Matchday 26 Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Orange County SC
Saturday, August 27, 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL
Tickets: Fans can purchase tickets here or at the Al Lang Stadium box office starting at 4 p.m. on matchday.
Pre-Game Show: Prep for Saturday’s match with the pre-game show hosted by The Unused Substitutes podcasts starting at 6:30 p.m. ET on Twitch.TV/RowdiesGG
Watch: Fans can stream the match live on ESPN+.
Follow Along: Check @RowdiesGameday on Twitter for live match updates.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are set for a rematch with last year’s USL Championship final opponent, Orange County SC, this Saturday at Al Lang Stadium. Orange County emerged as the victor at Al Lang last November to secure the club’s first championship title.
Ten months later, though, both sides are more preoccupied with their current situations as the 2022 regular season reaches its climax. The Rowdies are on the verge of clinching their fourth straight postseason berth but are in need of a win after two straight defeats in order to maintain their spot in the top half of the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Orange County SC sits second from the bottom in the Western Conference table and are close to being eliminated from the playoff race entirely.
“Our focus has been more on ourselves and some players finding their form again, just getting back to things that we want to do well,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. I don’t think the players have been thinking about last year… We’ve gotta go out and perform for this season, not last season.”
Scoring Drought
The Rowdies have a hit snag in the attack as they have failed to find the back of the net over the last two weeks. You would have to look back to August of the 2018 season to find the last time the Rowdies were blanked in consecutive matches. Tampa Bays 48-goal tally is still tied for fourth best in the league, but they will need to find their finishing touch again soon to maintain that status and get back to winning.
“Some of the football we played over the unbeaten stretch is some of the best I’ve seen at my time in charge of the club,” said Collins. “We were top goal scorers in the league just two weeks ago. We’ll get back to that and hopefully improve on that. This club has always learned from these moments and gained from them, and I don’t see any reason why we won’t learn from the last two weeks.”
Lucky Approaches 100
Heading into the weekend, Lucky Mkosana is only one appearance away from his 100th appearance as a Rowdies player. Mkosana debuted for the Rowdies on September 7, 2013 as a loanee from Harrisburg City Islanders FC. In his first appearance, Mkosana came off the bench and forced an own goal in stoppage time to clinch a 3-2 win for the Rowdies over the Carolina RailHawks at Al Lang.
Mkosana spent the 2014 season in Tampa Bay before moving on in 2015. He eventually made his way back to the Green & Gold in 2019 via trade from Louisville City FC. The veteran’s most memorable moment as a Rowdies player came against his former club, as he notched two late goals to bring last year’s Eastern Conference title to extra time, allowing the Rowdies complete a comeback win for the second straight conference title.
Mkosana would be the seventh player of the modern era to reach 100 appearances. His longtime teammates Sebastian Guenzatti and Leo Fernandes both reached the milestone in 2021.
Scouting Orange County
On the surface, there are a few similarities between Orange County and Tampa Bay’s opponent last week, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. Both Orange County and Colorado Springs have conceded over 40 goals, showing a vulnerability in the back.
Orange County has one of the biggest scoring threats in 2022. Forward Milan Iloski leads the entire league with 19 goals so far, making him a player for the Rowdies to target and stymie on Saturday night.
Upcoming Milestones
- Sebastian Guenzatti is two goals away from breaking the Rowdies all-time scoring record of 60 goals held by Georgi Hristov.
- Lucky Mkosana is one appearance away from his 100th appearance for the Rowdies.
- Keeper CJ Cochran is one clean sheet away from his 30th shutout in the USL Championship.
- Forward Kyle Greig is nearing 15,000 minutes played in the USL Championship regular season. He currently sits at 14,809 minutes played heading into the weekend.
Injury Report
OUT: Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Jake Areman
