San Diego. While the Rowdies would love to see an impact on the field this week, the hope is for Spaulding to boost competition squad overall the rest of the way.
“Bringing in Ryan on loan is a huge addition for us,” said Collins. “We’ve been missing on that left side. Since preseason, it’s been an area we’ve been looking to add, especially with a couple of injuries we’ve picked up. He’ll definitely come in and bring a balance to the team, and most importantly competition. I think competition is vital. Everyone has to earn the right to wear the jersey. Ryan will certainly come in and add to that competition.”
Ekra’s Milestone Moments
Rowdies veteran midfielder Yann Ekra is poised for two potential milestone moments this weekend in San Diego. Ekra will be making his 252nd USL Championship regular-season appearance in his next league match, establishing a new all-time league record. His next match for the Rowdies will also be his 100th appearance for the club since joining at the start of the 2019 season.
Injury Report
OUT: Leo Fernandes (Achilles/Out for Season)
Questionable: Zach Herivaux, Jake Areman
