Matchday 8
Tampa Bay Rowdies at New York Red Bulls II
Saturday, April 23, 1pm ET
Montclair Soccer Stadium, Montclair, NJ
Watch: Stream the match on ESPN+ here.
Follow Along: LIves on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday
The Tampa Bay Rowdies turn their focus squarely back on the USL Championship season this weekend after exiting the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday in a 2-1 defeat to MLS’ Orlando City SC. Tampa Bay moves on from the bitter loss in Orlando and straight back to action with a road trip to face New York Red Bulls II this Saturday at 1 pm.
The grind of the season can be unforgiving as the Rowdies immediately hop on a plane Friday morning and will remain on the road to face Memphis 901 FC next Wednesday. Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins believes the Rowdies will only be boosted by the quality of their showing in the matchup against Orlando.
“I’m proud of them. I’m proud of the fact that we played the way we wanted to play at a very high level in a good environment,” Collins said after his side’s Open Cup loss. “The standard has been set over the last two, three years. They know that it’s on to the next one. We set those standards ourselves. They set them in the locker room. This will be a tough one because when you play as well as that you want to win, but for me I’d just be taking the confidence that when we play that way we’re a good team and we’re a hard team to play against… “That’s where I’d be taking that view that Saturday can’t come quick enough. Let’s try and do it again.”
Red Bulls II sits second from the bottom in the USL Championship through their first six matches. The Rowdies and Red Bulls II have come to know each other well as Eastern Conference foes since the Rowdies joined the league in 2017. Saturday will be the 13th time the two teams have met on the field. The Rowdies got the better of New York last year, posting three wins and a draw. The Rowdies came home from last year’s two trips to New York with a win each time.
This year, though, New York has a new coach leading from the sidelines. Gary Lewis has taken over coaching duties from longtime coach Jon Wolyniec. Lewis came to the role after spending two years as the Seattle Sounders Academy Director. A native of Liverpool, Lewis also worked for years in the youth academy systems of both Liverpool and Everton before making the move to America.
Thus far this season, Red Bulls II have yet to find their stride under Lewis. The club has won once but lost in their five other matches. New York’s attack in particular has struggled, with just three goals to show so far. The club also has the second worst goal different in the league at -8, only ahead of expansion side Monterey Bay FC’s -10.
The Two Loanees
The Rowdies will see a familiar face when they take the field at Montclair State University this weekend. This will be the first time the Rowdies have played New York since Tampa Bay sent forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith on loan to New York for the 2022 season. Adebayo-Smith tallied four goals in 23 appearances for the Rowdies in 2021. This season, the young striker has notched one goal in six appearances for New York so far.
Adebayo-Smith’s loan was not the only bit of business between the two organizations. Attacker Jake LaCava is on a season-long loan from New York’s MLS outfit. LaCava tallied 11 goals in two seasons as a regular for Red Bulls II before signing an MLS contract in the offseason and making the move to Tampa Bay, where he has excelled so far. The 21-year-old has already bagged 3 goals and an assist in league and also added a goal in the Open Cup.
Harris Growing Into His Game
Rowdies wingback Dayonn Harris has had quite a good week. The speedy Harris recorded his first professional goal as a substitute in Tampa Bay’s 3-1 win over FC Tulsa and followed that up with a standout performance as a starter against Orlando City. Harris was a frequent threat on the right win against Orlando and created one of the best chances of the night in the opening minute with a dangerous cross to set up a Guenzatti header in front of goal.
“I actually thought our biggest threat came from Dayonn Harris, who was fantastic,” said Collins after the Orlando match. “…Leo Fernandeds, Dayonn Harris were both very good, very positive. They really created a lot for us and I thought we built out well.”
Injury Report
OUT: Robert Castellanos
QUESTIONABLE: Steevan Dos Santos, Sebastian Dalgaard
