MATCHDAY 17 INFO:
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Detroit City FC
Saturday, July 6, 7 p.m. ET
Keyworth Stadium, Detroit, MI
2024 League Records:
Rowdies: 8W-4L-4D, 28 pts, 4th East (3-3-2 on the road)
Detroit: 8W-4L-2D, 26 pts, 5th East (4-1-1 at home)
Tune In: Saturday’s match will be available to stream exclusively on CBS Sports Golazo
The Tampa Bay Rowdies close out a three-match road trip this Saturday with a matchup against Detroit City FC. The Rowdies are aiming to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat to Loudoun United FC last weekend and maintain their place in the top four of the Eastern Conference standings. Detroit sits directly below the Rowdies in the standings, only two points back and with two matches in hand. Detroit enters this weekend off of their biggest win of the season, a 4-0 result over Miami FC at home.
“We reviewed the Loudoun game and we were disappointed,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “I don’t think we showed any of the qualities that we’ve got, so we need to make sure that when we go up to Detroit that we play our game. That means being really competitive, getting to the ball first and playing positively forward.”
Nearing the Midpoint
Saturday’s contest in Detroit will be Tampa Bay’s 17th of the campaign, putting them at the exact midway point of the season. While the Rowdies sit in a good position at the moment, there is still room for improvement when it comes to finding consistent results. Victories over first-place Louisville and title contender Sacramento are certainly feathers in Tampa Bay’s cap this year, but they’ve yet to put together a lengthy string of wins. Coincidentally, the Rowdies kicked off an eleven-match unbeaten run, which included 9 wins, with a victory at Detroit last year on April 29. That run solidified their standing in the race for a playoff spot and the Players Shield.
“Consistency is really important,” said Rowdies defender Jordan Doherty. “We’re at the halfway point, so we’re going toward the business end of things now. That’s what we want to start doing. We want to start putting together consistent performances week in and week out. I think if we perform well and perform how we can on a consistent basis, we’ll win games. We’ve just got to focus on the performance and the results will come.”
Jennings Nears 60
Forward Cal Jennings is one tally away from his 60th career goal in the USL Championship. Jennings already has 9 goals for the Rowdies in league play this year, with his total across all competitions for Tampa Bay now at 31 goals in 51 appearances.
Scouting Detroit
This season is led by head coach Dan Dichio, a former assistant coach with Sacramento. Dichio’s first season is off to a strong start, as Detroit sits in a playoff position and kicked of the year with five straight league victories. Keyworth Stadium has proven to be a difficult place for visitors to earn points over the years, and that has continued this season as Detroit has only lost once in six home outings.
“It’ll be a great atmosphere,” said Neilson. “It looks like they get good crowds. The pitch is really tight and we need to learn to deal with that. We’ve had a number of turf pitches recently and need to find a way to play on it. I think it’s a more direct game when you play on these kinds of surfaces. Detroit are a strong team, a very strong and physical, and organized team. So it’ll be tough, but we’re really looking forward to it.”
Injury Report
OUT: Leo Fernandes (Calf), Forrest Lasso (ACL)
