Home

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (June 29, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies reclaimed first place in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference in dramatic fashion Saturday night, with Sebastian Guenzatti scoring a game-winning goal in added time to beat Ottawa Fury FC 2-1 at Al Lang Stadium.

The Rowdies (10-1-6, 36 points) were only a couple of minutes away from dropping points at home again, but Guenzatti’s classy backheel finish two minutes into added moved Tampa Bay back to the top of the table, two points ahead of Indy Eleven, which drew 1-1 with Louisville City FC at home on Saturday night.

“One thing I keep saying is that the attitude of this team is fantastic,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “It’s never about a lack of effort. Sometimes you don’t come back (from a deficit) and it’s maybe due to a lack of quality, but it’s never a lack of effort. Tonight we had both. They deserved a victory tonight.”

Ottawa (7-3-6, 27 points) took a lead midway through the first half after Cristiano Francois poached a goal in the 22nd minute, but Juan Tejada leveled the match in the 36th minute, setting the stage for a dramatic finale.

Two second-half substitutes, Malik Johnson and Lucky Mkosana, combined in the decisive moment, with Mkosana centering the ball for Guenzatti’s backheel finish.

“(A backheel) was the only option I had,” Guenzatti said. “The defender stepped up and I noticed that behind me there was no one in goal because the goalie came out against Lucky and I backheeled it with my left foot. It was pretty special. … I don’t know if it was one of my better goals, but it was one of my more creative.”

Mkosana’s impact came just one day after he was acquired by the Rowdies in a trade Friday. He arrived in Tampa Bay on Friday morning and did not train with the team. He entered the match in the 67th minute alongside Johnson and helped turn the tide of the match. Kwadwo Poku, Tampa Bay’s other substitute, also put in a strong performance in limited minutes.

With the result, the Rowdies have now reached the halfway point of the USL Championship regular season in first place with the best goal differential in the Eastern Conference.

Tampa Bay will visit the Swope Park Rangers next Sunday evening and then the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on July 13 before returning home to host Saint Louis FC on Saturday, July 20. Tickets to that match are available here.

Scoring Summary
Ottawa: Cristiano Francois – 22nd minute
Tampa Bay: Juan Tejada – 36th minute (assisted by David Najem)
Tampa Bay: Sebastian Guenzatti – 90+2 minute (assisted by Lucky Mkosana)

Caution Summary
Tampa Bay: Dominic Oduro – 28th minute
Tampa Bay: Sebastian Guenzatti – 43rd minute
Ottawa: Kevin Oliveira – 53rd minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (3-5-2): GK John McCarthy; D Tarek Morad, Pape Diakite, Caleb Richards; M David Najem (Kwadwo Poku 85′), Yann Ekra, Zach Steinberger (Lucky Mkosana 67′), Dom Oduro, Leo Fernandes (Malik Johnson 67′); F Sebastian Guenzatti (c), Juan Tejada

Ottawa XI (4-3-3): GK Callum Irving; D Carl Haworth (Jamar Dixon 73′), Thomas Meilleur-Giguere, Dakota Barnathan, Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare; M Chris Mannella (Thiago De Freitas 63′), Charlie Ward, Wal Fall; F Cristiano Francois, Mour Samb, Kevin Oliveira (Onua Obasi 73′)

The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Ottawa Fury FC
Saturday, June 29, 8 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday

Tickets
Tickets for Saturday’s match are available by calling (727) 222-2000 or clicking here. Gates will open at 7 p.m., 60 minutes before kickoff. 

How to Watch
The match will be broadcast online on ESPN+ here. International viewers can watch online here.

Records
Tampa Bay: 9-1-6 (W-L-T), 2nd place; 4-1-4 at home 
Ottawa: 7-2-6 (W-L-T), 6th place; 2-1-4 on road

Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies slipped to second place in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference on Wednesday night as the Indy Eleven beat Birmingham Legion FC 3-0 in Indianapolis, bringing Indy even on points with the Rowdies at 33. Indy claimed first place via the league wins tiebreaker. The teams are tied on goal differential, the second tiebreaker.

This will be the first match since May 18 that the Rowdies are not in first place at kickoff. The Rowdies beat New York Red Bulls II 2-0 on that night to knock the Red Bulls out of first place and claim it for themselves.

The Rowdies made their first two player transactions of the season this week. First, forward Brandon Allen was transferred to Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday. Allen scored once in eight league games for the Rowdies this season. On Friday, the Rowdies acquired forward Lucky Mkosana in a trade with Louisville City FC, sending forward Antoine Hoppenot in the other direction. Mkosana has scored five goals in all competitions for Louisville this season. He played for the Rowdies in 2013 and 2014.

Flipping a trend from recent seasons on its head, the Rowdies have actually been much better away from Al Lang Stadium this season than at home. Tampa Bay has averaged 2.43 points per game on the road with a record of 5-0-2 (W-L-T), compared to 1.44 points per game at home.

Midfielder Yann Ekra returned to the starting lineup in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 win over Bethlehem last weekend. Ekra has been sidelined by an ankle injury since April 20, missing a total of nine matches. He appeared off the bench in the Rowdies draw against Charleston two weeks ago in his return from injury.

Defender Shawn Barry made his return to action in Bethlehem, appearing off the bench in his firts game action since May 8 due to a rib injury. Barry missed three matches with an ankle injury before sustaining a rib injury 17 minutes into his return to play, subsequently missing a further five matches before playing in Bethlehem.

Injury Report
DOUBTFUL – Jaime Siaj (quad strain)
QUESTIONABLE – Andrew Tinari (groin)
PROBABLE – Leo Fernandes (hamstring)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (June 28, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies have acquired forward Lucky Mkosana from Louisville City FC, with forward Antoine Hoppenot going the other direction, the club announced Friday.

Mkosana, 31, previously played for the Rowdies in 2013 and 2014 and was a fan favorite. He arrived in Tampa Bay this morning and is expected to be eligible for selection for tomorrow night’s match against Ottawa Fury FC.

Mkosana scored four goals in his first stint with the club before departing for the New York Cosmos in 2015.

Last year, Mkosana joined USL Championship side Penn FC and scored 11 goals in 29 appearances. He began this season with Louisville City FC, scoring five times in 16 appearances in all competitions.

“We are absolutely delighted to add Lucky to our squad,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “It is hard to make your squad better at this stage in the season when the team has performed so well but it says everything about Lucky that we believe he will make us stronger for the second half of the season. Lucky has qualities that I believe suit our style of play and also adds a couple of qualities that I believe we have been missing.”

Hoppenot was in his first season with the Rowdies. He appeared in 11 matches in all competitions this year, scoring once in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play. The Rowdies wish Hoppenot the best of luck in Louisville.

Tampa Bay hosts Ottawa at 8 p.m. tomorrow night at Al Lang Stadium. Tickets are available here.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (June 26, 2019) – The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced Wednesday that Memphis 901 FC has acquired forward Brandon Allen from the Rowdies.

“We wish Brandon the best of luck in his new chapter in Memphis and thank him for all of his hard work,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “Opportunities have been limited for Brandon this season and at this stage in his career, he understandably wants to play more regularly. This is a move that suits both parties.”

Allen, 25, was in his first season with the Rowdies. He played in eight USL Championship matches, scoring once. His biggest contributions this year came in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where he scored three goals in two matches.

With Allen’s departure, the Rowdies roster now stands at 23 players. Tampa Bay currently sits atop the Eastern Conference just short of the halfway point of the regular season. The Rowdies host Ottawa Fury FC on Saturday night at 8 p.m.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (June 25, 2019) — Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Caleb Richards was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week on Tuesday for the first time this season. 

Richards leads the Rowdies in minutes played amongst outfield players. 

The full Team of the Week is below.

GK – Thomas Olsen, Las Vegas Lights FC: Olsen recorded a four-save shutout that included a crucial late stop on Omar Salgado as Las Vegas took its first road win of the season in a 1-0 victory against El Paso.

D – Caleb Richards, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Richards won 13 of 16 duels and 6 of 7 aerials, won 4 of 4 tackles attempted and completed 43 of 54 passes to help the Rowdies to a road victory against Bethlehem.

D – Roy Miller, Portland Timbers 2: Miller scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in addition to winning 5 of 6 duels and recording five recoveries as Portland earned a 2-0 victory on the road against Orange County.

D – Noah Powder, Real Monarchs SLC: Powder won 10 of 15 duels and completed 4 of 6 long passes on a night that saw him complete 35 of 44 passes overall to help the Monarchs rally past Colorado Springs.

M – Wal Fall, Ottawa Fury FC: Fall scored the game-tying goal for Fury FC in its 3-3 draw on the road against Nashville SC to cap a performance that also saw him record two key passes and complete 38 of 43 passes overall.

M – Jemal Johnson, Fresno FC: Johnson scored a pair of goals and completed 21 of 24 passes overall to lead the Foxes to a big 3-2 victory on Friday night at Chukchanski Park against San Antonio FC.

M – Steven Miller, North Carolina FC: Miller had a goal and assist, made four key passes and completed 28 of 34 passes overall in North Carolina FC’s 2-2 draw on the road against Saint Louis FC.

M – Kenardo Forbes, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Forbes had one assist, four key passes and completed 62 of 71 passes overall as the Hounds took a 3-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls II.

F – Stefano Bonomo, Sacramento Republic FC: Bonomo notched a pair of goals on four total shots, completed 12 of 15 passes and made four recoveries in Republic FC’s emphatic victory against Tulsa Roughnecks FC.

F – Solomon Asante, Phoenix Rising FC: Asante had three goals and one assist across a pair of victories for Rising FC and recorded six key passes and 64 of 80 passes overall over the two games for the Western Conference leaders.

F – Cameron Iwasa, Sacramento Republic FC: Iwasa had two goals and one assist as Republic FC romped to its biggest victory in club history with a 6-0 win against Tulsa Roughnecks FC.

Bench: Zac Lubin (PHX), Jermaine Taylor (AUS), Mikey Lopez (BHM), Steevan Dos Santos (PIT), Tyler Pasher (IND), Adam Jahn (PHX), Ropapa Mensah (NSH)

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (June 23, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies will be in first place for another week after earning a 2-1 road win over Bethlehem Steel FC on Saturday evening. The win was the Rowdies fifth victory away from home in seven road games this year, surpassing last year’s road win total with 10 games to spare.

Here’s Three Things from the match…

1. Skid stopped
Want to know how good of a season the Rowdies are having? Going two matches without a win leading into this match felt like a legitimate slump for the table-topping Rowdies. A loss to North Carolina (which currently sits in the top five) and a draw against Charleston in which the Rowdies were two minutes away from winning had us wondering if Tampa Bay could ever break out of that bad form. Not really, but it’s nice that that’s behind the Rowdies now.

Though the final score was 2-1 and the statistics show a fairly even match, the Rowdies were in complete control until Bethlehem’s stoppage time penalty. Having scored only 13 minutes in, Tampa Bay was in cruise control for basically the entire match. Steel FC’s only two shots on target from open play were soft shots that fell comfortably into Rowdies goalkeeper John McCarthy’s hands with virtually no chance of going in. The penalty kick decision was debatable and without it, Bethlehem wouldn’t have had a quality chance in the entire match.

It’s the second consecutive game the Rowdies have conceded a goal in the 88th minute or later, which is basically the only criticism that could be levied against Tampa Bay for its performance Saturday.

2. Together Rowdies
Besides stellar road form, another huge strength of the Rowdies this season has been the way they attack together as a team and defend together as a team.

They provided an excellent example of this mentality late in Saturday’s match, as evidenced by the clip below.

Yann Ekra has the ball after a Zach Steinberger interception and the Rowdies pour forward en masse. Six Rowdies are in Bethlehem’s 18-yard box trying to put the game fully out of reach with 10 minutes to go. However, lest you think that’s a little reckless given the scoreboard and clock situation and leaves the Rowdies vulnerable to a counter attack, watch how hard the Rowdies work together.

Tampa Bay turns the ball over and the Rowdies break into a dead sprint to get back as a unit. By the time Bethlehem gets the ball into the box, the Rowdies have the numerical advantage in place and nothing comes of the counter. Tampa Bay gets a touch on the ball and Ekra takes possession just outside his own box, having led the charge into Bethlehem’s box less than 30 seconds earlier.

At that point in the match, the Rowdies have played a high defensive press for 80 minutes. They’re on the road in a quiet atmosphere and a victory is pretty clearly in sight. You could forgive them if they only sent three players into the attacking box or only jogged back defensively.

Still, they pressed on for a goal and when it didn’t work out, they busted their tails to get back into shape and defend.

It’s a great example of why the Rowdies have been so successful in the first half of this season.

3. Strikers strike
The Rowdies have been very consistent with Neill Collins’ preferred 3-5-2 this season, starting two strikers in every match to date. That said, something happened in last night’s match that hadn’t happened at all in league play and had only happened once in all competitions.

Both starting strikers scored.

Prior to Saturday, the only time all season that both starting strikers had scored was when Brandon Allen and Antoine Hoppenot did it in Tampa Bay’s 4-3 U.S. Open Cup loss to Oklahoma City. Despite starting two strikers in all 15 USL Championship games going into the weekend, the Rowdies hadn’t yet had a game where both strikers struck.

Tampa Bay’s two leading scorers this year, Sebastian Guenzatti and Juan Tejada, have started alongside one another as a strike partnership 10 times this year, but only just now did they both score in the same game. Guenzatti leads the team with eight goals. Tejada now has five in his rookie season.

Now, it’s fair to point out that the combined distance of the two goals was only about 12 yards, but strikers exist to score goals. Whether they’re beautiful or not is of little consequence.

Here’s to seeing the names “Guenzatti” and “Tejada” on the score sheet together more often.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (June 22, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies scored twice in the first half and put in a professional performance to beat Bethlehem Steel FC 2-1 in a match that was not nearly as close as the final score indicates.

Juan Tejada and Sebastian Guenzatti each got on the scoresheet before halftime and the Rowdies never relinquished control of the match. Bethlehem captain James Chambers scored a penalty kick in the 91st minute to set up an interesting finish but Tampa Bay would close out the match successfully.

The win keeps the Rowdies (9-1-6, 33 points) in first place in the Eastern Conference as the halfway point of the regular season approaches. It was Tampa Bay’s fifth road win of the season, surpassing its 2018 road record with 10 away games left to play still.

Tejada netted his fifth goal of the year — and first since May 18 — after only 13 minutes of play. Zach Steinberger teed up a free kick from outside the corner of the box and the pinpoint delivery fell directly to Tejada standing six yards from goal. The young Panamian forward put it away with aplomb to give the Rowdies an early lead.

Tejada was at the heart of the attack again in the 34th minute, blistering a low shot that Bethlehem goalkeeper Matt Freese tipped onto his left-hand post, only for it to bounce right to Guenzatti on the six-yard box. Guenzatti reacted quickly and made the simple finish for his team-leading eighth goal of the year.

The Rowdies controlled the pace of play throughout the second half, though Bethlehem (4-8-4, 16 points) did come into the match a little bit after halftime. Steel FC recorded two shots on target in regulation, though both were hit softly right at McCarthy.

Tampa Bay defender Tarek Morad was adjudged to have committed a foul in the 90th minute and Steel FC was awarded a penalty kick. Captain James Chapter beat McCarthy from the spot to make the score 2-1 in the dying minutes.

Bethlehem made another desperate thrust in added time but it was ultimately not enough to avoid defeat.

The Rowdies will be back at home next weekend to take on Ottawa Fury FC on Pride Night on Saturday, June 29 at 8 p.m. Tickets for that match are available here. That match will be part of the second Rays to Rowdies doubleheader with the Tampa Bay Rays taking on the Texas Rangers at 4:10 p.m. the same day. Fans can purchase a special combined ticket here.

Scoring Summary
Tampa Bay: Juan Tejada – 13th minute (assisted by Zach Steinberger)
Tampa Bay: Sebastian Guenzatti – 34th minute
Bethlehem: James Chambers – 90+1 minute (penalty kick)

Caution Summary
Bethlehem: James Chambers – 29th minute
Bethlehem: Cole Turner – 50th minute
Bethlehem: Shanyder Borgelin – 54th minute
Bethlehem: Anthony Fontana – 57th minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (3-5-2): GK John McCarthy; D Tarek Morad, Pape Diakite, Caleb Richards; M Malik Johnson (Shawn Barry 65′), Yann Ekra, Zach Steinberger (Leon Taylor 90+2′), Jordan Doherty, David Najem; F Sebastian Guenzatti (c), Juan Tejada (Kwadwo Poku 83′)

Bethlehem XI (4-4-2): GK Matt Freese; D Nathan Harriel, Mark McKenzie, Ben Ofeimu, Matt Real; M Issa Rayyan, Anthony Fontana (Steve Kingue 73′), Cole Turner (Chavany Willis 55′), James Chambers (c); F Zach Zandi, Shanyder Borgelin (Axel Picazo 55′)

The Basics
Bethlehem Steel FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saturday, June 22, 5 p.m. ET
Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, Pa.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday

How to Watch
The match will be broadcast online on ESPN+ here. International viewers can watch online here.

Records
Bethlehem: 4-7-4 (W-L-T), 10th place; 2-5-3 at home 
Tampa Bay: 8-1-6 (W-L-T), 1st place; 4-0-2 on road

Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies have seen their cushion at the top of the Eastern Conference standings slip to just one point following a loss and a draw in their last two matches. Tampa Bay conceded a late goal to Charleston in the 88th minute of last week’s match to drop two points in a 1-1 draw.

Sebastian Guenzatti scored his team-high seventh goal of the season last week to put the Rowdies ahead in the 39th minute. He scored five goals last season and was Tampa Bay’s leading returning scorer. He has started every USL Championship match this season.

Flipping a trend from recent seasons on its head, the Rowdies have actually been much better away from Al Lang Stadium this season than at home. Tampa Bay has averaged 2.33 points per game on the road with a record of 4-0-2 (W-L-T), compared to 1.78 points per game at home. The Rowdies were 4-10-3 away from home last season and 3-6-7 in 2017.

The Rowdies will be without midfielder Dom Oduro this week while he serves a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation. This is Oduro’s second suspension of the season. He previously missed the win over Swope Park on May 25 after being red carded May 18. He has played in every league match this season for which he was not suspended.

More than one-fifth of the Rowdies roster has previously played for the Philadelphia Union or Bethlehem Steel in their careers. Goalkeepers Chris Konopka and John McCarthy, midfielder Leo Fernandes and forward Antoine Hoppenot were all on the Union roster at some point, while forward Brandon Allen started last season with Bethlehem on a USL contract.

After a lengthy injury layoff, Yann Ekra returned to action last week with a 10-minute cameo off the bench against the Battery. It was his first action since sustaining an ankle injury in training on April 20. Prior to his injury, Ekra has featured in all six matches of the season.

Suspended
Dom Oduro (yellow card accumulation)

Injury Report
DOUBTFUL – Jaime Siaj (quad strain)
QUESTIONABLE – Leo Fernandes (hamstring)
QUESTIONABLE – Andrew Tinari (groin)
PROBABLE – Shawn Barry (ribs)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (June 19, 2019) – Jordan Doherty is the youngest player to appear in a league match in the Modern Era of the Tampa Bay Rowdies and is among the youngest to ever feature for the Rowdies going all the way back to the Golden Era Rowdies in 1975.

But to him, this is nothing new.

Doherty is just 18 years old but he’s been at this a while. He left his native Ireland shortly after turning 15 to pursue a career in the sport, moving across the Irish Sea to join the youth academy at Sheffield United.

By the time he was 17, he was playing up two age groups for Sheffield’s Under 23s. As if playing with young men six years older wasn’t a responsibility enough, Doherty actually captained the team of his much older peers.

“I first captained the U23s when I was 17,” he said. “I felt very honored to do that. For the manager to put that trust in me at a young age and give me the chance to lead the boys was really special.”

Fast forward a year and Doherty has again crossed the water to join a team as its youngest member. He is with the Rowdies on a season-long loan from Sheffield United. Doherty made his professional debut in the Rowdies season opener, coming off the bench in the final minutes to help close out a 1-0 road win over Memphis 901 FC.

To him, it was just the next step in a burgeoning career. But to the Rowdies, it was hugely significant to have a player as young as 18 playing in meaningful matches.

“In England there’s a lot of players even younger than 18 making their first team debuts even at 16 or 17 years old,” Doherty said. “When I came over here, people reacted as if I was a baby, which I thought was pretty funny. My opinion is if you’re good enough to play, age doesn’t matter.”

Doherty has continued to prove his worth this year, appearing in nine matches so far primarily as a defensive midfielder. This year, he’s won half his tackles and more than half of his duels while completing 74 percent of his passes and drawing more than twice as many fouls as he concedes.

“People like me, Caleb (Richards) and Juan (Tejada) are just starting our professional careers but we were welcomed right away and it’s been unbelievable the way we all get along and enjoy our time together,” he said. “Everyone’s getting on and there’s a really good mentality where we all push each other to be better every single day.”

With Dom Oduro suspended this week due to yellow card accumulation, Doherty figures to be in the conversation to make his sixth start of the campaign this Saturday evening on the road against Bethlehem Steel FC.

“I’ve been really enjoying my time here and working hard on the training pitch,” Doherty said. “Once I’m playing I’m enjoying myself and I work really hard for the team. I just want to learn as much as I can from the players around me and the coaches. I want to get as many minutes as I can on the pitch and hopefully win a championship. That’s something I really want to achieve this year.”