Matchday 13 Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Sacramento Republic FC
Saturday, June 3, 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL
Tickets: Click here to purchase tickets or stop by the stadium box office starting at 4 p.m. on matchday
Pre-Game Fan Zone: From 5:30 to 7:30 outside of Gate 2 at every home match this year, fans are invited to the Rowdies Pre-game Fan Zone featuring a DJ, face painters for young fans, interactive soccer games for fans of all ages, shaved ice from the club’s new partner Kona Ice, and many more activities.
Watch: Stream the match on ESPN+.
Postmatch Party: Join the Rowdies official postmatch party at The Avenue in Downtown St. Pete for swag giveaways and drink specials. Click here for more info.
Two of the USL Championship’s top clubs meet this Saturday at Al Lang Stadium when the Rowdies host Sacramento Republic FC. The Rowdies will be looking to extend their winning streak to six matches while Sacramento will be keen to build on its standings lead in either conference.
Sacramento made a cross-country trek last week, dismantling Hartford Athletic 4-1 to secure all three points.
“There’s no question confidence can be hard to find and when you’ve got it you don’t think too much about it,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “There’s no doubt Sacramento is full of confidence. They’ve won a lot of matches. Our players look full of confidence as well. They’ve been enjoying themselves and playing well. That’s why it’s such a good match, you’ve got two teams full of confidence.”
Russell Cicerone has been the standout up top for Sacramento so far this season. The veteran attacker enters the weekend tied for the most goals in the league with 9 under his belt. However, it’s Sacramento’s strong team identity that has set it apart this year and in recent seasons, shown by the fact the California club has conceded only six goals through the first 12 matches.
“Mark is a very experienced coach and he’s built something really strong at Sacramento,” said Collins. “They’re a really experienced team and are very organized. They’re greater than the sum of their parts, and what I mean by that is they’ve got very good players but they’re all about the team. They’ve got quality on top of the field. Russell Cicerone has been scoring goals. They’re littered with quality. We know what to expect but we also believe in ourselves and believe we can cause anyone problems if we do the things that we do well.”
Western Conference Run
You would be forgiven for thinking the Rowdies were transferred to the Western Conference and the USL forgot to give everyone the memo. Saturday will be Tampa Bay’s third straight match against an opponent from the Western Conference, with two more to follow after Sacramento. So far this season the Rowdies have lost once against a Western Conference opponent, with an overall record of three wins, one loss, and one draw.
Depth Crucial During Winning Streak
The Rowdies perfect record in May is made all the more impressive by the injury issues the club has faced in midfield during that same stretch. Midfielders Lewis Hilton, Zach Herivaux, and Jake Areman all missed May entirely. That left a heavy load for Jordan Doherty and Yann Ekra to carry in the middle of the park, and for wingback Ryan Spaulding to handle out on the left. Thankfully, they’ve all been up to the task and then some.
“Everyone around the league deals with injuries at different points in time. We’ve been unfortunate that we’ve had guys in key positions out for longer than we would have expected. Credit to the players that have had the jersey. They’ve been relentless in terms of their performance levels and fitness levels. They should take a lot of credit for that as a team, being able to adapt with guys out. When you’ve got someone out with injury it’s always an opportunity for someone else and these guys have all taken their opportunity.”
Milestone Watch
• Lucky Mkosana is two goals away from his 50th regular-season goal in the USL Championship.
• Sebastian Dalgaardis nearing a Rowdies milestone. The Danish midfielder sits two appearances away from his 100th overall appearances for the Rowdies. Dalgaard would be the third player to reach the 100 matches mark this season. Captain Aaron Guillen and veteran Yann Ekra already did so in April.
Injury Report:
OUT: Leo Fernandes, Lewis Hilton, Zach Herivaux
QUESTIONABLE: Jake Areman, Yann Ekra