MATCHDAY 19 INFO:
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Indy Eleven
Saturday, July 20, 7 p.m. ET
Michael A. Carroll Stadium, Indianapolis, IND
2024 League Records:
Rowdies: 9W-4L-5D, 32 pts, 3rd East (3-3-3 on the road)
Indy: 9W-5L-4D, 31 pts, 4th East (4-3-2 at home)
Watch Party: Join the official watch party at Grand Central Brewhouse in Downtown St. Petersburg. Click here to RSVP & learn more.
Tune In: Saturday’s match will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are back on the road this weekend for a pivotal matchup against Eastern Conference foe Indy Eleven. Last week’s 2-0 victory over Orange County SC at Al Lang Stadium lifted the Rowdies to third in the conference standings, just one point ahead of Indy who had held third place for much of the last couple months. After jumping Indy in the standings and with a meeting against second place Charleston Battery coming up next Saturday at home, the Rowdies are aiming to solidify their place in the standings race.
“The next two matches are huge,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “We’ve got the team below us in fourth and we’ve got the team above us in second. If we can win both of these, we’ll put in ourselves in a great position and start putting pressure on Louisville. You want to be involved in these game, these top of the table clashes. So we need to make sure we perform.”
Past history indicates picking up all three points in Indy this weekend will be a tough task. In nine previous trips to Indy, the Rowdies only recorded one win. That win, a 2-1 result, came all the way back in Indy’s inaugural season in 2014 back when the teams competed in the NASL. The Rowdies have posted five draws and three losses in their other trips up to Indy.
Similar Scoring Pace
Heading into Saturday’s match, Tampa Bay and Indy’s attacks are dead even at 31 league goals through the first 18 fixtures. The main difference between the two is the variety of scorers. 21 of Tampa Bay’s 31 goals have been tallied by forwards Cal Jennings and Manuel Arteaga. 8 different players have scored for the Rowdies this year, while 13 have notched at least one goal for Indy.
Cal’s Back on Track
After a three-match scoring drought, Tampa Bay’s Cal Jennings returned to form with two goals versus Orange County last week. The 27-year-old attacker now has 61 career goals in the USL Championship and 30 goals for the Rowdies. Jennings reached 60 goals in the fewest appearances in the league’s history, taking only 108 games. Jennings also has the best strike rate among active players with 60 goals, scoring at a rate of every 128.7 minutes.
Club Connections
There are quite a few connections between the Rowdies and Indy. Rowdies keeper Jordan Farr started his professional career in the Circle City, where he spent three seasons before moving to San Antonio. Indy is also the first American club Rowdies Manuel Arteaga played for. Current Rowdies Assistant Coach Nicky Law was a teammate of Arteaga’s in Indy in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, Tampa Bay’s Cal Jennings was shortly under contract with Indy during the lead up to the 2021 season before being transferred to MLS’ LAFC.
The connections go both ways. Tampa Bay’s all-time leading scorer Sebastian Guenzatti now suits up for Indy. Guenzatti, who ended his time in Tampa Bay with 65 goals across all competitions, has notched 14 goals in 53 for Indy since joining last year. Indy’ current leading scorer Jack Blake also has ties to Tampa Bay, having spent the first half of the 2018 season with the Rowdies.
“A game in Indy is always going to be challenging,” said Farr. “I got to play there for four years of my life. The Brickyard Battalion always brings heat and The Mike is always packed. It’s just a great environment to play in. For us, it’s about taking this game for what it is and not thinking about the outside stuff like the table. We need to understanding that is an important game and we need to turn up for it, but that just means doing what we do best.”
Scouting Indy
After only securing one win through the first seven matches of the season, first-year head coach Sean McAuley has Indy humming along as a top contender for the 2024 Players’ Shield and potentially more hardware. From April 27 to June 22, Indy won ten straight contests, including two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup matchups. After knocking out MLS’ Atlanta United FC of the Open Cup last week, Indy stands as the last USL Championship squad left in the tournament and are set to face Sporting KC in the Semi-Final round on August 27.
“Indy have got real pace up top, but they deliver a lot of crossed balls,” said Neilson. “They do a good job of getting their two strikers and the midfielder all involved in the attack. So we We need to either stop it at the source or make sure we cover the box well.”
Availability Report
OUT: Forrest Lasso, Nick Moon, Cristian Ortiz (International Duty)
QUESTIONABLE: Blake Bodily, Leo Fernandes
