ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – The Tampa Bay Rowdies kicked off the preseason on Saturday afternoon at Al Lang Stadium with a 5-1 victory over MLS Next Pro side New England Revolution II. After playing to a 1-1 draw at halftime, the Rowdies pulled away with four goals in the closing half to put the match away.
With just two weeks of training completed so far, the Rowdies showed encouraging signs of what’s to come on the field when the regular season starts on March 11 at Al Lang versus Indy Eleven.
“I think there’s a lot of things you’re looking for, but ultimately it’s about fitness. That is why we’re playing this game now,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. We want, obviously, to see certain tactical aspects in there. We’ve seen some of them and there’s some others we need to work on, but we’ve worked for two weeks. There’s lots of new guys and some young boys in there. We’re trying to keep everything in perspective…. Lots of positives. From a fitness point of view it was good. We played against a good opponent. All in all, a good day’s work.”
Tampa Bay struck first in the 22nd minute when Lucky Mkosana swiped the ball off the visitors in the final third and centered a pass for the reigning USL Championship MVP Leo Fernandes to slot home. Fernandes, the longest tenured member of the squad, led the Rowdies in both goals (20) and assists (9) in last year’s campaign.
Former Rowdies forward Jordan Adebayo-Smith put New England back on level terms eight minutes later, finding a pocket of space just outside Tampa Bay’s box to bury a strike into the back of the net.
Dayonn Harris broke the deadlock for Tampa Bay just five minutes into the second half. Newcomer Charlie Dennis whipped in a looping corner kick that was brought down by another new face to the squad, Ariel Martinez. The Cuban veteran deftly backheeled the ball for Harris to blast into the goal with a left footed strike. Harrs is entering his third season in Tampa Bay after notching five goals and five assists in 2022.
The Rowdies pulled further ahead off of another set piece in the 57th minute. Lewis Hilton made the delivery, finding the head of center back Forrest Lasso, who is returning to Tampa Bay after spending 2022 with GIF Sundsvall in Sweden.
Martinez grabbed a fourth Rowdies goal in the 78th minute, collecting a pass at the top of the box and swiftly striking the ball into the upper right corner of the goal. Another new signing for 2023, forward JJ Williams, capped off the result with a sliding finish in front of goal off of a pass from Jordan Doherty.
The Rowdies implemented different lineups in each half, with only Lasso, Doherty, and Tate Johnson playing for the full 90.
First Half Lineup: Arozarena, Herivaux, Lasso, Kleemann, Antley, Ekra, Doherty, Johnson, Fernandes, Jennings, Mkosana
Second Half Lineup: Breno, Doherty, Castaneda, Lasso, Johnson, Hilton, Dennis, Harris, Martinez, Trenton Blake (Training Guest, TBU), Williams
“You don’t carry a huge squad so there is a little bit of mix and match to make sure we get the balance,” said Collins. “I think it’ll be great once those guys start generating those relationships with where they’re going to be playing. I think one thing I’ve learned over the last few years is not to overanalyze. Take out the positives and keep an eye on any patterns forming that might be negative and then reassess game after game.”
Next up, the Rowdies are set to host Major League Soccer’s CF Montreal at 7:30 p.m. ET. Season ticket holders are all invited to the match to get their first glimpse at the new squad in action. The deadline to renew your season ticket package in time to secure a spot for Saturday’s preseason match against Montreal is Wednesday, February 15. Current season ticket holders have already been emailed an invite to RSVP for the event. Email tickets@rowdiessocer.com or 727-222-2000 during normal business hours for more info.
The Rowdies kick off their 34-match 2023 USL Championship campaign at home on Saturday, March 11 versus Eastern Conference foe Indy Eleven. Season, group and premium tickets, and single game tickets are now on sale for the 2023 Rowdies season. Visit rowdiessoccer.com/tickets for more info.
2023 Rowdies Preseason Schedule
Saturday, February 11 vs New England Revs 2 (5-1 Win)
Saturday, February 18, 7:30 p.m. vs CF Montreal
Wednesday, February 22 vs Monteverde Academy
Saturday, February 25, at South Georgia Tormenta FC
Tuesday, February 28, 11 am vs Orlando City B
Friday, March 3 vs USF
