Rowdies U23 News

The Basics
SIMA Aguilas vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies U23
Saturday, July 8, 7:30 p.m. ET.
Waters Avenue Complex, Tampa, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesU23

Records
SIMA Aguilas: 9-1-1 (W-L-T), 28 points, T-1st place
Rowdies U23: 3-6-1 (W-L-T), 10 points, 6th place

Rowdies Notes
It certainly feels good to end a losing streak no matter the sport, level of competition, or otherwise.

Following a rough streak of losses for the U23’s, Wednesday’s 2-2 draw against The Villages finally put some momentum back on the side of Tampa Bay.

Heading into the final stretch of the season, the Rowdies still have four more games to prove their talent and determination although that is where their season will end.

The Villages game truly was a bit of a bitter sweet affair as it was, in essence, the U23’s postseason eliminator as they now sit an insurmountable distance behind the Southeast Division’s top three squads.

With that being said, the postseason was surely a lofty goal to set for a squad as young as the U23’s were this season. Facing much more seasoned, senior competition in teams like Miami and Lakeland, it was a tough road to a playoff birth for the U23’s in their first season of PDL play.

With regards to the upcoming match, the Rowdies are as excited for this rematch as any they have had thus far this season. After SIMA snatched away the game in the Rowdies third stoppage time loss of the season, Tampa Bay circled this game on the calendar and have been preparing for it ever since. Now on home turf, the U23’s look to get revenge on the division co-leaders.

With regards to personnel, injuries and departures have opened up the door for a couple fresh faces on the active roster against SIMA. Macsen Pritchard and Connor Lufkin have been activated for Saturday’s game after serving in a training capacity with the team thus far this season.

Look for updates on Saturday’s starting XI and substitutes at our official Twitter page.

Scouting SIMA
Since last facing the Rowdies U23’s a couple weeks ago, SIMA has run into what they would regard a “rough patch” in their spectacular PDL season.

Following the 2-1 victory at Montverde over Tampa Bay, thanks to Santiago Patino’s stoppage time game winner, SIMA went on to lose a hotly contested match in Lakeland.

Though the 3-2 road loss to the Tropics marked the first loss on what had been an undefeated season for SIMA through nine games, it opened back up the Southeast Division to FC Miami City and the Tropics.

Miami took the lead in the division officially after defeating the Rowdies in Tampa 3-1. This grasp of the Southeast crown was short lived, however, as SIMA defeated the South Florida Surf 2-0 on Wednesday and Miami played to a 2-2 draw during the continuation of their match against IMG on Thursday night.

As it stands now, SIMA and Miami are tied atop the Southeast table with Lakeland lurking just three points behind the two stellar squads. All three squads have three matches remaining in their PDL regular seasons and although it seems possible that all three can make the postseason, a division title ensures an automatic bid to the playoffs.

SIMA will be the first division leader in action this weekend when they kick off against the U23’s. Lakeland will then host IMG Academy on Sunday while Miami’s game on the road against the South Florida Surf is set for Monday evening.

Although the Rowdies do not seem destined to make a run into the PDL postseason in their first year of competition, they have a golden opportunity to ruin some postseason hopes not only Saturday but also in their final two matches coming against Lakeland and Miami respectively.

Coming Up Next
Your U23’s will travel to Bradenton to take on IMG Academy on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. ET. Follow along for updates at twitter.com/rowdiesu23!

THE VILLAGES, Fla. (July 5, 2017) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies U23’s, after dropping three consecutive matches, finally got back in the plus category with a 2-2 draw against The Villages SC on Wednesday evening.

After a grueling run of games for the U23’s, coming out of The Villages with a point is certainly a nice turn of fortune for the squad.

Today’s match was critical for The Villages as they need to essentially win out their final four games of the season to have any chance at taking home a Southeast Division title this season.

To start out the match, this desperation was clear on The Villages side. Through the majority of the first half, The Villages were controlling the ball well and throwing a number of strong chances on net.

These chances, however, were thwarted by an incredible effort on behalf of keeper Sean Caufield and a strong backline including Pico Espinal and Gabriel Pfeffer. Caufield came up especially big in the 34th minute with a one-on-one stop on an attacking Villages player.

The strength and resilience of the backline ended up benefiting the team as Kendan Anderson put away the first goal of the game on a through ball from Tosan Popo that he finished beautifully.

It seemed as if the Rowdies would take this one goal lead into the half but The Villages crushed that dream when Augusto Maciel scored on a beautiful strike from distance to even the game up.

Coming out of the half, The Villages again were heavy on the attack sending more chances Caufield’s way.

In the 54th minute, however, this aggressiveness cost The Villages, and the Rowdies, as Alcides Thomas fouled Gonzalo Rodriguez hard from behind and took a yellow card for the challenge. Rodriguez came up clearly gimpy from the play and would be subbed off the field about ten minutes later.

All the aggressiveness wasn’t completely wasted by The Villages as they scored a go-ahead goal in the 61st minute when Willian Hopfner headed the ball in front off a Danilo Dias cross.

It seemed like the Rowdies would once again spend a hard second half fighting up hill against the home squad but that was not to be. In the 65th minute Gabriel Pfeffer came up with his third goal in the past two games with yet another header off a corner kick by Kevin Varela to knot the game at two goals.

From there it seemed like The Villages were on an unwavering mission to score a game winning goal. Through the final twenty-plus minutes, the pace of play, possession, and momentum seemed to rest on The Villages’ side.

This attack forced Caufield to once more hold down the fort with everything he had. The Villages attackers did just about everything they could to test the Tampa Bay keeper but couldn’t seem to find the net despite a flurry of incredible opportunities.

No chance was better for The Villages than in the 74th minute when the freshly subbed Christopher Wilkinson had a chance to knock in a ball on a seemingly open net but Caufield dove against his momentum to stop the potential game winning goal.

Although The Villages were pressing hard on the Rowdies defense, Tampa Bay also came up with a few strong chances of their own.

No opportunity was better than Caleb George’s one-on-one chance on net in stoppage time. Though he sent a strong ground ball on net, The Villages’ keeper McGlinn stretched out his right leg and made a game saving play for the home team.

Despite a few more good chances for the hosts, the final whistle blew and the Rowdies walked off the field with points once more.

For The Villages, the draw likely crushes any chances they have at making a run on FC Miami City, SIMA Aguilas, and the Lakeland Tropics at the top of the Southeast Division. Though they finish their season with three more home games, including matches against Miami and SIMA, a comeback is almost impossible.

From here, Tampa Bay has at least three more games remaining, with a potential fourth if the Lakeland game is re-scheduled, against SIMA, IMG, and Miami meaning it will be a tough stretch to close the PDL season. The Rowdies will be back in action Saturday night at home to take on SIMA.

Scoring Summary
Tampa Bay: Kendan Anderson – 42nd Minute (Assisted by Tosan Popo)
The Villages: Augusto Maciel – 45th Minute
The Villages: Willian Hopfner – 61st Minute (Assisted by Danilo Dias)
Tampa Bay: Gabriel Pfeffer – 65th Minute (Assisted by Kevin Varela)

Caution Summary
The Villages: Alcides Thomas – 54th Minute
Tampa Bay: Kevin Varela – 76th Minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies U23 XI (4-1-4-1): GK Sean Caufield; D Preston Kilwien, Gabriel Pfeffer, Gustavo Fernandes, Pico Espinal; CDM Gonzalo Rodriguez (Gabriel Fernandes 66′); M Daniel Ribas (Caleb George 87′), Kevin Varela (Morgan Shepherd 88′), Tosan Popo, Noah Franke; F Kendan Anderson

The Villages SC (4-4-2): GK Timothy McGlinn; D Danilo Dias (Paulo Souza 90′), Yago Lopes, Jackie Kay, Gabriel Torres; M Wesley Pereira (Fernando Angolo Filho 54′), Alcides Thomas, Roberto DeLima, William Hopfner (Kyle Nelson 64′); F Matthieu LeRoux (Christopher Wilkinson 74′), Augusto Maciel

LAUDERHILL, Fla. (July 1, 2017) — For the third straight game, the Rowdies U23’s left the pitch with heartbreak and frustration instead of jubilation.

Though initially seeming like a rather favorable match up, Palm Beach Suns FC proved an incredibly formidable foe for the squad from Tampa Bay as they defeated the Rowdies 4-2 on Saturday.

Opening up the final month of the season, in which the Rowdies have only four (or possibly five depending on a possible Tropics rematch) games remaining, the U23’s were properly outplayed.

From the starting whistle, the U23’s had a few strong chances and looked prime to be the side that struck first at Central Broward Regional Park.

With that being said, it was the Suns who scored first off a free kick fed by Rielee Moshin to striker Luke Ferreira. Though initially not thought to be starting today, Moshin made his presence known all match long.

Only ten minutes later Moshin got a score of his own after dribbling a few men on the Tampa Bay backline and finessing a perfect shot past the diving Christian Knight.

It was after that when U23’s coach Keith Fulk decided he’d seen enough from much of the starting XI and made a triple substitution including swapping starting keeper Christian Knight for Sean Caufield.

Following the substitution the Rowdies pressed hard for at least one scoring strike in the first half but couldn’t effectively possess the ball and were closed off quickly by Suns defenders.

After the halftime break, it seemed like the Rowdies, as they had all season long, were ready to flip a switch and turn up the pressure on the opposing backline. This was actually the case once more only it didn’t last long.

Following an already impressive first half, Rielee Moshin was in the middle of scoring once more feeding a perfect long ball to his attacking partner Luke Ferreira who extended the lead to three goals.

Despite the efforts of Morgan Hackworth and Kevin Varela, the Rowdies were continually kept from net by the strong Suns defense.

This changed in the 72nd minute when a Gabriel Pfeffer header off a Kevin Varela corner kick suddenly breathed life into the Tampa Bay squad putting them on the board and energizing the XI on the field.

This momentum was quickly cut short, however, as the Suns answered right back off a fluke goal that ricocheted off the blocking foot of Preston Kilwien and over the head of Sean Caufield.

Though Gabriel Pfeffer got yet another goal off a headed corner just a few minutes later thanks to a Tosan Popo feed, it was clear that the Rowdies had run out of time.

Following a flurry of referee’s penmanship, including a double red card to Palm Beach’s Gabriel Amda and the Rowdies’ Ivan Castro, the final whistle blew and the Rowdies packed back up for the long bus ride back to Tampa.

Thankfully for the Rowdies, the South Florida Surf also dropped their match today against The Villages SC which keeps the Rowdies ahead by a few points in the division table.

Although it wasn’t the easiest of games for himself or the rest of the squad, Morgan Hackworth finished off the final game of his U23 season as strongly as he began it. Playing solid minutes and contributing well both offensively and defensively, Hackworth’s presence will be missed in the final few games as he returns to Akron to train will his college team.

Moving forward, the Rowdies are off through the fourth and return July 5th to take on The Villages SC on the road at 6:00pm.

Scoring Summary
Palm Beach: Luke Ferreira – 15th Minute (Assisted by Rielee Moshin)
Palm Beach: Rielee Moshin – 26th Minute
Palm Beach: Luke Ferreira – 51st Minute (Assisted by Rielee Moshin)
Tampa Bay: Gabriel Pfeffer – 72nd Minute (Assisted by Kevin Varela)
Palm Beach: Gabriel Amda – 77th Minute (Assisted by Richard Comer)
Tampa Bay: Gabriel Pfeffer – 81st Minute (Assisted by Tosan Popo)
 

Caution Summary
Palm Beach: Alberto Diaz – 16th Minute
Tampa Bay: Pico Espinal – 17th Minute
Palm Beach: Luke Ferreira – 28th Minute
Palm Beach: Clark Mortell – 49th Minute
Tampa Bay: Ivan Castro – 53rd Minute
Tampa Bay: Gonzalo Rodriguez – 78th Minute
Palm Beach: Rielee Moshin – 90th Minute
Palm Beach: Gabriel Amda – 90th Minute (Red Card)
Tampa Bay: Ivan Castro – 90th Minute (Second Yellow -> Red)
 

Starting Lineups
Rowdies U23 XI (4-4-2): GK Christian Knight (Sean Caufield 36′); D Jordan Day (Ivan Castro 36′), Andre Lowe (Gustavo Fernandes 46′), Gabriel Pfeffer, Pico Espinal (Preston Kilwien 36′); M Daniel Ribas, Morgan Hackworth, Melvin Boateng (Mac Curran 70′), Noah Franke (Gonzalo Rodriguez 52′); F Kevin Varela, Tosan Popo

Palm Beach Suns FC XI (4-4-2): GK Nathaniel Himes; D Chris Rodriguez, Matt McLennon, Rielee Moshin, Clark Mortell; M Franco Guglielmucci, Camillo Casanova, Alberto Diaz, Richard Comer; F Gabriel Almeida, Luke Ferreira (Gabriel Amda 65′)

The Basics
Palm Beach Suns FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies U23
Saturday, July 1, 5:00 p.m. ET.
Central Broward Regional Park, Lauderhill, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesU23

Records
Palm Beach Suns FC: 1-6-0 (W-L-T), 3 points, 8th place
Rowdies U23: 3-5-0 (W-L-T), 9 points, 6th place

Rowdies Notes
Though the Miami game wasn’t yet another stoppage time let down, it still was another tough loss for the Rowdies U23’s to swallow.

Though it was clear from the opening whistle that FC Miami City was likely the most talented team Tampa Bay would take on all season, that didn’t stop the U23’s from making it a close game.

With that being said, more slip ups during the clutch final moments of the game cost the Rowdies at least the chance to come away from the home match with points.

All of this wasn’t lost on the Rowdies during a short week of practice in which the U23’s only were able to get on the practice fields in Tampa once before game day.

While playing attacking soccer and making the most of opportunities has truly been the emphasis to this point in the PDL season, it really came down to valuing the ball and working well under pressure in this week’s practice.

The U23’s keyed in on mistakes that cost them points against SIMA and Miami such as clearing the ball effectively, maintaining possession, and avoiding costly turnovers.

From a personnel standpoint, Preston Kilwien will return to the active roster Saturday as Kamar Marriott and Arion Sobers continue to rehab heading into the final few weeks of PDL action.

Look for updates on Saturday’s starting XI and substitutes at our official Twitter page.

Scouting Palm Beach
Thus far this season, the Suns have had an incredibly tough run through their PDL schedule.

To say that it was brutal is possibly an understatement as the team failed to win a single game through their first six, not even scoring a goal until their fifth game of the season. In those matches, the Suns were outscored a combined 23-2 by their opponents.

To be fair, the Suns played division leaders SIMA Aguilas, FC Miami City, and the Lakeland Tropics five of the six matches over that stretch, yet the domination is hard to justify.

Since then, the Suns have had a moderate change of fate after defeating IMG Academy 3-2 in Bradenton to move Palm Beach out of the Southeast Division gutter. This leaves Weston FC as one of only two winless teams left in the entire PDL.

Saturday’s game marks the beginning of the backstretch of the Suns schedule in which they play at least six matches in 14 day with four of those matches played on home turf. A potentially rescheduled match against Weston FC may be included over that time frame.

After the game Saturday, the Suns have their longest remaining break of the season (four days) until they rematch the Lakeland Tropics at home.

Coming Up Next
Your U23’s will hit the road to take on The Villages SC on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. ET. Come make the drive or follow along with match commentary at twitter.com/rowdiesu23!

TAMPA, Fla. (June 27, 2017) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies U23s dropped their second straight PDL match Tuesday as they lost 3-1 to FC Miami City.

In yet another match against a top quality Southeast division opponent, the Rowdies failed to pick up any points in front of the home crowd at the Waters Complex in Tampa.

From the starting kickoff, it was clear that the Rowdies had not faced a team of this level of speed and skill through their first seven PDL matches.

It took just a five minutes for Miami to get on the board as Bryan Perea finessed a beautiful free kick into the right side of the net just passed the outstretched arms of Sean Caufield.

Following the opening score, Miami continued to dominate possession and apply heavy pressure on the Rowdies backline.

Peppering the defense with a bevy of runs, through balls, and shots, it was difficult for Tampa Bay to get proper footing early on in the game. It truly took the Rowdies the majority of the first half to just move play out from their own box back towards midfield.

Just as the Rowdies began to even play out, however, Miami struck again in the 36th minute as midfielder Rassambek Akhmatov made an incredible run through the defense and finished skillfully with a chip over the diving Caufield.

After nearly surrendering yet another goal due to complications with clearing the ball out of their own end, the Rowdies held onto the 2-0 deficit heading into the halftime break.

Coming out of the break, the Rowdies looked like a completely revamped and re-energized squad. A combination of a quadruple substitution and fifteen extra minutes of game planning contributed to the Rowdies sudden resurgence. 

Noah Franke led the charge as he made multiple dangerous runs into the Miami half before finally finding success in feeding Kevin Varela for a goal in the 48th minute.

Beyond just getting Tampa Bay back within striking distance of Miami, the goal marked the first score allowed by the visiting team in over 500 minutes of playing time.

With the momentum beginning to swing in their direction, the Rowdies began to push forward with everything they had in an attempt to knot the game up.

The Rowdies found themselves with a number of close-range free kicks and corners early in the second half but the Miami backline held firm and didn’t permit any Tampa Bay chances to develop into scores.

The key moment of the game came in the 81st minute when Tosan Popo made a strong run into the Miami box. The forward then fed midfielder Daniel Ribas who struck what looked to be the equalizing goal but was kept out of net by what seemed to be a handball by a Miami back. No whistle was blown nor card shown and the Rowdies lost their best chance and at least coming out of the match with a point.

The no-call clearly shot the Tampa Bay momentum as they let up a third goal just a few minutes later after being unable to move the ball downfield on a goal kick.

From there, Miami hardly let the Rowdies possess for more than a few touches and ran down the remaining time in securing a 3-1 road victory.

After the game, Coach Fulk acknowledged the skill shown by Miami but remained confident in his men reaffirming that “they are young and continue to learn and grow more and more each match.”

The win, for at least the next four days, puts FC Miami City atop the division table with a 9-1-0 record. They will get a solid week’s rest before traveling to Bradenton to take on IMG on July 5th.

For the Rowdies U23’s, they now drop to 3-5-0 on the season. Tampa Bay will be back in action this weekend at Oxbridge Academy to take on Palm Beach Suns FC on Saturday.

Scoring Summary
Miami: Bryan Perea – 6th minute
Miami: Rassambek Akhmatov – 36th minute
Rowdies: Kevin Varela – 48th minute (assisted by Noah Franke)
Miami: Mohamed Kourouma – 85th minute

Caution Summary
Rowdies: Tosan Popo – 53rd minute
Miami: Fares Mouri – 69th minute
Rowdies: Pico Espinal – 71st minute
Rowdies: Noah Franke – 82nd minute
Miami: Yerandy Suarez – 83rd minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies U23 XI (4-5-1): GK Sean Caufield; D Caleb George (Jordan Day 46′), Gustavo Fernandes, Gabriel Pfeffer, Ivan Castro; M Melvin Boateng (Pico Espinal 46′), Morgan Hackworth, Gabriel Fernandes (Noah Franke 46′), Mac Curran (Tosan Popo 46′), Gonzalo Rodriguez (Daniel Ribas 72′); F Kevin Varela

FC Miami City XI (4-4-2): GK Eric Edge; D Jon Colino (Kevin Warton 65′), Fares Mouri (Jonathan Padjen 84′), Kevin Coiffic, Christopher Davis (Naim Hamdi 59′); M Zackariae Merzouk, Rassambek Akhmatov, Abderraouf Abdallah (Carlos Chacon 86′), Yerandy Suarez; F Mohamed Kourouma, Bryan Perea (Adam Chahti 74′)

The Basics
FC Miami City vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies U23
Tuesday, June 26, 7:30 p.m. ET.
Waters Avenue Complex, Tampa, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesU23

Records
FC Miami City: 8-1-0 (W-L-T), 24 points, 2nd place
Rowdies U23: 3-4-0 (W-L-T), 9 points, 6th place

Rowdies Notes
After stringing together a few wins in a row, the Rowdies U23’s suffered another heart wrenching defeat on the road against SIMA Aguilas.

The loss was the fourth in seven PDL matches for the Rowdies and marked the third time that the U23’s lost on an opposing goal in stoppage time.

In practice this week, the emphasis was clearly based around finishing opportunities on net as Tampa Bay had their fair share of chances, some of them one-on-one, against SIMA yet could not put any away when it mattered most.

From a personnel standpoint, there was a solid amount of shifting around at the training grounds. Midfielder Kamar Marriott was finally able to suit up again and practice in limited fashion as he recovers from injury while defender Preston Kilwien was sidelined for practice over the weekend. Heading into Tuesday’s match against FC Miami City, the U23’s will continue to be without a number of key players including Noah Franke, Andrew Samuels, and Ricky Lopez-Espin.

Look for updates on Tuesday’s starting XI and substitutes at our official Twitter page.

Scouting Miami
On the season, FC Miami City has been just one step behind SIMA Aguilas.

This is meant quite literally as the team is undefeated aside from a 2-1 home loss to SIMA back in May. The team now stands just a single point behind their Montverde-based rivals and remain poised to take back the lead in the division table.

While Miami has been dominant all season, they have been especially strong in the five matches since their loss to SIMA. In these games they have outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 17-0. No match was closer than a 2-0 Miami victory which exemplifies just how dominant this team can be.

In preparing for the incredibly formidable challenge, head coach Keith Fulk stood behind the emphasis from the weekend’s practice. He stated how important it was for the team to “finish any chances afforded to them” as a team such as Miami would limit any opportunities.

This match marks the second game of a five game road trip for Miami which ends with the season finale at home against the Rowdies on Saturday, July 15th.

Coming Up Next
Your U23’s will travel to Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach to take on Palm Beach Suns FC on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. ET. Follow along with match commentary at twitter.com/rowdiesu23!

MONTVERDE, Fla. (June 22, 2017) — In yet another heart wrenching match for Tampa Bay, the U23’s drop their match on the road against SIMA Aguilas 2-1.

SIMA got on the board early with a 7th minute strike by Edward Kizza which quickly flipped the momentum in favor of the home squad.

From there, Aguilas began to slow the game down and focus heavily on dominating posession and the game’s pace of play.

That domination was broken, however, in the 25th minute after Kevin Varela finished with a 2nd chance strike off a Gonzalo Rodriguez feed to knot the game at a goal apiece.

From there, possession and the flow of play consistently went back and forth between the two sides as they look to take the lead before the halftime whistle. Despite a few chances for both sides, no scoring strike occurred and the teams headed into the break level.

Second half action resumed and it was clear that the Rowdies had much more energy and focus coming out of the stoppage.

Starting around the 57th minute, the Rowdies began to pepper the SIMA defense and keeper with a bevy of chances on net and in the box.

Noah Franke, Kevin Varela, and Kendan Anderson all had a few chances each in the second half to take the lead but, by one way or another, the SIMA defense held and even was able to stymie a few 1 on 1 opportunities.

Fatigue began to wear down the Rowdies players including Kevin Varela and Gonzalo Rodriguez as they began to pull up, to the chagrin of the SIMA bench, and were subbed out in the final few minutes of play.

These substitutions quite possibly had a fatal effect on the U23’s as not long after Rodriguez left play, SIMA scored the final, decisive goal off a cross into the middle of the box.

SIMA began to stall play, through a variety of questionably legal methods, and the final whistle blew crushing the hopes of Tampa Bay.

The loss marks the third time this season that the U23’s have lost a match in stoppage time and ends what could’ve been a solid three game points streak.

Tampa Bay now looks forward to their game Tuesday at home against 2nd place FC Miami City with kickoff at 7:30pm at the Waters Avenue Complex.

Scoring Summary
SIMA: Edward Kizza – 7th Minute
Rowdies: Kevin Varela – 25th Minute (Assisted by Gonzalo Rodriguez)
SIMA: Santiago Patino – 90th+ Minute

Caution Summary
Rowdies: Gustavo Fernandes – 28th Minute
SIMA: David Graydon – 39th Minute
Rowdies: Preston Kilwien – 58th Minute
SIMA: Rafael Santos – 81st Minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies U23 XI (4-4-2): GK Sean Caufield; D Preston Kilwien, Gabriel Pfeffer, Gustavo Fernandes, Morgan Hackworth; M Ivan Castro (Noah Franke 46′), Gonzalo Rodriguez (Jordan Day 90′), Gabriel Fernandes (Pico Espinal 79′), Mac Curran (Kendan Anderson 46′); F Tosan Popo, Kevin Varela (Daniel Ribas 89′)

SIMA Aguilas XI (4-3-3): GK Federico Barrios; D Esteban Calvo, Zack Waidman (Trey Langlois 90′), Justin Malou, Mauriq Hill; M David Graydon (Leo Novaes 50′), Bruno Lupa (John Dennis 68′), Malick Mbaye; F Rafael Santos (Yaya Cisse 90′), Diego Campos, Edward Kizza (Santiago Patino 70′)

The Basics
SIMA Aguilas vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies U23
Thursday, June 22, 7:00 p.m. ET.
Montverde Academy, Montverde, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesU23

Records
SIMA Aguilas: 7-0-1 (W-L-T), 22 points, 1st place
Rowdies U23: 3-3-0 (W-L-T), 9 points, T-5th place

Rowdies Notes
The three game hole that the Rowdies U23’s fell into a couple weeks ago now feels like a bit of a distant memory.

After a second straight home victory over Weston FC, Tampa Bay is not only playing successful soccer, but also playing with a great deal of confidence.

Head coach Keith Fulk has taken note of this confidence and how his team has finally started “playing well to their strengths on attack.”

Timely goal scoring again made the difference for the Rowdies on Monday against Weston scoring twice within five minutes to quickly turn a 1-0 deficit into a, lasting, 2-1 lead.

Playing against a team as strong as SIMA, the Rowdies will have to focus once more on making the absolute most of the opportunities afforded to them while also focusing on fundamentals in order to limit the chances they give to their opponent on Thursday night.

With regards to strategy and formation, the U23’s will look to stay consistent in their form and maintain the attacking focus that has been present through the first six games of the PDL season.

Look for updates on the rest of Wednesday’s starting XI and substitutes at our official Twitter page.

Scouting SIMA
The confidence and vigor that the Rowdies have shown in recent matches will certainly be put to its greatest test on Thursday facing off against SIMA Aguilas.

It is truly no fluke that SIMA leads the southeast division with 22 points in just eight games. As a team that has yet to lose a single match, SIMA has played nearly flawless soccer since the PDL season kicked off in mid-May.

Thus far, SIMA has already logged four shutouts, including an incredibly dominant 6-0 dismantling of Weston FC on home turf.

Their momentum truly springs from an early 2-1 victory over FC Miami City, on the road, in their second game of the season which notched Miami’s sole loss on the season thus far. As seemingly the two best teams in the division, this was a decisive match and for SIMA to take of business away from home could sustain their hold on the table through the backstretch of the PDL season.

SIMA currently sits in second place in the Southern Conference power rankings only behind the OKC Energy U23’s that have yet to drop a single point in nine games on their season competing in the Mid South division.

Amongst a number of strong players, leading goal scorer Diegos Campos of Clemson University, Dennis Zapata of Florida Gulf Coast University, and keeper Daniel Gagliardi of Florida International University stand out on the SIMA team.

Coming Up Next
Your U23’s will host FC Miami City at the Waters Avenue complex in Tampa on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Be sure to look for announcements on potential venue/time changes at twitter.com/rowdiesu23!

TAMPA, Fla. (June 20, 2017) — Former Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Blake Wagner has joined Keith Fulk’s technical staff as an assistant coach for the Rowdies U23 team, the club announced Tuesday.

Wagner took in his first match from the bench Monday night, overseeing a 2-1 win over Weston FC in USL PDL play.

“It’s an honor to work with coach (Keith) Fulk and the rest of the U23 staff,” Wagner said. “I’m from Tampa so I grew up rooting for the Rowdies so it’s awesome to now be a part of the organization. I’m here to not only help the players improve on the field but also off the field and prepare for a pro career and life after college soccer”

Wagner is no stranger to the Gulf Coast, having grown up in Tampa and attending high school in Bradenton as a member of the U.S. Under-17 national team residency program. He was drafted No. 18 overall in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas and went on to play for Dallas, Vancouver and Real Salt Lake in MLS, as well as San Antonio, Carolina and Tampa Bay in the NASL.

Wagner made 21 appearances for the Rowdies in 2014, scoring three goals.

More recently, he was a member of John Hackworth’s staff with the U.S. U17 team in Bradenton.

The Rowdies U23s are 3-0-3 (W-T-L) this season. Their next match is Thursday night away to the SIMA Aguilas.