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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (August 9, 2017) — In the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ recent winning streak, a calming presence has emerged in the middle of the field, doing the dirty work and allowing those around him to do the flashy things.

The Rowdies’ nascent 4-3-3 formation has included three-time Premier League champion Joe Cole and Bundesliga champion Marcel Schäfer in the midfield, but the key to it all might be just Justin Chavez, a 27-year old Oklahoma City native that goes about his work quietly.

In the Rowdies’ three wins — in which the team scored seven goals and conceded zero — Chavez has been steady. In Saturday night’s 3-0 win over the Harrisburg City Islanders, he posted three interceptions while completing 50 of his 52 passes, good for 96.2 percent.

“It feels really good because I’ve put a lot of hard work and dedication into it,” Chavez said. “There are a lot of guys here that can play at an elite level, so it’s not easy to get into the team. Every single position group right now is doing their part and playing their role. My focus is to win the ball and then not lose the ball. As long as I’m doing my part and everyone else does theirs, we can click and achieve things together.”

Marcel Schäfer, liberated by the knowledge that Chavez is nearby to clean up any issues in the midfield if the Rowdies lose possession, has been able to turn his attention toward attacking. He had two assists Saturday night.

“Justin has been having excellent performances,” Schäfer said. “He’s really important for the team. He’s a big leader in the center of our midfield and he makes nearly no mistakes. He may not get goals or assists or things like that, but he’s a great, great player that plays his role in our system. He always supports me and has my back on the field.” 

Since returning to the starting lineup after a toe injury sidelined him for the better part of two months, Chavez has been the oil that keeps the Rowdies running, but it’s not even the first time this season he’s become an impact starter.

After a 3-2 loss to the Charleston Battery on April 22, Chavez was given his second start of the year for a match against Richmond, his first of four consecutive starts. The Rowdies were unbeaten in those four matches, picking up 10 of 12 available points with three wins and a draw.

Then, just 24 minutes into a match against Toronto FC II on May 19, Chavez suffered a toe injury that sidelined him for the next games. In those eight games, the Rowdies won just once. Chavez said it was tough to watch without being able to help.

Since recovering and being restored to the starting lineup, Chavez has helped Tampa Bay to three wins in three games.

“I just want to do my job,” Chavez said. “As long as we keep a clean sheet I’m happy. I’m part of the back five as a midfielder and I let the front five do their thing. It’s their job to be creative and get forward and just leave the defensive stuff to me. My job is to do the dirty work and let others create.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (August 8, 2017) — Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder Marcel Schäfer has been named to the United Soccer League Team of the Week.

Schäfer had two assists in the Rowdies’ 3-0 win over the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday night. He now leads the team with six assists.

This is his first Team of the Week selection.

The full Team of the Week is below.

GK – Moise Pouaty, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: Pouaty recorded a pair of penalty-kick saves and conceded only an own goal late, as the Switchbacks defeated the Portland Timbers 2 on Saturday.

D – Julian Dunn, Toronto FC II: Dunn shone in TFC II’s shutout victory against the Charleston Battery, recording five tackles, three interceptions and five clearances.

D – Kyle Hyland, OKC Energy FC: Hyland played a key role in two Energy FC shutout victories over the week, as he made four tackles, six interceptions and six clearances over the two performances.

D – Zach Carroll, Orlando City B: Carroll completed 52 of 62 passes against Harrisburg last Wednesday and made nine clearances over two games, as OCB earned a pair of draws on the week.

M – Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel FC: Nanco scored the first goal in Steel FC’s comeback victory against Ottawa Fury FC on Saturday and also created three scoring chances in a solid all-around display.

M – Alex Dixon, OKC Energy FC: Dixon scored both goals as Energy FC took a 2-0 victory against Western Conference-leader Real Monarchs SLC on Saturday night.

M – Marcel Schäfer, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Schäfer recorded a pair of assists and completed 76 of 78 passes in the Rowdies’ 3-0 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday night.

M – Chris Wehan, Reno 1868 FC: Wehan had the game-winning goal and his league-leading ninth assist of the season, as Reno took a 3-2 victory on the road against Tulsa Roughnecks FC.

F – Kyle Murphy, Rio Grande Valley FC: Murphy recorded two goals and an assist as the Toros took four points from two games to conclude their trip to the Pacific Northwest.

F – Stefano Bonomo, New York Red Bulls II: Bonomo had a goal and assist to lead the Red Bulls II to their first regulation victory in club history against the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday afternoon.

F – Enzo Martinez, Charlotte Independence: Martinez’s first hat trick for the Independence led the side to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 victory against Louisville City FC.

Bench: Angelo Cavalluzzo (TOR), Neill Collins (TBR), Jeremy Hall (SAC), Alessandro Riggi (PHX), Kris Tyrpak (SA), Kyle Greig (CIN), Jose Angulo (OKC)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (August 8, 2017) — Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder Marcel Schäfer has been named to the United Soccer League Team of the Week.

Schäfer had two assists in the Rowdies’ 3-0 win over the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday night. He now leads the team with six assists.

This is his first Team of the Week selection.

The full Team of the Week is below.

GK – Moise Pouaty, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: Pouaty recorded a pair of penalty-kick saves and conceded only an own goal late, as the Switchbacks defeated the Portland Timbers 2 on Saturday.

D – Julian Dunn, Toronto FC II: Dunn shone in TFC II’s shutout victory against the Charleston Battery, recording five tackles, three interceptions and five clearances.

D – Kyle Hyland, OKC Energy FC: Hyland played a key role in two Energy FC shutout victories over the week, as he made four tackles, six interceptions and six clearances over the two performances.

D – Zach Carroll, Orlando City B: Carroll completed 52 of 62 passes against Harrisburg last Wednesday and made nine clearances over two games, as OCB earned a pair of draws on the week.

M – Chris Nanco, Bethlehem Steel FC: Nanco scored the first goal in Steel FC’s comeback victory against Ottawa Fury FC on Saturday and also created three scoring chances in a solid all-around display.

M – Alex Dixon, OKC Energy FC: Dixon scored both goals as Energy FC took a 2-0 victory against Western Conference-leader Real Monarchs SLC on Saturday night.

M – Marcel Schäfer, Tampa Bay Rowdies: Schäfer recorded a pair of assists and completed 76 of 78 passes in the Rowdies’ 3-0 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday night.

M – Chris Wehan, Reno 1868 FC: Wehan had the game-winning goal and his league-leading ninth assist of the season, as Reno took a 3-2 victory on the road against Tulsa Roughnecks FC.

F – Kyle Murphy, Rio Grande Valley FC: Murphy recorded two goals and an assist as the Toros took four points from two games to conclude their trip to the Pacific Northwest.

F – Stefano Bonomo, New York Red Bulls II: Bonomo had a goal and assist to lead the Red Bulls II to their first regulation victory in club history against the Rochester Rhinos on Saturday afternoon.

F – Enzo Martinez, Charlotte Independence: Martinez’s first hat trick for the Independence led the side to the top of the Eastern Conference with a 3-1 victory against Louisville City FC.

Bench: Angelo Cavalluzzo (TOR), Neill Collins (TBR), Jeremy Hall (SAC), Alessandro Riggi (PHX), Kris Tyrpak (SA), Kyle Greig (CIN), Jose Angulo (OKC)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (August 6, 2017) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies picked up their third-consecutive win Saturday night, beating the Harrisburg City Islanders 3-0 on an all-around fantastic night at Al Lang Stadium.

Here’s Three Things from the match…

1. Matt Pickens 100
Rowdies goalkeeper Matt Pickens became the fifth player in the Modern Era to play 100 matches for the Rowdies, joining Takuya Yamada, Frankie Sanfilippo, Keith Savage and Georgi Hristov in the century club.

“It was great,” Pickens said. “Easy day. The guys made it easy for me tonight. We’re trending in the right direction. We don’t want to count our chickens until they hatch, but we’re doing all the things right. We’re playing really clean games right now and we just have to keep it going and try not to think about it too much.”

Pickens was welcomed to the field by an incredible tifo from Ralph’s Mob and ended up wearing the captain’s armband when Joe Cole departed the match after only seven minutes.

Pickens didn’t have a ton to do in the match, being asked to make just two saves, posting his seventh clean sheet of the season and third in a row. The Rowdies haven’t conceded a goal at home since the fifth minute of a draw against the Rochester Rhinos on June 10, a streak of 445 minutes.

“He was great,” Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell said. “He’s done great to get to 100 appearances. It was a fantastic performance by the whole team. The guys in front of him made sure he had an extremely easy night.”

2. In great form
After a slump in June, the Rowdies are now on a five-match unbeaten run with four wins in that time. If not for a penalty kick given against the Rowdies deep in stoppage time of a 1-1 draw against Orlando City B on July 13, Tampa Bay could well be on a five-match winning streak.

As it is, the Rowdies’ three-straight clean sheets match the Modern Era club record set from July 15 to July 28 of the 2012 season. A win next week in Saint Louis would equal Tampa Bay’s record for most consecutive wins at 4.

Looking around the USL standings, the Rowdies are tied with the Sacramento Republic FC for the best form in the league over the last five matches. Both clubs have won four games and drawn one in that time, picking up 13 of the last 15 available points. That momentum has carried the Rowdies to within two points of the Charlotte Independence at the top of the Eastern Conference despite Charlotte’s 11-game unbeaten run.

3. Schäfer the Creator
Rowdies midfielder Marcel Schäfer has been into one of the Rowdies’ best creators over recent weeks. He assisted two goals last night to run his count to a team-high six assists. The Rowdie’s three-match home stand has featured four assists from Schäfer.

In the early months of the season, Schäfer alternated between a defensive midfield role and the left back position he played for so long with Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg. Since establishing himself as a midfielder, and being given the freedom to roam further upfield in Tampa Bay’s nascent 4-3-3 formation, Schäfer has been a constant threat with his crosses from the left side.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (August 5, 2017) — The calendar may have turned to August, but the surging Rowdies kept up their strong July form with a 3-0 thrashing of the Harrisburg City Islanders at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night.

Tampa Bay closed July on a four-match unbeaten run and extended it to five with a strong performance. Neill Collins, Martin Paterson and Walter Restrepo all scored for the Rowdies as they posted their third-consecutive victory. Marcel Schäfer had two assists and Matt Pickens kept his seventh clean sheet of the year on the night he celebrated his 100th match for the Rowdies.

The win moved the Rowdies (10-7-5 (W-T-L), 37 points) into a tie with the Charleston Battery for second place in the USL’s Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay trails the Charlotte Independence by two points at the top of the table.

“It was a fantastic performance by the whole team,” Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell said. “I thought everyone was great tonight, I’ve got to be honest. It was a very, very solid team performance.”

The Rowdies have been dominant at Al Lang this season, coming into the match with eight wins and only one loss in 11 home games so far this season. Feeding off the home mojo, the Rowdies jumped to an early lead despite losing captain Joe Cole to a back injury in the seventh play of play.

Cole’s replacement, Michael Nanchoff, took a corner kick in the 15th minute that eventually found its way to Neill Collins at the back post. Collins blasted a shot into the roof of the net for his second goal of the season and a 1-0 Rowdies lead.

“(Scoring a goal with my feet) has been a long time coming,” Collins said. “I’ve scored a lot of goals in my career with my head. … It’s not the closest I’ve ever scored from, but it was close. I couldn’t miss and it was a good start to the game for us.”

The remainder of the first half was played in the City Islanders’ end — Tampa Bay had eight corner kicks in the first half — but Harrisburg (6-6-10, 24 points) did well to keep the score at 1-0 heading into the break.

In the second half, the City Islanders got onto the front foot for long spells of possession, but the Rowdies’ defense was simply too strong.

Rowdies goalkeeper Matt Pickens needed to make just two saves to post his third-straight clean sheet.

The Rowdies doubled their advantage and really started clicking into high gear in the 73rd minute, when Marcel Schäfer delivered a high, looping cross onto the forehead of Martin Paterson at the penalty spot to beat Harrisburg’s Brandon Miller and score his sixth goal of the season.

Tampa Bay kept on the front foot for the rest of the match and Schäfer notched another assist in the 90th minute, feeding Walter Restrepo on a counter attack. Restrepo chipped Miller for his first goal since joining the Rowdies on July 20.

Up next, the Rowdies hit the road next weekend to visit Saint Louis FC on Sunday night before returning home to host the Ottawa Fury FC at Al Lang Stadium on August 19. For tickets to that match, call (727) 222-2000 or click here.

Scoring Summary
Tampa Bay: Neill Collins – 15th minute (assisted by Martin Paterson)
Tampa Bay: Martin Paterson – 73rd minute (assisted by Marcel Schäfer)
Tampa Bay: Walter Restrepo – 91st minute (assisted by Marcel Schäfer)

Caution Summary
Harrisburg: John Grosh – 51st minute
Harrisburg: Travis Brent – 60th minute
Harrisburg: Rasheed Olabiyi – 94th minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (4-3-3): GK Matt Pickens; D Kyle Porter, Damion Lowe, Neill Collins, Zac Portillos; M Joe Cole (c)(Michael Nanchoff 7′), Justin Chavez, Marcel Schäfer; F Alex Morrell (Walter Restrepo 79′), Martin Paterson (Darwin Jones 89′), Georgi Hristov

Harrisburg XI (4-5-1): GK Brandon Miller; D Shawn McLaws, Abass Mohammed, Travis Brent, Lee Nishanian (c); M Jake Bond (Fredrick Opoku 61′), Rasheed Olabiyi, John Grosh, James Thomas (Paul Wilson 46′), Mike Olla (Jonny Mendoza 46′); F Ropapa Mensah

CINCINNATI, Ohio (April 19, 2017)–The Tampa Bay Rowdies have acquired goalkeeper Matias Reynares on a one-game loan from North Carolina FC, the club announced prior to Wednesday night’s match against FC Cincinnati.

This is Reynares’ second loan spell with the Rowdies this season. He was included in the matchday squad as the bench goalkeeper for Tampa Bay’s first two matches of the year.

Reynares, 18, signed with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers last season but did not make any official appearances for the first team. He played several games for the Strikers U23 team. Reynares was called into training camp with the United States U19 national team last October.

The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Harrisburg City Islanders
Saturday, August 5, 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 6:30 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: 9-7-5 (W-T-L), 34 points, 4th place Eastern Conference
Harrisburg City Islanders: 6-6-9 (W-T-L), 24 points, 10th place Eastern Conference

Rowdies Notes
Tampa Bay opens August three points out of first place in the USL Eastern Conference thanks to a strong run of form in July. The Rowdies enter tonight’s match unbeaten in four matches and having conceded just one goal in that time, a stoppage time penalty kick in Orlando.

Rowdies goalkeeper Matt Pickens is likely to make his 100th appearance for the club tonight. He joined in March of 2014 and will become the fifth player in modern Rowdies history to reach 100 appearances, joining Takuya Yamada, Frankie Sanfilippo, Keith Savage and Georgi Hristov. The landmark appearance comes with Pickens playing extremely well. He posted three clean sheets in July’s five matches and hasn’t conceded a goal at Al Lang Stadium since June 10, 355 game minutes ago.

Midfielder Alex Morrell, who has been deployed as the right forward in the Rowdies’ 4-3-3 formation in recent weeks, is also red-hot entering tonight’s contest. He’s earned a spot in the USL Team of the Week in three of the last four weeks. He scored both goals in the Rowdies’ 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds a week ago, his first two league goals of the season.

Tampa Bay added another attacking piece this week with the signing of winger Sebastian Guenzatti, who had played the previous four seasons with the New York Cosmos. Guenzatti is eligible for selection tonight.

Center back Tamika Mkandawire, who excelled in Damion Lowe’s absence while Lowe was at the Gold Cup is suspended tonight due to yellow card accumulation. Lowe is likely to rejoin the starting lineup for the first time since July 1. He was on the bench last week, but did not play.

Lowe and midfielder Keith Savage are both on suspension warning for yellow card accumulation. Both players will be suspended for one match following their next yellow card.

Scouting Harrisburg
Harrisburg comes to St. Pete after a scoreless draw on the road against Orlando City B on Wednesday night. The City Islanders are outside of the current playoff field, but only by a narrow margin. New York Red Bulls II, Ottawa Fury FC, Harrisburg and Orlando City B are all tied with 24 points for eighth place, but New York holds the advantage via tiebreakers.

Paul Wilson leads Harrisburg in scoring with three goals this season. James Thomas is the City Islanders’ leading creator with three assists.

Former Rowdies forward Aaron Wheeler, who played for the team then-known as the FC Tampa Bay Rowdies, now plays for Harrisburg. He has two goals in 11 appearances for the City Islanders this season.