ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 4, 2017) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies are off to a flying start to life in the United Soccer League with two wins from two matches to climb to an early lead atop the Eastern Conference Standings.
Here’s a closer look at how the first two weeks have gone by the numbers:
7,710 — The number of fans that attended the Rowdies’ home opener on March 25, a new Al Lang Stadium record.
967 — The Rowdies have completed 967 passes in two matches this season, second only to Portland Timbers 2’s 1,132, but T2 has played one more match. Another performance like Saturday night against Toronto FC II, when the Rowdies completed a whopping 595 passes, would see the Rowdies take the lead by a comfortable margin.
180 — Minutes the Rowdies have played without conceding a goal. Only San Antonio FC has also kept two clean sheets to start the season, but the Rowdies have gone about it slightly differently. San Antonio’s Matt Cardone has had to make five saves this season. Akira Fitzgerald has only been asked to make two.
126 — Passes completed by Luke Boden, the Rowdies’ leading passer through two matches. Marcel Schäfer is next best with 111.
82 — Tampa Bay has an 82 percent passing completion percentage this season, good for second-best out of the USL’s 30 teams, just one percentage point lower than Swope Park Rangers’ 83 percent. Against TFC II last weekend, the Rowdies notched an impressive 86.1 percent as a team, led by Neill Collins (56 passes, 94.6 percent), Marcel Schäfer (77 passes, 93.5 percent) and Martin Vingaard (74 passes, 90.5 percent).
6 — Points picked up by the Rowdies this year. Tampa Bay is off to a 2-0-0 start for the first time in the Modern Era. This season also marks the first time the Rowdies have won both of their first two home matches.
5 — Clearances by Damion Lowe, the highest total on the Rowdies.
4 — Four players have already scored goals for the Rowdies this season, tied for best in the league with Sacramento. Georgi Hristov (2), Deshorn Brown, Joe Cole, and Damion Lowe have all scored in 2017. As a team, Tampa Bay’s five goals are second only to Sacramento’s six.
2 — Saves made by Akira Fitzgerald. The Rowdies goalkeeper is yet to concede a goal and is tied for the league lead in clean sheets, with two. Illustrating a strong defensive emphasis throughout the whole team, Fitzgerald has only had to make two saves to preserve his perfect record.
1 — The Rowdies’ current place in the USL’s Eastern Conference Standings.
