USL Championship Matchday 10
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Phoenix Rising FC
Saturday, May 23, 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL
League Records
Rowdies: 6-0-3 (3-0-1 at home), 21 pts, 1st in the East
Phoenix: 3-2-4 (2-2-1 on the road), 13 pts, 6th in the West
TV/Streaming: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+
Radio: Florida Alumni Radio, 1010 AM
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are back on home turf this Saturday following three straight road matchups. It was a productive couple weeks away from home for the Rowdies as they picked up four points in the league and a massive three-point result to take hold of the top spot of Group 7 in the Prinx Tires USL Cup.
Tampa Bay’s unbeaten start to the season now stands at nine matches, with Wednesday’s win at New Mexico making them the first USL Championship team to surpass 20 points in the standings this year. It took the club 21 matches to amass more than 20 points during last year’s campaign.
Lining up against the Rowdies as they aim to extend their unbeaten streak to ten matches this weekend at Al Lang Stadium is Phoenix Rising FC, a side the Rowdies have faced five times over the years. Tampa Bay holds the edge in the series between the two clubs with a record of three wins and two draws. Both draws have come in the last two meetings.
Allez Louis
Louis Perez made was standout during the Rowdies recent road trip. The French midfielder tallied the opening goals in both wins on the trip, with his go-ahead goal in Miami earning him Prinx Tires USL Cup Goal of the Round honors for Round 2 of the tournament. Perez is closing in on a personal milestone just as he begins to hit his stride with the Rowdies. The Frenchman is poised to make his 100th career regular season appearance in the USL Championship this Saturday.
USL Cup Honors
A pair of Rowdies took home honors from Round 2 of the Prinx Tires USL Cup following the club’s 4-1 win over Miami FC. MD Myers was named Player of the Round for Round 2 after notching a pair of goals in the match. Meanwhile, Louis Perez earned Goal of the Round for his left-footed strike from 30 yards out that opened up the scoring.
Defensive Reinforcement
Tampa Bay’s league-best defense got even stronger this week with the addition of defender Isaiah LeFlore on loan from Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC. The 23-year-old has featured regularly in MLS Next Pro over the last few years during stops in Sporting Kansas City, Houston, and Philadelphia. LeFlore gained his first USL Championship experience last year during a loan stint with Detroit City FC in the final two months of the season. LeFlore tallied one goal for Detroit in his time with the club, which happened to be in a 1-1 draw with Tampa Bay at Al Lang.
Scouting Phoenix
After leading Phoenix to their best finish in the Western Conference since 2021, Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah is hoping to take the club even higher in his second at the helm. Much of Phoenix attacking put has come from Ihsan Sacko in the first two months of the season, with the French midfielder registering a team-leading six goals and two assists. However, Phoenix has plenty of dynamic attacking players to keep an eye on, including former Rowdies attackers Charlie Dennis and Damien Rivera.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
- Rowdies Midfielder Louis Perez (99 regular season appearances) is approaching 100 career USL Championship regular season appearances.
- Rowdies Midfielder Lewis Hilton (167 appearances) is closing in on Rowdies legend Georgi Hirstov (173) on the club’s Modern Era appearances list. Hristov currently has the second most appearances in the Rowdies Modern Era.
Rowdies Availability Report
OUT: Archer, Nigro
QUESTIONABLE: Cicerone, Leerman
