News

The Basics
San Antonio FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saturday, October 7, 8:30 p.m. ET.
Toyota Field, San Antonio, Texas
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesGameday

How to Watch
The match will be streamed live on the USL’s YouTube page here. You can follow live stats and watch the game in the USL Match Center here.

Watch Party
Head to Five Bucks Drinkery on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg to watch with other Rowdies fans and enjoy drink specials during the match.

Records
San Antonio FC: 15-10-4 (W-T-L), 55 points, 4th place, Western Conference
Tampa Bay: 13-10-7 (W-T-L), 49 points, 2nd place, Eastern Conference

Rowdies Notes
Tampa Bay is coming off a 3-2 win over the New York Red Bulls II on Wednesday night, which officially booked Tampa Bay’s ticket to the USL Cup Playoffs. Joe Cole and Marcel Schäfer (2) scored the goals for the Rowdies as they moved up to second place in the USL’s Eastern Conference with two games left in the regular season.

The Rowdies can secure the No. 2 seed in the East tonight with a win, plus losses by Charleston and Charlotte and a Rochester draw or loss.

Schäfer’s two goals and an assist Wednesday night led the Rowdies to victory and continued the impressive form he’s been on in the last few weeks. In his first season with the Rowdies, the former VfL Wolfsburg captain has become one of the focal points of Tampa Bay’s attack. His 10 assists trail only Reno 1868 FC’s Chris Wehan (11) for best in the league. Schäfer has provided an assist in four of his last five matches, as well as scoring twice midweek.

While the Rowdies have set new Modern Era club records for home wins (11) and home unbeaten streak (13), Tampa Bay hasn’t fared as well away from Al Lang Stadium, with just two road wins so far in 2017. Tampa Bay does have a decent record at Toyota Field though, with four wins in six visits. The Rowdies beat the San Antonio Scorpions 2-0 on Toyota Field’s opening night, April 13, 2013. The Rowdies’ last visit to Toyota Field was a 3-0 loss on July 11, 2015. Of Tampa Bay’s 18-man matchday squad that night, five players (Matt Pickens, Tamika Mkandawire, Darnell King, Georgi Hristov and Justin Chavez) remain with the Rowdies.

This is the Rowdies’ fifth match in 15 days in a hectic stretch to close the regular season, but Tampa Bay is unbeaten in five games despite the fixture congestion. The Rowdies wrap up the regular season Thursday, October 12 in Orlando against Orlando City B.

Georgi Hristov is Tampa Bay’s leading scorer this season with 11 goals. In his fifth season with the club, Hristov is the Rowdies’ Modern Era leader in both appearances (142) and goals (49.)

Scouting San Antonio FC
San Antonio FC finds itself on the bottom end of a three-way tie for second place in the Western Conference, but SAFC has a game in hand over both Reno 1868 FC and the Swope Park Rangers. All three clubs have 55 points.

San Antonio FC has been difficult to beat in San Antonio this season, posting a 6-6-1 (W-T-L) record there this season, though the lone home loss so far came to Rio Grande Valley FC in its last home match, just two weeks ago.

Tampa Bay will face a familiar foe in SAFC winger Billy Forbes, who leads the team in both goals (9) and assists (6) this year. The former Scorpions and Rayo OKC star has scored one career goal against Tampa Bay.

Another familiar face waiting for the Rowdies in San Antonio is goalkeeper Diego Restrepo, who has had two separate stints with Tampa Bay. His first, 2013-2014, saw Restrepo make 23 league starts for the Rowdies. He re-joined the club midway through last season, but did not play in any matches. Restrepo leads the USL in clean sheets with 12 this year.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 5, 2017) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies officially booked their ticket to the USL Cup Playoffs on Wednesday night, beating the defending champion New York Red Bulls II 3-2 to move up to second place in the Eastern Conference.

Here’s Three Things from the playoff clincher…

1. Fortress Al Lang
Not only did the Rowdies put their name into the playoff field Wednesday night, but they also moved up to second place in the Eastern Conference and moved closer toward guaranteeing themselves a home playoff game (or two) in the process.

Maybe more than for any other team, home field advantage could be crucial for the Rowdies this season. Of Tampa Bay’s 13 wins this season, 11 have come on the perfectly-manicured surface at Al Lang Stadium. The Rowdies’ two road wins this season are tied for the fewest of any team in the Eastern Conference’s current playoff field.

Tampa Bay has two chances to strengthen its road form with visits to San Antonio FC on Saturday night and Orlando City B next Thursday. Picking up points from those games would benefit the Rowdies both in increasing their chances of playing at home in the postseason and gaining more confidence away from home if they playoff route takes them there.

As it stands, with two games remaining in the regular season, Tampa Bay is one point ahead of Charleston in 3rd place and Charlotte in fourth place, as well as five points ahead of Rochester in fifth place. The top four teams will host a playoff game in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. If the Rowdies finish in second, they would guarantee themselves a second home playoff game in the Conference Semifinals if they win their quarterfinal.  

Tampa Bay’s home record this season, 11-5-1 (W-T-L) set a new record for home wins in the Modern Era. The Rowdies’ current 13-game home unbeaten streak is also a new Modern Era record.

2. Marcel die Legende
Marcel Schäfer took another toward cementing his quick legacy as a modern Tampa Bay Rowdies legend with another Man of the Match performance on Wednesday night.

Schäfer had a hand in all three of the Rowdies’ goal, dishing out an assist to Joe Cole on the first and then finishing goals of his own in the 25th and 45th minutes. His spectacular strike just before halftime, a rocket into the upper 90 from well outside the box, was named No. 3 on SportsCenter’s Top 10.

With 10 assists now on his record, Schäfer now trails only Reno 1868 FC’s Chris Wehan (11) for most in the USL. This despite the fact that Schäfer has primarily split his time between defensive midfielder and left back. He has an assist in four of Tampa Bay’s last five matches.

“Normally, I’m the player who wants to assist my teammates,” Schäfer said. “It means more for me to cross the ball or assist a teammate than to score.”

Add in Schäfer’s five goals this season and it’s clear that the German has become one of the focal points of the Rowdies’ attack.

3. Squad rotation
After more than two weeks off between matches on September 6 and September 23, the Rowdies have had a mad dash to the finish. Tampa Bay’s win over New York was its fourth match in 12 days.

There’s no rest for the weary though, with the squad set to depart for San Antonio on Friday for a high-profile, cross-conference clash against San Antonio FC this weekend. That will be Tampa Bay’s fifth match in 15 days. Despite the compressed schedule, the Rowdies are currently on a five-game unbeaten run.

Through mild squad rotation, Tampa Bay Head Coach Stuart Campbell, has managed to keep the squad as fresh as possible. Three new players came into the starting lineup Wednesday, with Georgi Hristov returning from suspension and joined as a starter by Martin Vingaard and Sebastian Guenzatti, but the Rowdies didn’t seem to miss a beat.

Forward Martin Paterson, who had started 12 straight matches prior to Wednesday, was afforded some rest without costing the Rowdies a result.

This should help Tampa Bay with the USL Cup Playoffs just around the corner.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 4, 2017) — For the first time since 2012, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are headed to the postseason.

The Rowdies clinched their spot in the USL Cup Playoffs and moved up to second place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 3-2 win over New York Red Bulls II on Wednesday night at Al Lang Stadium.

A goal from Joe Cole and a brace from Marcel Schäfer booked Tampa Bay’s ticket to the postseason.

“We played really, really well,” Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell said. “(We were) very assured in possession and created lots and lots of chances. It was a good game to watch in fairness.”

While it ended as a great night for the Rowdies, it didn’t start perfectly, with New York’s Stefano Bonomo giving the visitors a 1-0 lead in just the 16th minute of play.

As they’ve done time and time again this season, Tampa Bay (13-10-7, W-T-L), 49 points) showed the resilience to regroup after conceding and take back control of the match quickly.

Just two minutes after falling behind, the Rowdies pulled even with Schäfer feeding Cole for the quick equalizer to make it 1-1.

Seven minutes after that, in the 25th minute, Schäfer played a give-and-go with Georgi Hristov that led the German into the box for a low finish past Red Bulls goalkeeper Rafael Diaz.

Nine minutes after conceding the opening goal, the Rowdies led 2-1.

“I thought we started the game in a very, very positive manner,” Campbell said. “Straight from kickoff, I think we set the standard very high, so when they scored, I wasn’t overly worried. The guys didn’t worry. They didn’t panic. They’re a good group of players, they all believe in each other and have confidence in each other and that shined through tonight.”

In the 45th minute, Schäfer unleashed a rocket to the upper 90 to put Tampa Bay up 3-1 and give the home team a confidence boost heading into the halftime break.

“It was our target that today we would clinch the playoffs and we did it,” Schäfer said. “We did a great job today. The whole team did a great job. We worked hard and now we’re in the playoffs.”

New York (12-5-13, 41 points) cut its deficit to 3-2 in the 54th minute via a Junior Flemmings goal, but that would prove to be New York’s final positive for the evening.

In the 63rd minute, Red Bulls defender Jordan Scarlett was dismissed from the match with his second yellow card and the Rowdies were able to close the match out professionally.

The win, Tampa Bay’s 11th at home this season, set a new Modern Era club record for longest home unbeaten run at 13 games. Eleven home wins is also a new Modern Era record.

With two matches to play in the regular season, the Rowdies are now in second place, one point ahead of both the Charleston Battery and Charlotte Independence.

The Rowdies will head out on the road for their next two matches, visiting San Antonio FC on Saturday night and then ending the regular season against Orlando City B on Thursday, October 12. 

Tampa Bay will open the USL Cup Playoffs the weekend of October 20-22. Should the Rowdies open the playoffs at home, the match would be played Saturday, October 21. 

Information on postseason tickets will be available shortly.

Scoring Summary
New York: Stefano Bonomo – 16th minute (assisted by Vincent Bezecourt)
Tampa Bay: Joe Cole – 18th minute (assisted by Marcel Schäfer)
Tampa Bay: Marcel Schäfer – 25th minute (assisted by Georgi Hristov)
Tampa Bay: Marcel Schäfer – 45th minute (assisted by Joe Cole)
New York: Junior Flemmings – 54th minute (assisted by Arun Basiljevic)

Caution Summary
Tampa Bay: Martin Vingaard – 23rd minute
New York: Jordan Scarlett – 50th minute
New York: Jordan Scarlett – 62nd minute
New York: Junior Flemmings – 84th minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (4-3-3): GK Matt Pickens; D Darnell King, Hunter Gorskie, Neill Collins, Zac Portillos; M Martin Vingaard, Joe Cole (c)(Keith Savage 86′), Marcel Schäfer; F Alex Morrell (Darwin Jones 76′), Sebastian Guenzatti (Walter Restrepo 90′), Georgi Hristov

New York XI (4-3-3): GK Rafael Diaz (c); D Ethan Kutler, Tim Schmoll, Jordan Scarlett, David Abidor; M Kazu Shigenobu (Florian Valot 84′), Arun Basuljevic, Vincent Bezecourt; F Zeiko Lewis (David Najem 68′), Stefano Bonomo (Ben Mines 75′), Junior Flemmings

The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. New York Red Bulls II
Wednesday, October 4, 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday

Tickets
Tickets for Wednesday’s match are available by calling (727) 222-2000 or clicking here. Gates open at 6 p.m.

How to Watch
The match will be broadcast locally on thisTV Tampa Bay and online on the USL’s official YouTube channel here.

Parking
There are several options for parking at Al Lang Stadium and around downtown. Parking in Lot A, right in front of the stadium, costs $5. Because this is a weekday match, be mindful that the Al Lang Stadium parking lot is likely to be more full than usual during business hours.

Records
Tampa Bay: 12-10-7 (W-T-L), 46 points, 4th place EasternConference
New York: 12-5-12 (W-T-L), 41 points, 8th place Eastern Conference

Rowdies Notes
Tampa Bay is coming off a 1-1 draw against the Bethlehem Steel FC on Saturday night which moved the Rowdies to within touching distance of their first postseason berth since 2012. Tampa Bay fell behind 1-0 early in the second half, but Sebastian Guenzatti rescued a point in the 80th minute with his first goal since joining the Rowdies.

A win tonight officially clinches the Rowdies’ spot in the USL Cup Playoffs, but the fight for seeding remains tight. Tampa Bay would vault all the way up to second place with a victory tonight, leapfrogging both Charleston and Charlotte with just two games remaining in the regular season.

Tampa Bay has been near dominant on the grass at Al Lang Stadium this season, losing only once and posting 10 wins in 15 matches so far. The Rowdies haven’t lost at home since April 22. If Tampa Bay avoids defeat in this match, it will set a new Modern Era club record for longest home unbeaten run at 13 games. The previous mark was set between June 23, 2012 and April 6, 2013, including the Rowdies’ run to the NASL Soccer Bowl title in 2012.

After serving a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation Saturday night, Georgi Hristov is eligible to return against New York. He is the Rowdies’ leading scorer with 11 goals this season. His next goal for the Rowdies will be his 50th in all competitions.

Leo Fernandes was included in the matchday squad Saturday night for the first time since sustaining a knee injury in Richmond on June 17, but he did not enter the match.

This is the Rowdies’ fourth match in 12 days and their final home game of the regular season. Following this match, Tampa Bay visits San Antonio and Orlando to close the regular season.

Scouting New York
The defending USL Cup champions make their first visit to St. Petersburg in the midst of a hotly-contested battle to make the playoffs. New York’s 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday afternoon moved the Red Bulls into the eighth and final playoff position with three matches to play. Bethlehem trails by just one point.

The Red Bulls are in some of their best form of the year, with four wins in their last six matches to challenge for a postseason spot. Of the current playoff field, New York is the only team with a negative goal difference, having scored 48 goals this year but conceded 50.

New York is led offensively by Junior Flemmings, who has scored eight goals this year. Brandon Allen led the team in scoring with nine goals, but moved to Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United FC in July.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 2, 2017) — As the calendar turns to October, the race to the USL Cup Playoffs is coming into focus, with half the playoff field already having booked its place in the postseason.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies are still on the outside looking in, but could clinch their spot at the table and jump all the way to second place in the Eastern Conference with a win at home over the New York Red Bulls II on Wednesday night at Al Lang Stadium.

With the Rowdies’ ticket to the playoffs within touching distance, it’s time to illustrate once more how the playoffs will unfold.

First, a look at the playoff format.

The top eight teams in each conference will qualify for the playoffs, which will consist of a single-elimination knockout tournament. All matches are single-legged, hosted by the higher seeded team. If the match is tied after regulation, two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety with no golden goals. If the score remains tied, the winner will be determined via a penalty kick shootout.

The playoffs will take place in four consecutive weekends, beginning the weekend of October 20-22. The full schedule is below:
October 20-22: Conference Quarterfinals
October 27-29: Conference Semifinals
November 3-5: Conference Finals
November 10-12: USL Cup Final (2017 Final was actually held Monday of the following week)

Now, a look at who has punched their ticket already.

In the Eastern Conference, Louisville City FC has secured the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage through the Conference Final. Charleston and Charlotte, second and third, respectively, have booked their place in the field.

Six teams remain in contention for the remaining five playoff spots, with the Rowdies at the head of a pack which also includes the Rochester Rhinos, FC Cincinnati, Orlando City B, New York Red Bulls II and Bethlehem Steel FC.

The Harrisburg City Islanders, Saint Louis FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Ottawa Fury FC, Richmond Kickers and Toronto FC II have all been eliminated from contention.

In the Western Conference, Real Monarchs SC is now just one point away from securing the best points haul in the USL and guaranteeing itself home-field advantage throughout the USL Cup Final.

Below the Monarchs, Reno 1868 FC, Swope Park Rangers, San Antonio FC and Phoenix Rising FC have all confirmed their playoff spots. Sacramento Republic FC, Tulsa Roughnecks FC and OKC Energy FC hold the inside track for the final three playoff spots, but Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC and Orange County SC remain in contention.

Rio Grande Valley FC, Seattle Sounders 2 FC, LA Galaxy II, Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 and Portland Timbers 2 have been eliminated from contention.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 1, 2017) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies fell short of clinching their entry to the USL Cup Playoffs on Saturday night with a 1-1 draw at home against the Bethlehem Steel FC, but the Rowdies can still get their ticket to the postseason Sunday.

Here’s Three Things from the match…

1. Playoff implications
The Rowdies arrived at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night with the knowledge that a win over Bethlehem would see them secure their first berth in the playoffs since 2012.

Head Coach Stuart Campbell made three changes to his team from Wednesday’s 2-2 draw in Bethlehem, restoring Joe Cole to the lineup, as well as handing out starts to Keith Savage (in place of the injured Michael Nanchoff) and Darwin Jones (in place of the suspended Georgi Hristov).

Ultimately, the Rowdies’ performance wasn’t enough to get the win, but Tampa Bay can still clinch its playoff berth Sunday if Orlando City B fails to beat the Richmond Kickers in Virginia. Kickoff of that match is at 5 p.m.

The fight for seeding remains tight.

With another point in hand, the Rowdies remain in fourth place, one point behind the Charleston Battery in third and two points behind the Charlotte Independence in second. Tampa Bay has a game in hand over Charlotte and will have one over the Battery after it plays in Ottawa on Sunday afternoon.

2. Guenzatti’s good week
Sebastian Guenzatti’s first goal for the Rowdies capped a very good week for the 26-year old Uruguayan.

Guenzatti’s 2016 season was cut short when he suffered a torn ACL while playing for the New York Cosmos on October 9 of last year.

After a successful rehabilitation, Guenzatti signed with the Rowdies on July 31 and worked his way onto the field from the bench. His first four appearances for Tampa Bay all came as a substitute, totaling just 66 minutes of play.

On Wednesday in Bethlehem, Guenzatti was named to the starting lineup for the first time and played all 90 minutes. It was his first complete game since before his injury and earned him a round of applause in the locker room after the game.

Last night, it was Guenzatti who ended his week with the game-tying goal in the 80th minute, receiving a Darnell King pass and controlling it with his chest before firing it past Steel FC goalkeeper Jake McGuire and into the net.

3. A cagey affair
Perhaps it was because the teams had just played each other a few days prior, but Saturday’s match was on the verge of boiling over several times, particularly in the dying moments of the second half with so much at stake.

In total, nine yellow cards were handed out by referee Guido Gonzales Jr., six of which were shown to Bethlehem players. Still though, the match ended without a red card and both sides can move forward toward the postseason.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (September 30, 2017) — Sebastian Guenzatti helped the Tampa Bay Rowdies take another step toward the USL Cup Playoffs on Saturday night, scoring a late game-tying goal to help the Rowdies to a 1-1 draw against the Bethlehem Steel FC at Al Lang Stadium. 

After a scoreless first half, the Rowdies (12-10-7 (W-T-L), 46 points) fell behind against the run of play in the 56th minute.

Tampa Bay was made to sweat until the 80th minute before Guenzatti poked home an assist from Darnell King to even the match at  1-1.

The remainder of the match was chaotic, but neither team was able to find a winner.

“I felt there was only one team trying to win the game tonight,” Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell said. “We were pressing and pressing and pressing and just couldn’t get that second goal. We made hard work it conceding early in the second half.”

With another point in hand, the Rowdies remain in fourth place, one point behind the Charleston Battery in third and two points behind the Charlotte Independence in second. Tampa Bay has a game in hand over Charlotte and will have one over the Battery after it plays in Ottawa on Sunday afternoon.

A win would have clinched the Rowdies’ first postseason berth since 2012, but Tampa Bay will now have to wait until Wednesday’s regular season home finale against the New York Red Bulls II for another chance.

The Rowdies and Steel FC (11-7-11, 40 points) were coming off a 2-2 draw against one another Wednesday and both sides started the match a little bit slowly.

Tampa Bay’s best chance to open the scoring in the first half came in the 20th minute, when Martin Paterson helped to create a turnover that freed him to go one-on-one against Bethlehem goalkeeper Jake McGuire, but Paterson skied his shot well off target.

Two minutes later, the Steel FC had one of its best early chances, with Keith Savage nearly scoring an own goal in the process of clearing a dangerous cross out of the area.

Tampa Bay nearly took a lead just before halftime on a Darwin Jones corner kick that reached Hunter Gorskie at the far post, but Gorskie was unable to score his second goal in as many matches against Bethlehem this week, putting his shot over the crossbar.

In the 56th minute, with the match still scoreless, Bethlehem won a free kick in its own half and passed the ball around for nearly 30 seconds before launching forward, with James Chambers feeding Conneh for the go-ahead goal from outside the box.

It was Bethlehem’s only shot on target all night.

“I can’t think of any other chances they really had on goal,” Campbell said. “The first one they had, they took, and it made it a little bit more difficult for us.”

Trailing at home and without leading scorer Georgi Hristov (suspended), the Rowdies turned to Guenzatti off the bench in the 64th minute.

It took until the 80th minute, but, eventually, Tampa Bay found its way back into the game.

A surging run forward from King won the Rowdies a free kick just outside Bethlehem’s box.

Off the free kick, Alex Morrell’s shot was blocked, but the ball bounced out to King, who took control and lifted his head to serve the ball back into the box.

Guenzatti lost his marker, took a touch off his chest to settle the ball and then fired past McGuire to pull the Rowdies level at 1-1 with 10 minutes to play.

“I’m always ready when the coach needs me,” Guenzatti said. “As a starter or a sub, you’ve always got to be ready. The ball came to me and the only thing I could do was put it in the goal and it felt really good. It was a great pass from Darnell.”

Neither team created a great chance to win the match in the final minutes of the game.

Now, the Rowdies turn their attention to Wednesday, with another chance to clinch a postseason berth against the New York Red Bulls II at Al Lang. For tickets, call (727) 222-2000 or click here.

Scoring Summary
Bethlehem – Seku Conneh – 56th minute (Assisted by James Chambers)
Rowdies – Sebastian Guenzatti – 80th minute (Assisted by Darnell King)

Caution Summary
Bethlehem – Josh Heard – 26th minute
Rowdies – Hunter Gorskie – 29th minute
Bethlehem – Yosef Samuel – 58th minute
Rowdies – Joe Cole – 62nd minute
Bethlehem – Aaron Jones – 74th minute
Bethlehem – Jake McGuire – 89th minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (4-3-3): GK Matt Pickens; D Darnell King, Hunter Gorskie, Neill Collins, Zac Portillos; M Keith Savage, Joe Cole (c), Marcel Schäfer; F Alex Morrell, Martin Paterson (Walter Restrepo 75′), Darwin Jones (Sebastian Guenzatti 64′)

Bethlehem XI (4-2-3-1): GK Jake McGuire; D Aaron Jones, Hugh Roberts, Matt Mahoney, Matt Real; M James Chambers (c), Michael Pellegrino; M Brenden Aaronson, Josh Heard (Chris Nanco 46′), Yosef Samuel (Cory Burke 59′); F Seku Conneh (Santi Moar 77′)

The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Bethlehem Steel FC
Saturday, September 30, 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 open at 6 p.m.

How to Watch
The match will be broadcast locally on thisTV Tampa Bay and online on the USL’s official YouTube channel here.

Parking
There are several options for parking at Al Lang Stadium and around downtown. Parking in Lot A, right in front of the stadium, costs $5. Lot A opens at 4 p.m. For more parking options, click here.

Records
Tampa Bay: 12-9-7 (W-T-L), 45 points, 4th place Eastern Conference
Bethlehem Steel FC: 11-6-11 (W-T-L), 39 points, 7th place Eastern Conference

Rowdies Notes
Tampa Bay is coming off a 2-2 draw against the Bethlehem Steel FC on Wednesday afternoon in Bethlehem. Georgi Hristov and Hunter Gorskie scored the goals for the Rowdies as they took the lead on two occasions, but Tampa Bay couldn’t hold on for the win.

Following results Wednesday around the USL, the Rowdies can actually clinch a berth in the USL Cup Playoffs with a win Saturday night, via the USL’s first tiebreaker, total league wins.

Tampa Bay is now in a bit of fixture congestion to close the season with this being the third match in a series of six in 20 days through the regular season finale in Orlando on October 12. This is the Rowdies’ third match in eight days.

Michael Nanchoff suffered a lower leg injury late in the first half of Wednesday’s contest in Bethlehem after a tackle from Cory Burke. He was transported to the hospital, but returned to Tampa Bay with the squad on Thursday. A full evaluation of his injury has not yet been completed.

Nanchoff’s replacement on the field was Keith Savage, who made his first appearance for the Rowdies since suffering an ankle injury on July 13.

Marcel Schäfer has been one of the Rowdies’ most influential attackers in the last few months since moving into midfield and notched his team-high ninth assist against the Steel on Wednesday night. He’s also scored three goals in his first season with the Rowdies.

Georgi Hristov, Tampa Bay’s leading scorer, will miss this match as he serves a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation. He is eligible to return next week against New York.

Scouting Bethlehem
Bethlehem makes its first-ever visit to St. Petersburg sitting in 7th place in the USL’s Eastern Conference with 39 points following Wednesday’s draw. The Steel FC is just one point ahead of ninth-place New York, though, so this match is as important for Bethlehem as it is for the Rowdies.

Steel FC center back Auston Trusty will miss this match as he serves a one-game suspension for yellow card accumulation.

Bethlehem is 5-2-6 away from home this season, including draws in each of its last two road matches.

Steel FC forward Cory Burke leads the team in scoring with nine goals. He scored Bethlehem’s opening goal Wednesday afternoon, his fourth goal in the month of September.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (September 27, 2017) — The Tampa Bay reduced their magic number to four points Wednesday night with a 2-2 road draw against the Bethlehem Steel FC.

Georgi Hristov and Hunter Gorskie each scored goals to give Tampa Bay a lead, but the Rowdies couldn’t quite get across the line with a win, settling for a point instead. With that point in the bag, the Rowdies now need only four more points to clinch their first playoff berth since winning the championship in 2012.

Here’s Three Things from the match…

1. Gritting out a road point
In a vacuum, of course the Rowdies would have preferred to hold onto one of their leads and secure victory Wednesday night, but in context, they shouldn’t feel too bad about the point they earned.

Following Wednesday’s results, Tampa Bay trails first-place Louisville City FC by 10 points in the Eastern Conference. Barring a complete collapse from Louisville, the highest the Rowdies can likely finish is second place in the East. If Tampa Bay hopes for a deep playoff run, the Rowdies will have to leave the safety of Al Lang Stadium at some point.

In that context, the Rowdies can gain a little confidence from their performance on the road against a likely playoff team. Tampa Bay lost back-to-back road games a few weeks ago to Saint Louis FC and New York Red Bulls II, two teams not currently in the playoff positions.  Since then, the Rowdies have picked up a road win in Harrisburg (a non-playoff team) and drawn 2-2 in Bethlehem.

Tampa Bay has two more road games left this regular season to continue building confidence on the road so that they can play as comfortably away from home as they seem to do in St. Pete.

2. Hunter Goalskie does it again
When the Rowdies signed center back Hunter Gorskie on August 22, they couldn’t have expected him to contribute offensively as often as he has in his first four games with the Rowdies.

Fresh off being named to the USL Team of the Week on Tuesday, Gorskie scored his third goal for Tampa Bay on Wednesday night. All three goals have come off set pieces, where Gorskie’s attacking position has paired perfectly with Marcel Schäfer’s dead ball deliveries. Schäfer picked up his ninth assist of the season on Gorskie’s goal against Bethlehem.

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“It feels amazing,” Gorskie said. “I was in the right place at the right time and just let the rest take care of itself.”

3. Ready for a rematch
Whatever emotions were stirred in the Rowdies by their failure to close out a win against Bethlehem won’t have too long to fester before Tampa Bay takes another shot.

This morning, Tampa Bay returned home to St. Petersburg.

Tomorrow morning, Bethlehem will make the same journey ahead of a rematch under the lights in St. Petersburg on Saturday night.

After not playing each other in the six months since the season started, both squads will now prepare for their second meeting in four days.

It’s a unique dynamic, but one the Rowdies are ready for.

“You’ve just got to be focused and you’ve got to be up for it,” Gorskie said. “Now there are no secrets. You know what the other team is good at it and you know what they’re bad at. It’s just about showing up on game day.”