The Basics
Charleston Battery vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
MUSC Health Stadium, Charleston, S.C.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday
How to Watch
The match will be broadcast online on ESPN+ here. International viewers can watch online here.
Records
Tampa Bay: 12-2-7 (W-L-T), 1st place; 6-1-3 on road
Charleston: 6-4-8 (W-L-T), 9th place; 4-0-6 at home
Last Meeting
The Rowdies were only a couple of minutes away from a win when Ian Svantesson scored on a free kick in the 88th minute to steal a point for the Battery. Sebastian Guenzatti had given Tampa Bay a lead late in the first half.
Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies head to South Carolina following their second defeat of the USL Championship season last weekend on the road against the New York Red Bulls II. Despite that, the Rowdies still sit in first place in the Eastern Conference heading into this weekend, though New York could claim first place Friday night.
In addition to being just Tampa Bay’s second loss this season, last week’s match against Charleston was only the second time this year the Rowdies have given up multiple goals in a league game. It was also only the third time Tampa Bay has been shut out.
Both of Tampa Bay’s losses this season have been followed by a match against the Battery. Tampa Bay lost 3-1 to North Carolina FC on June 8 and then drew against the Battery a week later, conceding late to drop two points.
The Rowdies will be without center back Pape Diakite this weekend as he serves a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation. This is Diakite’s second suspension of the season. The Rowdies beat Swope Park 1-0 in the previous match. Diakite has played every minute of the season apart from the suspensions.
Sebastian Guenzatti leads the team in scoring with 12 goals, good for third-best in the league. His most frequent strike partner, Juan Tejada, returned from international duty with the Panama U23s last weekend but was limited to a spot on the bench after being away for two weeks.
