The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies at North Carolina FC
Saturday, March 17 – 3:30 p.m.
Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, North Carolina
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @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.
Records
North Carolina FC: 0-0-0 (W-T-L), 0 points, 1st place
Tampa Bay: 0-0-0 (W-T-L), 0 points, 1st place
Series History
The Rowdies have a long history of matches against the organization now known as North Carolina FC. Tampa Bay posted a 6-10-9 (W-L-T) record against the Carolina RailHawks. The last time these teams met was on September 17, 2016, a 1-0 Rowdies win in St. Petersburg. Tampa Bay is 3-5-5 all-time in Cary.
Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies enter the 2018 season with 13 returning players and 10 new signings. The core of the 2017 season remains, as players such as Joe Cole, Marcel Schäfer and Georgi Hristov are back for another season in the green and gold. The Rowdies will look to start their journey to the 2018 USL Cup on the road, where late last season they began to find positive results.
Forward Jochen Graf led the team in scoring during preseason, scoring three goals in the last three matches. A solid defensive unit, which now includes former New York Red Bulls II right back David Najem, will look to catapult the Rowdies to a positive result on Saturday.
Rowdies goalkeepers Akira Fitzgerald and Matias Reynares have both previously represented North Carolina FC. Reynares was on the roster last season. Fitzgerald played 87 matches for the RailHawks from 2011-2016.
Scouting North Carolina FC
North Carolina FC is one of the newest members of the USL, joining the league after playing in the North American Soccer League until the end of the 2017 season. North Carolina is led by head coach Collin Clarke, who is entering his 7th season with the club.
Formerly known as the Carolina RailHawks, NCFC will be captained by Austin da Luz, who enters his seventh season with the club. Da Luz is one of eight players returning from the 2017 squad.
There have been 11 new additions to the roster for the 2018 season, including Kyle Bekker, a Canadian International and former player for the San Francisco Deltas. Also adding experience is Michael Harrington, who spent several seasons playing in Major League Soccer.
