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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 19, 2019) — After a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls II on Saturday night, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are three points clear in first place at the top of the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference.

Here’s Three Things from the match…

1. Whatever it takes
Statistically, Saturday night was not one of the Rowdies best performances of the year. To the eye, though, it was complete and utter domination. Tampa Bay completed only 64 percent of his passes, just a few percentage points higher than its season low. New York completed 100 passes more than the Rowdies.

That was all part of the plan for the Rowdies.

For the last several years, New York has had one of the clearest identities in American soccer. At both the MLS and USL level, the Red Bulls press really high with defensive pressure, force you to make a mistake and turn the ball over in your own half, then attack quickly and try to take advantage.

Last night, the Rowdies out-Red Bulls-ed the Red Bulls.

Juan Tejada’s second goal is a perfect example. New York goalkeeper Evan Louro quickly takes a short goal kick to midfielder Jean-Christophe Koffi, but then the Rowdies swarm forward and press high. Suddenly under pressure, Koffi panics and kicks the ball straight to David Najem. Two passes later, the Tejada scores and the Rowdies lead 2-0. Only eleven seconds pass between when Louro restarts play and when the Rowdies score.

With both teams pressing high, it’s no surprise that neither team managed to complete even 70 percent of its passes, but it was Tampa Bay which better managed this frantic style of play.

2. Red hot Tejada
Juan Tejada continued his red hot start to his professional career, scoring his third and fourth goals to spark the Rowdies to victory. He scored his first goal of the year less than a month ago on April 24. Now he’s just one goal behind Sebastian Guenzatti as the Rowdies leading scorer.

His first goal showed off good technical quality, bringing down an Andrew Tinari cross with his chest before spinning and firing. His second goal showed a good reading of the game, quickly realizing Kwadwo Poku would beat his defender and making a back post run into open space and waiting for the pass.

In addition to quickly becoming a fan favorite, Tejada’s confidence is growing game by game.

“Every game I play, I get more experience and I get more comfortable playing with my teammates and the relationship between us gets better,” Tejada said. “Every game is a new experience and I learn every day.”

3. Return of Poku
Rowdies midfielder Kwadwo Poku had to be patient this season. He did not appear in any of the Rowdies first nine matches of the year. He made his season debut May 8 in Nashville, a short cameo off the bench. His first start came Tuesday night in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and he had a great game. Against The Villages SC, Poku completed 86 percent of his passes and created two chances.

He retained his spot in the team for Saturday night and proved hugely effective once again. Poku’s calmness and physical dominance were the perfect antidote to New York’s high press. His assist was the icing on the cake after a strong performance throughout.

“I thought (Poku) was excellent,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said after the match. “I thought he did everything he could do. People often ask about Poku because he’s such a good player, but I say this about a lot of players that are out of the team, it’s not necessarily what they’re doing wrong, it’s what the players in the team are doing well. Poku has worked quietly and worked really hard. He deserved his chance in Nashville off the bench and played well the other night. I felt the game suited him well tonight and I thought he showed great attitude.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 18, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies made a statement Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium, dominating the New York Red Bulls II 2-0 in a meeting of teams tied for first place.

Juan Tejada scored both goals, moving the Rowdies three points clear of the Red Bulls at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Rowdies (6-0-5, 23 points) now lead the 36-team USL Championship on points, wins and goal differential.

“We have a lot of respect for the team we were playing,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “It was two top teams going at it. They’re a team that has been dominant in this division for three or four seasons and a big test for us. I’m proud of the way the players performed. It was enjoyable.”

Saturday night’s showdown figured to be a good one. The Rowdies boast the best defensive record in the Championship, while New York (6-2-2, 20 points) has scored the most goals in the Eastern Conference.

Once the match got going, the result was never in doubt.

After some early shakiness as both teams set up their high press, the Rowdies started to pull away and create chances. Tejada opened the scoring in the 28th minute off an Andrew Tinari corner kick, playing the ball down off his chest and before spinning and firing a shot past Red Bulls goalkeeper Evan Louro.

The Rowdies came out firing again in the second half, with Tejada again at the center of the attack.

The young Panamanian scored his second of the night after the Rowdies press forced a turnover in New York’s half. Midfielder Kwadwo Poku received the ball and raced toward goal, drawing defenders in before playing a pass to Tejada at the back post for a first-time finish in the 58th minute.  

Tejada now has four goals on the season, second-best behind Sebastian Guenzatti’s five.

“We knew (New York) is a tough team, but we prepared really well during the week,” Tejada said. “It was just teamwork. Everybody worked so hard and I was lucky to get the two goals. We worked very hard for it.”

Rowdies midfielder Dom Oduro was ejected from the match in the 77th minute, five minutes after receiving a yellow card for a physical tackle on New York’s Sean McSherry. Play was stopped for about five minutes while McSherry was tended to and ultimately carted off the field. Oduro was initially shown a yellow card, but before play restarted, referee Ismir Pekmic changed his decision and showed a straight red card to Oduro.

The man disadvantage didn’t end up costing the Rowdies, as New York still managed only two shots on goal all night. Tampa Bay goalkeeper John McCarthy saved both to post his seventh clean sheet in 11 matches this season.

Up next, the Rowdies will host Swope Park Rangers at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday, May 25 at 7:30. Tickets are available by clicking here.

Scoring Summary
Tampa Bay: Juan Tejada – 29th minute (assisted by Andrew Tinari)
Tampa Bay: Juan Tejada – 58th minute (assisted by Kwadwo Poku)

Caution Summary
Tampa Bay: Dominic Oduro – 72nd minute (red card)
Tampa Bay: Pape Diakite – 90+1 minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (3-5-2): GK John McCarthy; D Tarek Morad, Pape Diakite, Caleb Richards; M David Najem (Mohamed Kone 85′), Kwadwo Poku (Jordan Doherty 70′), Andrew Tinari, Dom Oduro, Leo Fernandes; F Sebastian Guenzatti (c) (Zach Steinberger 89′), Juan Tejada

New York XI (4-3-3): GK Evan Louro; D Rece Buckmaster, Preston Kilwien, Jordan Scarlett, Edgardo Rito; M Chris Lema, Jean Koffi, Jared Stroud (c); M Marcus Epps (Sebastian Elney 66′), Mathias Jorgensen, Ben Mines (Sean McSherry 62′ (Amarildo de Souza Junior 79′))

The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. New York Red Bulls II
Saturday, May 18, 7:30 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 6:30 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: 5-0-5 (W-L-T), 2nd place; 2-0-3 at home 
New York: 6-1-2 (W-L-T), 1st place; 1-0-1 on road

Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies head into Saturday night’s match coming off a 4-1 win over The Villages SC in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup action on Tuesday night. That victory extended the Rowdies unbeaten streak to 11 matches in all competitions, a new Modern Era club record. Mohamed Kone, Zach Steinberger, Brandon Allen and Leon Taylor all scored in the win for the Rowdies.

In league play, the Rowdies have been off since a 1-0 road win over Nashville SC on May 8. Juan Tejada scored the lone goal in that match as Tampa Bay moved into a tie for first place with tonight’s opponent. Tampa Bay is the last remaining unbeaten team in the USL Championship this year. 

Rowdies goalkeeper John McCarthy made three saves to keep his sixth clean sheet in 10 matches to start the season. The Rowdies have the best defensive record in the USL Championship having conceded only four goals in league play this season. 

Rowdies defender Pape Diakite was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week on Tuesday for the second time this year. He recorded four interceptions and seven clearances against Nashville, while also winning eight of nine duels. He and John McCarthy are the only two Rowdies to play every minute of league action this season.

McCarthy, Diakite, Leo Fernandes and Sebastian Guenzatti were excluded from the squad Tuesday night to keep them fresh for this match, while Juan Tejada, Andrew Tinari and Dominic Oduro were on the bench but did not enter the match.

Oduro is one yellow card away from earning an automatic one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.

David Najem (2016-17), Andrew Tinari (2017-18) and Brandon Allen (2016-17) all previously played for the Red Bulls II. Najem and Allen won USL Cup with their former team.

Injury Report
OUT: F Malik Johnson (separated shoulder)
OUT: F Jaime Siaj (quad strain)
DOUBTFUL: D Shawn Barry (ribs)
DOUBTFUL: M Yann Ekra (ankle)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 15, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies passed their first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup test of the season Tuesday night, advancing to the Third Round with a 4-1 win over The Villages SC. The result means the Rowdies will visit OKC Energy FC in Norman, Oklahoma on May 29.

Here’s Three Things from the match…

1. Moving on
The Rowdies were heavy favorites heading into Tuesday night’s match, but crazy things happen in the Open Cup. Going into Tuesday night, Tampa Bay had been eliminated by a team playing in a lower division than it in three of the last four seasons. Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins selected a mixed lineup that was more than strong enough to ensure that wouldn’t happen in his first Open Cup match at the helm.

USL Championship teams almost had a perfect night, going 7-1 in matches against non-Championship teams, with only the Charlotte Independence falling victim to an upset. Charlotte lost to the amateur Florida Soccer Soldiers in penalty kicks. The Tulsa Roughnecks were eliminated by fellow Championside side Austin Bold FC.

The Rowdies never looked in danger of losing their match, but The Villages did show a few promising signs before Tampa Bay struck twice in three minutes just before halftime to put things away early.

“I’ve been on both ends of these Open Cup draws as an amateur player and as a pro,” Rowdies midfielder Zach Steinberger said. “It’s a never say die attitude and they have nothing to lose. Us, being the professional team, had to show a lot of maturity and a lot of poise. We dictated our identity of soccer on them.”

2. Successful rotation
While underestimating Open Cup opponents can be devastating, a break from league play did give Neill Collins a chance to rotate his squad and give meaningful minutes to a few players that needed them. Goalkeeper Chris Konopka and defender Ryan Felix both made their official Rowdies debuts in the match, while Kwadwo Poku made his first start.

Even with fresh faces in the lineup and some new partnerships on the field, Tampa Bay didn’t appear to miss a beat.

“Those guys have played preseason games and we’ve arranged friendlies for them to play in and you can see that they know what we’re trying to do,” Collins said. “They’re bought into the system and it just shows that we’ve got strength in depth and they’re ready to step in when the opportunity comes.”

That rotation allowed some of the key players from this season to take the night off entirely. Sebastian Guenzatti, Leo Fernandes, John McCarthy and Pape Diakite were not in uniform, giving them extra rest ahead of this weekend’s showdown with New York Red Bulls II.

Up 2-0 at halftime, the Rowdies went young in the second half, with academy products Robbie Soronellas and Jack Casey making their first team debuts off the bench. Both players played with the Rowdies in preseason but have had limited training opportunities with the first team due to commitments to high school and club soccer.

3. Confidence boost
The Rowdies set a new Modern Era club record with an eleven match unbeaten streak in all competitions, a nice positive as the 2019 squad continues to grow together.

In addition to a thundering header from Mohamed Kone, the Rowdies also saw a couple of players get onto the scoresheet that should boost confidence around the squad. Steinberger had a goal and two assists that should kickstart his campaign. He scored in the Rowdies home opener on March 16 but hadn’t netted since. Brandon Allen also scored his second goal of the season and Leon Taylor came off the bench to score a late goal earned by his hard individual work.

The Rowdies also generally looked strong on attacking set pieces, which only bodes well for the weeks and months ahead.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 14, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies took care of business Tuesday night, easing past The Villages SC 4-1 to advance to the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

In doing so, the Rowdies set a new Modern Era club record with an eleven game unbeaten streak in all competitions. 

The Villages SC is an amateur team playing in USL League Two (two divisions below the Rowdies) but the Open Cup is known for upsets.

Goals from Mohamed Kone, Zach Steinberger, Brandon Allen and Ryan Felix secured Tampa Bay’s passage to the next round. The Rowdies will meet OKC Energy FC (USL Championship) on May 29 in Norman, Oklahoma after they beat NTX Rayados (North Texas Premier Soccer League) 3-1 on Tuesday night.

“Tonight was a great performance,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “We spoke before the game that these games almost feel like a lose-lose because you’re expected to win. I thought tonight they went out and played fantastically well. We should have been up before we were but we just kept going. There’s so many positives to take out tonight.”

Steinberger had a hand in the Rowdies first three goals.

The Rowdies were the dominant side from the opening whistle but couldn’t find a way past The Villages goalkeeper Jerfesson until the 43rd minute when center back Mohamed Kone put the Rowdies ahead with a thundering header from a Steinberger cross. It was his first goal of the season.

Steinberger scored the Rowdies second goal and seemingly put the match out of reach before halftime.

Steinberger notched his second assist in the 62nd minute, feeding Brandon Allen for an acrobatic finish from close range to make the score 3-0.

Vandyke Gyau scored for The Villages SC in the 89th minute, but a stoppage time goal from Leon Taylor completed the scoreline.

Two young Rowdies Academy products made their competitive debut in the match, with Robbie Soronellas and Jack Casey both coming in off the bench and taking places in the Rowdies midfield in the second half.

The Rowdies will be back in USL Championship action Saturday night when they host the New York Red Bulls II in a clash of teams tied for first place in the Eastern Conference. For tickets, click here. 

Scoring Summary
Tampa Bay: Mohamed Kone – 43rd minute (assisted by Zach Steinberger)
Tampa Bay: Zach Steinberger – 45th minute
Tampa Bay: Brandon Allen – 62nd minute (assisted by Zach Steinberger)
The Villages: Vandyke Gyau – 89th minute (assisted by Gabriel de Freitas
Tampa Bay: Leon Taylor – 90+3 minute

Caution Summary
The Villages: Yago Lopes – 40th minute
Tampa Bay: Robbie Soronellas – 83rd minute
Tampa Bay: Mohamed Kone – 88th minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (3-5-2): GK Chris Konopka; D Mohamed Kone, Ryan Felix, Tarek Morad (c); M David Najem (Robbie Soronellas 46′), Kwadwo Poku (Jack Casey 67′), Zach Steinberger, Jordan Doherty, Caleb Richards; F Brandon Allen, Antoine Hoppenot (Leon Taylor 76′)

The Villages XI: Rodrigues Jerfesson, Felipe Pampolin, Yago Lopes, Danilo Suarez (Tunde Akinlosofu 71′), Henrique Devens, Gabriel Viola, Saullo Da Silva (Leo Paiva 46′), Gabriel Cabral de Freitas, Joshua Fawole, Grant Robinson (Sam Ottley 63′), Vandyke Gyau

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 14, 2019) — Tampa Bay Rowdies defender Pape Diakite was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week on Tuesday for his dominance in last week’s 1-0 road win in Nashville.

Diakite helped lead the Rowdies to their sixth clean sheet in 10 matches to start the season. 

The full Team of the Week is below:
GK – Joe Kuzminsky, Charleston Battery: Kuzminsky recorded a four-save shutout as the Battery played to a scoreless draw against Saint Louis FC on Saturday night.

D – Carl Haworth, Ottawa Fury FC: Haworth put in two stellar displays as Fury FC claimed four points over the week, recording six key passes, six interceptions and 11 recoveries.

D – Pape Diakite, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Diakite recorded four interceptions and seven clearances and won 8 of 9 duels and 7 of 7 aerials as the Rowdies posted a shutout road win against Nashville SC.

D – Ebenezer Ackon, San Antonio FC: Ackon was strong throughout his side’s shutout performance against Orange County SC, winning 16 of 19 duels, 4 of 4 aerials and recording eight clearances.

M – Dairon Asprilla, Portland Timbers 2: Asprilla scored a pair of goals and had one key pass as Portland moved back to the top of the Western Conference with victory against Tacoma.

M – Magnus Rasmussen, Louisville City FC: Rasmussen scored twice in two outings including a standout finish in the club’s win on the road against Birmingham and recorded three key passes.

M – Jackson, Fresno FC: Jackson recorded a goal and assist in the Foxes’ victory against the LA Galaxy II, and over two contests during the week made 18 recoveries, completed 45 of 62 passes and won 14 of 22 duels.

M – Duane Muckette, Memphis 901 FC: Muckette scored the opening goal, completed 33 of 38 passes and made four recoveries as 901 FC took victory on the road against Hartford.

F – Jerome Kiesewetter, El Paso Locomotive FC: Kiesewetter scored twice and recorded three key passes as Locomotive FC played to a 2-2 draw with New Mexico United.

F – Adam Jahn, Phoenix Rising FC: Jahn scored a pair of goals, recorded one key pass and completed 27 of 31 passes overall to lead Rising FC in a 3-1 victory against Rio Grande Valley FC.

F – Corey Hertzog, Reno 1868 FC: Hertzog struck twice as 1868 FC took a 4-1 victory in the Donner Pass Derby against Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday night.

Bench: Tomas Romero (BST), Sam Hamilton (NM), Felipe Hernandez (SPR), Noah Pilato (LDN), Valeri Saramutin (AUS), Daniel Rios (NSH), Irvin Parra (LV)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 14, 2019) — Ahead of tonight’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round match against The Villages SC, U.S. Soccer announced pairings for the Third Round.

The winner of the Rowdies match against The Villages SC will advance to face the winner of the OKC Energy FC (USL Championship) vs NTX Rayados (North Texas Premier Soccer League) match. That game will be played Tuesday night at 8:30 ET in Norman, Oklahoma.

If the Rowdies advance to face OKC Energy, they will visit Oklahoma on May 29. 

If the Rowdies advance to face NTX Rayados, that match will be played at Al Lang Stadium at 7 p.m. on May 29.

All Open Cup matches are available online via ESPN+.

The Basics
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (Second Round)
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. The Villages SC
Tuesday, May 14, 7 p.m.
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesGameday

Tickets
This is a non-ticketed event with free admission for all. Fans can enter through the Midfield Gate on 1st St. SE beginning at 6 p.m. Seating is first-come, first-served in the midfield seating sections and select lower goal reserved sections. 

How to Watch
The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ here.

About the Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has been played since 1914 and is the longest continuously-running soccer competition in the United States. It is a single-elimination tournament open to professional teams and qualifying amateur teams based in the United States. Major League Soccer teams enter the competition in the Fourth Round. The Villages SC (USL League Two) reached this match by defeating the Lakeland Tropics (USL League Two) in penalty kicks in the First Round.

Third Round pairings have not yet been announced.

Tuesday’s match must produce a winner, so if the score is tied after regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety. If the score remains tied, a penalty kick shootout will decide the winner.

Records
Tampa Bay: 5-0-5 (W-L-T), 20 points, 2nd place
The Villages SC: 0-0-0

Rowdies Notes
The Rowdies are 6-8 all-time in the Open Cup. They lost their first match in the competition last year to the Jacksonville Armada. Tampa Bay has won its last three home Open Cup matches and is 3-1 all-time at Al Lang in the competition.

The Rowdies’ best Open Cup run came in 2013 when they defeated VSI Tampa Bay FC 2-1 in the Second Round and then bounced the defending champion Seattle Sounders 1-0 before falling 2-0 in the Round of 16 to the Portland Timbers.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 9, 2019) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies picked up an impressive road win over Nashville SC on Wednesday night, beating the hosts 1-0 in a nationally-televised heavyweight bout. Juan Tejada scored the game-winning goal for the Rowdies.

Here’s Three Things from the match…

1. Standing alone
With the Rowdies win and Fresno FC’s loss to the Sacramento Republic late Wednesday night, the Rowdies are now the only unbeaten team left in the either conference of the USL Championship. Of the 36 teams in the league, 35 have been beaten at least once this season. The Rowdies stand alone with a zero in the loss column.

In fact, of the 67 teams playing in the top three divisions of U.S. soccer, the Rowdies are one of only two still undefeated in 2019. All 24 teams in Major League Soccer have lost at least once. North Texas SC is the only unbeaten team left in USL League One, though it has only played four matches to date.

The Rowdies win moved them into a tie for first place atop the Eastern Conference standings, even with New York Red Bulls II on 20 points. The Red Bulls lead on tiebreaker and have a game in hand heading into next week’s clash against Tampa Bay at Al Lang Stadium. The Rowdies didn’t reach the 20-point threshold until July 4 last year.

Going into Wednesday night’s match, forecasting website FiveThirtyEight.com projected Nashville SC as favorites to win the league with a 14 percent chance of winning the USL Cup Final ahead of the Rowdies in second at nine percent. After Wednesday night’s win, the Rowdies (13 percent) have leapfrogged Nashville (10 percent) as title favorites nearly one third of the way through the regular season. Seven of the top 10 teams in the rankings play in the Eastern Conference.

2. Road warriors
The Rowdies moved their road record to 3-0-2 this season with Wednesday night’s win. That continues a trend this season of Tampa Bay actually having a better record away from home than at Al Lang Stadium. The Rowdies have struggled mightily on the road in recent seasons, but have now averaged 2.2 points per game on the road compared to 1.8 points per game in St. Pete.

It’s not just a fluke of a favorable schedule, either. The Rowdies have already visited Saint Louis (3rd place), Nashville (6th place) and Indy (7th place), plus playing in Memphis 901 FC’s first-home game ever in front of a hostile crowd of 8,062. Before the season, Nashville and Indy were considered the favorites to win the East so to still be unbeaten after visiting both of those cities is a considerable achievement.

The Rowdies now need to better their home form with four of their next five league matches at home, plus Tuesday night’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup contest against The Villages SC.

3. Big Pape
The Rowdies got another big performance from Pape Diakite on Wednesday night to keep their sixth clean sheet in 10 matches. Diakite is the only outfield player to play every minute of this season so far and has played a critical role as the central defender in a back three.

Diakite won eight of his nine duels against Nashville, including all seven in the air. He tallied seven clearances and four interceptions to stifle Nashville’s high-powered attack.

This year, Diakite has won 90 percent of his tackles and 71 percent of his duels. He leads the entire USL Championship in clearances with 68.