
The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Charleston Battery
Saturday, April 28 – 7 p.m.
MUSC Health Stadium, Charleston, S.C.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday
How to Watch
The match will be streamed live on ESPN+ here. ESPN+ is the USL’s new streaming partner. It will be available on the USL’s YouTube channel for those viewers outside the United States in regions where ESPN+ is not available.
Watch Party
Head to Big Storm Brewing Co.’s taproom in either Pinellas or Pasco on Saturday afternoon for the Rowdies’ official watch parties. If you wear Rowdies gear, you’ll get $1 off all pints. The Pinellas taproom is located at 12707 49th St. N, Clearwater. The Pasco taproom is located at 2330 Success Dr, Odessa.
Records
Charleston Battery: 2-2-2, 8 points, 7th place
Tampa Bay: 4-2-0, 12 points, 2nd place
Series History
The Rowdies are 1-2-0 (W-L-T) against the Battery in a series that dates back only to last season. Charleston beat Tampa Bay 2-0 on July 1 of last season in the Rowdies’ only previous visit to MUSC Health Stadium.
Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies open a three-game road swing in USL play with a trip to Charleston tonight. The Rowdies will visit Penn FC next week and then the Richmond Kickers on May 12, with the possibility of playing on the road in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as well on May 16, depending on which opponent advances from the play-in and first rounds. The Rowdies a 1-2-0 (W-L-T) on the road in 2018, having won at North Carolina FC on opening weekend before falling in visits to Louisville City FC and the New York Red Bulls II.
Tampa Bay picked up an impressive win in a cross-conference clash last weekend, topping Real Monarchs SLC 2-0 at Al Lang Stadium to become the first team this season to take points off the previously-perfect Monarchs. Joe Cole gave the Rowdies a lead shortly before halftime and then Georgi Hristov secured the win with a historic goal in the 70th minute off an assist from Cole. Cole was named to the USL Team of the Week on Tuesday.
Georgi Hristov has a shot at all-time Tampa Bay Rowdies history in Charleston. He tied the club’s all-time scoring record of 57 goals with his strike last weekend, tying Derek Smethurst’s record which has stood since 1978. Hristov’s next goal will move him into first place alone.
Tampa Bay will be without right back David Najem, who sustained a torn left ACL in the first half of the Rowdies’ loss to the Red Bulls on April 14. Najem had played every minute of the season prior to his injury. He will have surgery later this month and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2018 season.
Clearwater, Florida native Kyle Curinga stepped into Najem’s place in the starting lineup at right back in last week’s win over the Monarchs and put in a great performance in his debut for his hometown club. Curinga had not even dressed for a match yet this season, but played the full 90 minutes in helping the Rowdies to their third clean sheet in six matches to start the year.
Scouting Charleston
Charleston hasn’t quite reached its 2017 performance levels yet, but the Battery is unbeaten in its last three matches, earning points with draws on the road at Bethlehem and Penn FC and then an impressive 3-0 win over Atlanta United 2 on Tuesday night.
This match marks the beginning of a six-game home stand for the Battery, including five USL matches and one Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup contest. Charleston is 1-1-0 (W-L-T) at home this year, losing to FC Cincinnati, but beating Penn FC.
Gordon Wild, Ataulla Guerra and Tah Brian Anunga are all tied for the team lead in goals with two apiece. Both of Wild’s goals came Tuesday night in the win over Atlanta.