Matchday 19 Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Hartford Athletic
Saturday, July 9, 7 p.m. ET
Dillion Stadium, Hartford, CT
Watch: Fans can stream the match on ESPN+.
Follow Along: Live updates available on Twitter at @Rowdiesgameday.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies take their eight-match unbeaten streak up north this Saturday as they take on Hartford Athletic at Dillon Stadium. Tampa Bay recorded two wins in two trips up to Hartford last year, but Head Coach Neill Collins and the Rowdies are likely to have their most recent meeting with Hartford front of their minds.
Hartford nabbed a point off the Rowdies in a 1-1 draw back on March 26 at Al Lang Stadium. Joel scored in the 6th minute on Hartford’s only effort on frame on the night. That draw with Hartford was the in the midst of an inconsistent run for Tampa Bay’s attack.
In recent weeks, though, Tampa Bay’s attack has found its stride, bagging 20 goals over the last eight games. Forward Kyle Greig has pulled his weight up top in the last two weeks with a goal and an assist. Greig’s tally in the 5-2 win in Pittsburgh was a nice boon for the striker after knocking a few chances into the woodwork.
“I think a lot of our results lately have been to do with our organization and just our mentality and attitude,” said Greig. “I think we’ve been a bit more clinical going forward as of late and things are really starting to click. Guys are working for one another, lots of different guys are scoring, so I think that has a lot to do with our results lately.”
Adapting on the Road
Midway through the season and, while the Rowdies may not been pleased with every single result they’ve posted along the way, the club has set itself on a positive trajectory for the back half of the year. A key factor in that has been the team’s ability to adapt on the road and find a way to post impressive results, most notably victories in Phoenix, Miami, and Pittsburgh.
“The players are so receptive and they’re so keen to try and implement what we want,” said Collins. “Obviously, it’s my job to make sure that’s as clear as possible that it’s their job to execute it, but I think they’ve been fantastic about taking on board all the tactical things we want to do.”
Scouting Hartford
Hartford enters Saturday’s match in a transitional period following the departure of Head Coach Harry Watling. Technical Director Ray Reid has stepped in to fill the void on in the interim has recorded two good results already, with a 2-0 win at Colorado Spring Switchbacks and and 1-1 draw at Detroit City FC. Reid still has a ways to go in order to pull Hartford out from the bottom of the standings though, as the side currently sits 10th in Eastern Conference and 8 points back of a playoff position.
“You look at someone like Hartford, really experienced players, really high quality players,” noted Collins. “They’ve been unlucky not to get a couple results and they beat Colorado last week. Every road game is difficult, but I feel if we keep our level of performance high, we give ourselves a great opportunity.”
Upcoming Milestones
- Sebastian Guenzatti is two goals away from breaking the Rowdies all-time scoring record of 60 goals held by Georgi Hristov.
- Guenzatti is 6 appearances away from his 150th appearances for the Rowdies. He currently ranks second in the modern era in appearances.
- Lucky Mkosana is 5 appearances away from his 100th appearance for the Rowdies.
- Keeper CJ Cochran is two clean sheets away from his 30th USL Championship shutout.
Injury Report:
OUT: Robert Castellanos, Jake Areman
QUESTIONABLE: Conner Antley
