The Basics
Charlotte Independence vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Sunday, June 4, 7 p.m. ET.
Eagle Field, Rock Hill, South Carolina
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesGameday
How to Watch
The match will be streamed live on the USL’s YouTube page here. You can follow live stats and watch the game in the USL Match Center here.
Watch Party
Head to Five Bucks Drinkery on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg to watch with other Rowdies fans and enjoy drink specials during the match.
Records
Charlotte Independence: 3-2-2 (W-T-L), 11 points, 12th place
Tampa Bay: 6-3-3 (W-T-L), 21 points, 2nd place
Rowdies Notes
Like Charlotte, the Rowdies are coming off a loss in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup action on Wednesday night. Tampa Bay was defeated 2-0 by the NASL’s Miami FC to be eliminated from the tournament.
In league play, the Rowdies have looked sharp in their first season in the United Soccer League, entering this weekend’s visit to the Carolinas in second place in the Eastern Conference. While they remain near the top of the table, the Rowdies have won just twice in their last five league matches.
Last weekend, the Rowdies played a 1-1 draw at home against Saint Louis FC. Tampa Bay trailed for most of the second half before center back Neill Collins headed in a Michael Nanchoff corner kick in the 87th minute to pull the Rowdies level.
This match is the finale of an extremely congested portion of the Rowdies’ schedule. is contest will be the Rowdies’ eighth match since playing in Ottawa on May 6, just under one month ago. Five of those eight matches were on the road, including two separate trips to Canada and another to Rochester.
Tampa Bay will be without regular right back Darnell King, who will serve a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. Midfielder Justin Chavez remains sidelined by a toe injury picked up May 19 against Toronto FC II.
Scouting Charlotte
While the Independence typically plays its home games in the Charlotte area, this match is actually being played south of the border on the campus of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Winthrop is about 25 miles south of Charlotte.
Charlotte’s roster features a handful of familiar faces for Rowdies fans. Goalkeeper Cody Mizell, who has started every match this season, played three matches for Tampa Bay in 2014, conceding seven goals. Forward Casey Townsend, a 2014 teammate of Mizell with the Rowdies, is also now in Charlotte. Townsend played 16 matches, scoring three goals. He’s played 164 minutes in four matches this season without scoring. Jaime Siaj, who played for the Rowdies as a trialist in the Florida Cup this past January, also now plays for Charlotte.
The Independence has played just seven USL matches this season, a whopping five fewer than the Rowdies. Charlotte is yet to keep a clean sheet in league play this year.
