Matchday 20 Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Indy Eleven
Saturday, July 22, 7 p.m. ET
Michael A. Carroll Stadium, Indianapolis, IND
Watch: Stream the match on ESPN+.
For the first time in over two months, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are looking to rebound from a loss after falling 1-0 to Birmingham last week. To get back in the win column the Rowdies will need to get past Indy Eleven on Saturday night at Michael A. Carroll Stadium.
“It was a tough result to take over the weekend, but the guys got some satisfaction from creating chances,” said Rowdies Interim Head Coach Stuart Dobson. “This week, there’s honestly been a big buzz around the facility. The guys have absolutely been on it this week. They’ve got a great attitude and they’ve been going full steam ahead this week.”
Tampa Bay squared off against Indy in the season opener back in March. Minutes away from victory, the Rowdies conceded a penalty in the final minutes to allow Indy to steal a point in a 1-1 result.
“Indy have got some extremely talented players on their team,” said Dobson. “We’re very conscious of how we need to take care of those. If we can do that and play solid defensively, we know we’re going to create chances at the other end. They are a very dangerous team, so we’ve got to be very wary of them and play a complete game.”
The Rowdies have lost once in six trips up to Indy’s Michael A. Carroll Stadium, posting two wins and three draws in their other results. The Green & Gold also faced off with Indy at Lucas Oil Stadium, picking up two wins and suffering one loss.
“We take each game as it comes,” said Rowdies Captain Aaron Guillen. “That first game was a long time ago. They’re a different team and we’re a completely different team as well. It’s gonna be a hard matchup. It’s always hard to go up there and play on their field. They’re a tough team, but we know we’re capable of going there and getting a result.”
Indy Player to Watch
Veteran midfielder Aodhan Quinn leads Indy with six goals so far this year, including the late penalty conversion against the Rowdies at Al Lang to secure a point for his side. In fact, all of Quinn’s tallies this season have come from the penalty spot. The Rowdies will aim to cut out any errors in the box and avoid giving Quinn and chances from the spot.
Availability Report:
Out due to injury: Leo Fernandes, Lewis Hilton, Zach Herivaux
