Matchday 16 Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Loudoun United
Saturday, June 24, 7 p.m. ET
Segra Field, Leesburg, Virginia
Watch: Stream the match on ESPN+
The Rowdies face their first Eastern Conference opposition in over a month this Saturday when they travel to take on Loudoun United. Only two of Tampa Bay’s last nine USL Championship matches have been against an Eastern Conference, and both of those matches were versus Detroit City FC. Despite the lack of competition against teams in the East, the Rowdies have put themselves in a good position as they reach the midway point of the season, sitting fourth in the conference but only three points back of the Charleston Battery for first place.
Collins. “Loudoun is a team we’ve played a lot. They’ve been on a good run of form, winning their last two prior to Wednesday night. (Loudoun Head Coach) Ryan Martin always has this team well organized. I think they’re a team that beat anyone in the league on their day.”
Meanwhile, Loudoun enters the weekend eighth in the standings, having just lost out to Birmingham Legion FC on the road on Wednesday night. Last year’s regular-season series with Loudoun went about as well as it could for the Rowdies, who recorded a 4-0 win on the road and an 8-0 victory at Al Lang.
“Loudoun have got a very good coach who always gets the best out of the players he’s got,” said Collins. Ryan’’s always done a good job with getting those younger players up to MLS. Equally their style of play makes them a threat. It always makes you defend, always asks you questions. We’ve always had tough games, especially at Loudoun. We always try to make our players aware of what to expect. Thankfully we’ve got a lot of guys that have been there and done that. They know how tough it is.”
LaCava’s Transition
Jake LaCava received his first start since returning on loan from Inter Miami CF in last Saturday’s draw at El Paso Locomotive. The young attacker scored Tampa Bay’s lone goal and was a persistent threat to add another throughout the second half. LaCava has only been back with the Green & Gold for two weeks already and looks to be picking up right where he left off last year when he bagged 12 goals.
“It feels like I never left,” said LaCava. “I’m back in with the guys and I’m enjoying being back in with the staff. It’s been easy on me. The guys have been good about getting me in the team and making me feel welcomed again.”
Rowdies Lose Spaulding
The Rowdies will be without one of their most important pieces during their eight-match unbeaten run this Saturday. On Tuesday, New England Revolution recalled wingback Ryan Spaulding from his Rowdies loan to cover for losses due to international duty call-ups during the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Spaulding made a significant impact for Tampa Bay in just 9 league appearances, scoring two goals and notching four assists.
“As disappointing as it is to lose certain individuals and have individuals go through adversity in terms of injury and other issues, it’s always someone’s opportunity,” said Collins. “We’ve got a lot of guys that have taken that opportunity. We’re looking to get some guys back, but the guys that are in the squad now are doing a fantastic job.”
The loss of Spaulding adds to the list of unavailable players that left the Rowdies shorthanded last week in El Paso. Tampa Bay only had five players available for substitution in the match. However, the Rowdies have been thin in certain spots over the last couple months but have still managed to string together positive results.
“You’ve gotta just give a lot of credit to the players,” said Collins. “The ones that have played a lot have really just been excellent. At the start of the season we felt we had a lot of good players not playing at the level that they’ve shown that they can play at. The sign of tough character is that they can come through a tough time and be better for it. We’ve got a lot of those guys that have stuck at it and really come through. They’re really playing as well as they’ve ever played. That’s why we’ve been on an excellent run.”
Availability Report:
OUT: Lewis Hilton, Zach Herivaux, Felix Schröter
QUESTIONABLE: Dayonn Harris, Ariel Martinez, Lucky Mkosana
INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Raiko Arozarena
