Matchday 27 Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Birmingham Legion FC
Wednesday, September 11, 8 p.m. ET
Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
2024 League Records:
Rowdies: 12W-7L-7D, 43 pts, 3rd East (4-4-5 on the road)
Birmingham: 10W-11L-5D, 35 pts, 8th East (4-7-2 at home)
Tune In: Wednesday’s match will air exclusively on CBS Sports Network.
After a tough defeat in Colorado Springs over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rowdies look to get back in the win column on Wednesday in a road matchup against Birmingham Legion FC. A win at Protective Stadium on Wednesday night would be the first for the Rowdies, who have recorded two defeats and two draws in their previous trips to Alabama.
The 4-2 loss to Colorado Springs this past weekend was only the second time this year the Rowdies have conceded four goals in a match. The squad will aim to get back to their expected standard of performance against Birmingham on Wednesday and then versus Pittsburgh back at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday.
“The message from me after the match was that performance wasn’t who we are,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “You can lose games, but there are ways you can accept losing games. If you are going to lose, which is going to happen in soccer, you have to lose by playing your way. I felt on Saturday that it wasn’t us out there… We need to almost use this as a rest. We’ve got two games coming up this week. Let’s use that to get back playing the way we want to play.”
Overall, the Rowdies have won four, lost five, and drawn three in league play against Birmingham over the years. However, Birmingham have gotten the better of the Rowdies in four straight league contests. The last time the Rowdies beat Birmingham in league play was in the 2021 playoffs. Tampa Bay did survive a 10-goal thriller against Birmingham in this year’s edition of the U.S. Open Cup, although they then fell 1-0 to Birmingham only a few days later.
“It’s a road game, which is always difficult in this league,” said Neilson. “We have to press the way we want to press. We have to pass the way we want to pass. We have to get forward the way we want to get forward. We want to go up there and come away with all three points.”
Leo’s Back on the Scoresheet
One of the few highlights from the match in Colorado was seeing midfielder Leo Fernandes notch an assist and his first goal in nearly two years. After a torn Achilles sidelined him for almost all of the 2023 season, a few small knocks have kept Fernandes from getting consistent minutes this season. The longtime Rowdies midfielder has been fit and available for selection for over a month now.
“It’s been another frustrating year, maybe even more frustrating than last year. Because last year I knew I was out no matter what,” said Fernandes. “This has been more of a tease. I start to feel good and then something will pop up and keep me out. I just had to keep looking forward. I’m feeling good now. I’m ready for the playoff push. These are the most important games of the year, the most fun. I’m just focusing on controlling what I can control and hoping to end the year right.”
Milestone Watch
Leo Fernandes is quickly approaching two Rowdies records held by club legend Georgi Hristov. The match against Colorado Springs was Fernandes 170th appearance for the Rowdies across all competitions, leaving him only three shy of the modern-era appearances record held by Hristov. Fernandes’ assist on Damian Rivera’s goal in the 79th minute also put him within close range of Hristov’s assists record. Fernandes is now just one assist away from matching Hristov’s all-time club record of 33 assists.
Availability Report
OUT: Forrest Lasso, Nick Moon, Endri Mustali, Cristian Ortiz (International Duty)
SUSPENDED: Head Coach Robbie Neilson
