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The Basics
Nashville SC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Wednesday, May 8, 8 p.m. ET
First Tennessee Park, Nashville, Tennessee
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday

How to Watch
The match will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and online via ESPN3. International viewers can watch the match here.

Records
Tampa Bay: 4-0-5 (W-L-T); 2-0-2 on road; 3rd place 
Nashville: 4-2-2 (W-L-T); 2-1-0 at home; 6th place

Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies head to Nashville following back-to-back draws at home against the Charlotte Independence and on the road against the Indy Eleven. Those were the last two matches of a three-match week that ended May 1. The Rowdies have had a full week of prep leading into this match.

Tampa Bay’s draw against Indy came despite the Eleven being reduced to 10 men by Paddy Barrett’s second yellow card just 20 minutes into the match. The Rowdies were unable to capitalize on their man advantage which lasted more than 70 minutes. Tampa Bay took 15 shots but none were on target. It was the first time this season the Rowdies failed to record a shot on target.

The Rowdies are the last remaining unbeaten team in the Eastern Conference. This is the first time in 10 seasons of modern Rowdies history that the team has made it to the month of May without a loss. If the Rowdies avoid defeat in Nashville, their 10-match unbeaten streak would tie a Modern Era franchise record. That record was originally set between June 22 and September 21 of 2013.

Rowdies goalkeeper John McCarthy made four saves and overcame a late injury scare to keep his fifth clean sheet of the season in Indianapolis. He is tied for the league lead in clean sheets and fourth in the league in saves. Tampa Bay has allowed four goals all season and is yet to conceded twice in a single match.

Flipping a trend from recent seasons on its head, Tampa Bay has actually been slightly better on the road than at home this season. In four road matches, the Rowdies have earned 2.0 points per game compared to 1.8 points per game from five home matches.

The Rowdies will once again be without a quartet of players due to injury. Forwards Malik Johnson and Jaime Siaj are yet to play this season due to lingering injuries. Defender Shawn Barry and midfielder Yann Ekra picked up ankle injuries on back-to-back days on the Rowdies bye weekend April 19 and 20, respectively. Both were key contributors prior to their injuries.

Injury Report
OUT: F Malik Johnson (separated shoulder)
OUT: F Jaime Siaj (quad strain)
DOUBTFUL: D Shawn Barry (ankle)
DOUBTFUL: M Yann Ekra (ankle)

TAMPA (May 2, 2019) – The United Soccer League is proud to announce the 33 USL clubs that will compete in the USL Academy Cup, a new event beginning this year featuring the country’s elite youth players from the U-13 and U-17 age groups. This announcement comes off the back of the unveiling of the league’s vision for an Academy system and begins with the Academy Cup serving as a forerunner to the first-ever USL Academy League, built to provide a clear youth-to-pro path in each USL community.

“This year’s cup competition is the first big step toward building a league model for all of our academies,” said USL CEO Alec Papadakis. “You can see from both the number and quality of teams participating that there’s a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for what we’re looking to accomplish. We see this as an integral part of our organization, and the foundation of this league for years to come.”

The cup competition will see academy teams from all three levels of the USL represented, with clubs from the Championship, League One, and League Two all competing against one another. These events will be designed to better identify and accelerate the development of elite youth players with the potential to reach the professional ranks.

“These challenging competitions will provide valuable developmental opportunities for our youth players and we’re thrilled to help grow this initiative with other strong USL Academies,” said John Bradford, Boys Development Academy Director and Assistant Coach with North Carolina FC. “As a league, the USL continues to push player development and now has a full pathway for players from the youth to professional environments with the USL Academy Cup, League Two, League One, and the Championship.”

The makeup of the competition will include 22 teams representing the USL Championship, with three League One clubs and eight League Two clubs rounding out a growing footprint that already reaches 21 states across the country.

“The USL Academy Cup is a testament to the great work being done by leaders in youth development across the country and shows a strong belief in supporting environments that will push our top youth players to grow and evolve,” said Liam O’Connell, USL Sr. Director of Youth Development. “We are incredibly proud to launch this competition this year and to see our clubs continue to take on an even bigger role in driving the growth of our game for many years to come.”

As a part of USL’s growth, the Academy Cup will lead into the Academy League, a player-focused, club-driven league designed to serve as the gold standard of youth development. Aligning with the USL’s vision, clubs will participate at the highest level of competition in their respective age ranges with a goal to improve club and coaching development as well as provide the optimal environment for player growth.

For information on conference alignment, competition structure, and the latest on the USL Academy initiatives, visit USL-Academy.com.

INDIANAPOLIS (May 2, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies earned their fifth draw in seven matches Wednesday night, dueling the Indy Eleven to a 0-0 result at Lucas Oil Stadium. It felt like something of a missed opportunity after Indy was reduced to 10 men just 20 minutes into the match, but it did preserve the Rowdies unbeaten record this year.

Here’s Three Things from the match…

1. Schedule chaos
Wednesday night’s final whistle brought a very long week to an end for the Rowdies, closing their third match in eight days. The Rowdies beat Atlanta United 2 4-1 on the road last Wednesday, flew home for a 1-1 draw against the Charlotte Independence on Saturday night and then hit the road again to take on one of the preseason USL Championship favorites Wednesday night.

Going back to last Tuesday, the Rowdies had their usual short day-before-game training session before flying back to Atlanta. They played Wednesday night and returned to Tampa Bay late Thursday afternoon. Friday morning, the Rowdies trained in driving rain with Wednesday’s starters excused from the session early to get some recovery in. The Rowdies played Saturday night and had Sunday off from team activities. After training Monday, the Rowdies flew to Indianapolis on Tuesday and again had a short day-before-game training session. Playing the third match on artificial turf with American football lines was just an extra challenge.

To escape from a three-game stretch with two road games unscathed is hugely positive, even if the Rowdies would ideally have wanted more than five points from the three matches. Finally, the Rowdies have a week between matches, though two of those days will be designated for travel to return from Indianapolis today and then fly to Nashville next Tuesday.

Four Rowdies played all 270 minutes with Caleb Richards playing 269. Sebastian Guenzatti was taken out of the Saturday night match in second-half stoppage time but still officially recorded 270 minutes.

2. Stuck in the neutral zone
After failing to keep a clean sheet for three matches — a long stretch by Rowdies standards this year — Tampa Bay did post its fifth shutout in nine matches Wednesday night. Following Indy’s 20th minute red card, the Eleven was always pretty unlikely to score in the match, but John McCarthy did still need to make four saves to reclaim the league lead in shutouts by himself.

The match played out as you would have expected after Paddy Barrett’s early dismissal. The Rowdies had more than 60 percent possession and the average position chart shows eight Rowdies camped out in Indy’s defensive half, plus Mohamed Kone just short of the halfway line. Only McCarthy and Pape Diakite were further back than the center circle.

Curiously, Indy’s average position isn’t as deep as it sometimes felt. The space between the top of Indy’s 18-yard box and halfway line has 14 of the 22 combined starters in it, showing that the Eleven effectively plugged the middle of the field with a medium block to stifle the Rowdies. Add in the substitutes and that area of the field is seriously clogged.

Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins used all three of his substitutes on forwards but Tampa Bay still couldn’t find a way through. For the final nine minutes plus stoppage time, five forwards were all on the field together with attacking midfielder Andrew Tinari. The Rowdies only have seven forwards on the roster and two missed the match due to injury.

3. Setting a new bar
In last week’s win over Indianapolis, the Rowdies set what is believed to be a new Modern Era record for youngest starting lineup ever at 24.1 years of age. That record was broken last night by a hair, with the Rowdies dropping their average ago to 24.0 due to Mohamed Kone (25 years old) replacing Tarek Morad (26 years old) on the back line.

By comparison, Indy’s starting lineup checked in at 28.4 years old Wednesday. That may seem like a small difference numerically, but an average of 4.4 years of additional professional experience across the board is huge.

Still, the Rowdies youngsters more than held their own against Indy. Tampa Bay’s central midfield trio of Dom Oduro, Jordan Doherty and Andrew Tinari average just 21.7 years old. Indy’s four midfielders averaged 31.25 years old, nearly a decade of experience over the Rowdies.

Add in a 22-year old forward in Juan Tejada and a 20-year old defender in Caleb Richards and you can see how much room Tampa Bay has to grow as this season progresses.

INDIANAPOLIS (May 1, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies couldn’t convert their man advantage Wednesday night, settling for a scoreless draw against the Indy Eleven at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Before the match, the Rowdies likely would have been happy with a point from a difficult road match, but expectations changed after Paddy Barrett’s 20th minute dismissal for the home team.

Tampa Bay (4-0-5, 17 points) played with an extra man for 70 minutes but couldn’t find a way to unlock the Eleven’s (4-2-1, 13 points) compact defense despite putting five forwards on the field in the second half.

Barrett was booked for shoving Mohamed Kone in the 13th minute and was guilty of fouling Sebastian Guenzatti just seven minutes later to earn his second yellow card of the night and put his side down to 10 men. Just before his first card, Barrett had the match’s best scoring chance, putting a header on frame from point-blank range only to see Rowdies goalkeeper John McCarthy deny him.

Once Indy went down to 10 men, it sat deep in a shell with the ball rarely leaving the Eleven’s half. For long stretches, it was seven Rowdies attackers going against 10 men sitting deep for Indy. Only 10.1 percent of the match was played in the Rowdies defensive third.

Playing their third match in eight days (including two road trips), the Rowdies didn’t find a way to break through. Tampa Bay posted 15 shots but none were on target. Nearly half of those came from outside the box.

Indy, meanwhile, only took seven shots but put four on target. McCarthy saved all of them and overcame a late injury scare to post his fifth clean sheet in nine matches. It appeared McCarthy would be forced out of the match with an apparent arm injury in the 73rd minute after challenging Dane Kelly for a ball, but he managed to stay in the game.

Up next, the Rowdies will enjoy a weekend off from competition before they visit Nashville SC next Wednesday night in a match that will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

Caution Summary
Indy: Paddy Barrett – 13th minute
Indy: Paddy Barrett – 20th minute (second yellow and red card)
Tampa Bay: Leon Taylot – 88th minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (3-5-2): GK John McCarthy; D Mohamed Kone, Pape Diakite, Caleb Richards; M David Najem (Antoine Hoppenot 63′), Dom Oduro, Andrew Tinari, Jordan Doherty (Leon Taylor 46′), Leo Fernandes (Brandon Allen 81′); F Sebastian Guenzatti (c), Juan Tejada

Indy XI (4-4-2): GK Evan Newton; D Alex Crognale, Paddy Barrett, Neveal Hackshaw, Ayoze; M Tyler Pasher (Karl Ouimette 26′), Tyler Gibson, Matt Watson, Kenney Walker; F Thomas Enevoldsen (Nico Matern 90+3′), Dane Kelly (Alioune Diakhite 75′)

The Basics
Indy Eleven vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Wednesday, May 1, 7 p.m. ET
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday

How to Watch
The match will be broadcast online on ESPN+ here. International viewers can watch the match here.

Records
Tampa Bay: 4-0-4 (W-L-T); 2-0-1 on road; 3rd place 
Indy: 4-2-0 (W-L-T); 1-0-0 at home; 6th place

Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies head to Indianapolis after a 1-1 draw at 
home against the Charlotte Independence on Saturday night. The Rowdies fell behind in the 11th minute before Sebastian Guenzatti equalized with his team-high fifth goal of the season six minutes later. Neither side would score again. That result saw the Rowdies fall from first place in the East to third.

Despite being held to a draw against Charlotte, the Rowdies still posted one of their best statistical performances Saturday night. The Rowdies posted season-high totals in passes completed (547), passing accuracy (86.1 percent) and possession (65.6 percent). Their nine shots on target were one short of tying a season high. Independence goalkeeper Curtis Anderson made eight saves in the match.

The Rowdies are the last remaining unbeaten team in the East and lead the entire USL Championship with a goal difference of +10. This is the first time in 10 seasons on modern Rowdies history that the team has made it to the month of May without a loss.

Tampa Bay hasn’t kept a clean sheet since April 6, conceding a goal in three consecutive matches. The Rowdies still have the best defensive record in the Championship though having conceded just four goals all year. 

Flipping a trend from recent seasons on its head, Tampa Bay has actually been slightly better on the road than at home this season. In three road matches, the Rowdies have earned 2.33 points per game compared to 1.8 points per game from five home matches.

The Rowdies will once again be without a quartet of players due to injury. Forwards Malik Johnson and Jaime Siaj are yet to play this season due to lingering injuries. Defender Shawn Barry and midfielder Yann Ekra picked up ankle injuries on back-to-back days on the Rowdies bye weekend April 19 and 20, respectively. Both were key contributors prior to their injuries.

Injury Report
OUT: F Malik Johnson (separated shoulder)
OUT: F Jaime Siaj (quad strain)
DOUBTFUL: D Shawn Barry (ankle)
DOUBTFUL: M Yann Ekra (ankle)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 30, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies will host either the Lakeland Tropics or The Villages SC at Al Lang Stadium on Tuesday, May 14 in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with admission free to all, the club announced Tuesday.

Fans can enter the stadium beginning at 6 p.m. via the midfield gate on 1st St. SE. All other gates will be closed. Only the midfield seating sections will be open for match, plus select lower goal reserved seating in the main stadium bowl for Ralph’s Mob and supporters. Seating will be first-come, first-served general admission, but those with season tickets in Midfield Club or Midfield Reserve who wish to sit in their regular seats can contact their account executive to reserve their usual seat.

Those planning to attend do not need to reserve tickets as this is a non-ticketed event. They need only to enter the stadium via the midfield gate. Lot A will open at 5 p.m. with paid parking available.

Tampa Bay’s opponent will be determined May 7 when the Lakeland Tropics host The Villages SC in a First Round match at the Lake Myrtle Complex in Auburndale. Both clubs play in USL League Two, two divisions below the Rowdies.

The Second Round match will come after an off weekend for the Rowdies and before a Saturday night match against New York Red Bulls II on May 18. The winner will play a Third Round match on May 29. Those pairings and match locations have not yet been determined. Major League Soccer clubs enter the tournament in the Fourth Round.

This year’s U.S. Open Cup is the 106th edition of the tournament, which has crowned a champion annually since 1914. All matches will be streamed via ESPN+, the same streaming provider that broadcasts Rowdies matches during the USL Championship season.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 28, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies didn’t get the result they wanted Saturday night but they still found a way to preserve their unbeaten record after falling behind early.

Heres’ Three Things from the match…

1. Turn the calendar
For the first time in 10 seasons of modern Rowdies history, the Tampa Bay Rowdies have made it to the month of May without a loss on their record. April isn’t quite over yet, but last night’s result guaranteed the Rowdies will play May 1 against the Indy Eleven with a zero in the loss column.

That stat is somewhat surprising as this year is the earliest Tampa Bay has ever kicked off a season. From 2010 to 2016, the Rowdies season kicked off in early- to mid-April, even as late at April 16 in 2010 and April 12 in 2014. Last year the Rowdies failed to make it out of March before suffering their first loss, a 1-0 defeat to Louisville on March 31.

Due to Saint Louis FC’s victory over the Swope Park Rangers on Saturday night, the Rowdies dropped to second place in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference. Even with that in mind, Tampa Bay hasn’t had too much to complain about. The Rowdies have drawn three matches at home (a total of six dropped points) but Neill Collins and company will feel that the Rowdies are likely to start turning those into wins sooner rather than later given the teams’ past home dominance.

“(Being undefeated) is a good psychological thing to have in our back pocket, but we’re going to play a tough team in Indy,” Collins said. “If we come out of that still undefeated, we’ll be delighted. It’s just the mentality of the boys. There are technical and tactical things we still need to improve, but their effort and attitude is why we’re still unbeaten.”

2. Guenzatti leads the way
Rowdies captain Sebastian Guenzatti continued his brilliant start to 2019 last night, netting his team-high fifth goal in eight matches to tie the match. The Uruguayan forward came into the year as the Rowdies leading returning scorer with seven goals in 2018, but he has nearly matched that total less than a quarter of the way into 2019.

His goal Saturday night came after a great touch to get the ball around Charlotte defender Andrew Gutman (on loan from Scottish powerhouse Celtic FC). His far post finish gave Charlotte goalkeeper Curtis Anderson (on loan from English powerhouse Manchester City) absolutely no chance of making the save.

In his postmatch interview, Guenzatti said he’s been happy to play as a forward this year after spending much of 2018 playing from a wide area.

Collins credited Guenzatti not only for his finishing class, but for the way he’s taken the responsibility of serving as captain.

“Sebastian is leading as you would expect a captain to lead,” Collins said. “He’s leading through his performances, his attitude and his effort. He typifies what we want at this club. He’s not the only one but he’s leading from the front. He’s got five goals and he could have a lot more. He’s becoming one of the top strikers in this league.”

As of Sunday morning, Guenzatti is tied for sixth best in the Championship with his five goals so far, just two goals off the pace set by a trio of Western Conference finishers.

3. Tinari’s influence grows
Andrew Tinari had to be patient at the start of the season but he’s quickly growing into a pivotal role in the center of the Rowdies midfield. Tinari joined the Rowdies this offseason from the New York Red Bulls II but could only get a spot on the bench in Tampa Bay’s first three matches of the season.

His first start came March 30 against Loudoun United FC, a 0-0 draw. Since then, Tinari has recorded either a goal or an assist in all four matches the Rowdies have played, posting two goals and two assists in five starts.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 27, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies continued their undefeated start to the season but dropped out of first place following a 1-1 draw at home against the Charlotte Independence on Saturday night.

The Rowdies (4-0-4, 16 points) remain the only unbeaten team in the Eastern Conference nearly one quarter of the way through the season.

Charlotte (1-5-2, 5 points) got on the board first via a Dominic Oduro goal in the 11th minute, but Tampa Bay’s Sebastian Guenzatti tied the match just six minutes later with his team-high fifth goal of the season. Neither side would score again.

The Rowdies played the match on short rest following Wednesday night’s explosive 4-1 win over Atlanta United 2 and didn’t seem to have that same cutting edge. It was Tampa Bay’s third home draw in five matches so far this season.

“Charlotte came here with a good game plan. We went behind early and the boys reacted fantastically well,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “Heading into halftime I think both teams missed opportunities. We just couldn’t find the way through. Tonight, given effort we put in Wednesday and the effort we put in tonight, I think we can take that point and move on.”

Guenzatti’s goal came from a turnover forced by Zach Steinberger. The ball bounced to Andrew Tinari, who then threaded a difficult pass to Guenzatti at the top of the box. Guenzatti took a touch to his right as Charlotte defender Andrew Gutman slid by then finished past Independence goalkeeper Curtis Anderson.

“I saw Tinari get the ball in the midfield and my first instinct was to go forward,” Guenzatti said. “I saw the defense step a little bit. He gave me a great ball and my first touch was great. I went far post and it went in.”

The Rowdies statistically dominated the visitors, tallying 66 percent possession and out-passing the opposition by 257 passes. Tampa Bay recorded nine shots on target compared to three for the Independence. Still, the teams split the points.

Tampa Bay will be back in action this coming Wednesday when they visit the Indy Eleven at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Rowdies next home match will be in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on May 14 against either the Lakeland Tropics or The Villages SC. Ticket information for that match will be released soon.

Scoring Summary
Charlotte: Dom Oduro – 11th minute (assisted by Steven Thicot)
Tampa Bay: Sebastian Guenzatti – 17th minute (assisted by Andrew Tinari

Caution Summary
Charlotte: Enzo Martinez – 25th minute
Tampa Bay: Dom Oduro – 30th minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (3-5-2): GK John McCarthy; D Tarek Morad, Pape Diakite, Caleb Richards (Jordan Doherty 89′); M Zach Steinberger (Antoine Hoppenot 66′), Dom Oduro, Sebastian Guenzatti (c), Dom Oduro, Leo Fernandes; F Juan Tejada, Brandon Allen (Leon Taylor 80′)

Charlotte XI (4-3-3): GK Curtis Anderson; D Hugh Roberts, Steven Thicot, Andrew Gutman, Joel Johnson; M Michael Maria, Alex Martinez (Jake Areman 84′), Afrim Taku; F Dom Oduro (Jorge Herrera 65′), Enzo Martinez (c), Abdoulie Mansally (Zyen Jones 81′)

The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Charlotte Independence
Saturday, April 27, 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday

Tickets
Tickets for Saturday’s match are available by calling (727) 222-2000 or clicking here. Gates will open at 6:30 p.m., 60 minutes before kickoff.

Headband Giveaway
All fans will receive a free Tampa Bay Rowdies headband while supplies last, courtesy of St. Anthony’s Hospital.

How to Watch
The match will be broadcast online on ESPN+ here. International viewers can watch online here.

Records
Tampa Bay: 4-0-3 (W-L-T), 1st place; 2-0-2 at home 
Charlotte: 1-5-1 (W-L-T), 16th place; 0-2-0 on road

Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies return home following an emphatic 4-1 road win over Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday night. The Rowdies fell behind in the 34th minute and then rallied for four unanswered goals to move to first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Rowdies are the last remaining unbeaten team in the East and lead the entire USL Championship with a goal difference of +10. No other team has a goal difference better than +6.

Tampa Bay was a little shorthanded Wednesday night with four players sidelined due to injury. Malik Johnson (shoulder), Jaime Siaj (quad), Shawn Barry (ankle) and Yann Ekra (ankle) all missed out. None of those four are expected to be available Saturday night against the Independence. In addition to those four absences, the Rowdies were also without forward Antoine Hoppenot, who served a one-game suspension. He had started the previous three matches. He is eligible to return against the Independence.

With those five players unavailable, Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins made three changes to his starting lineup and adjusted the tactics slightly. The center midfield triangle was flipped with two defensive midfielders playing behind Andrew Tinari under the  strikers. Jordan Doherty and David Najem each made their first starts of the season, while Juan Tejada made his second start. 

Tampa Bay’s starting lineup Wednesday night averaged just 24.1 years old, likely the youngest starting lineup ever fielded by  the Rowdies. That stat was aided by Doherty (18), Caleb Richards (20) and Tejada (22.)

Leo Fernandes had his best game of the season against Atlanta,  scoring his first goal of the year and adding a pair of assists. He now has a team-high four assists this season, tied for second-most in the USL Championship.

Juan Tejada and Brandon Allen each scored their first goal of the  season late in the match. Tejada’s goal was his first-ever professional goal. Allen’s goal was his first for the Rowdies and came just 31 seconds after he came off the bench as a substitute.

Injury Report
OUT: F Malik Johnson (separated shoulder)
OUT: F Jaime Siaj (quad strain)
DOUBTFUL: D Shawn Barry (ankle)
DOUBTFUL: M Yann Ekra (ankle)