Matchday 34 Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Indy Eleven
Saturday, October 26, 7:30 p.m. ET
IMG Academy Soccer Complex, Bradenton, FL
2024 League Records:
Rowdies: 13W-12L-8D, 47 pts, 6th East (9-4-3 at home)
Indy: 14W-10L-9D, 51 pts, 4th East (6-5-5 on the road)
Tune In: Saturday’s match will be broadcast locally on Tampa Bay 44 and available to stream on ESPN+.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies got the job done on Wednesday with a hard-fought draw against Hartford Athletic to secure their playoff spot for the sixth straight season. Before the playoffs start next week, all that remains now is a meeting with Indy Eleven to close out the regular season.
There’s plenty on the line for the visitors this weekend. Indy is aiming to confirm its position in the top four of the conference and secure the home playoff game that comes with the spot. For the Rowdies, the goal is to recapture the form they had before these last few months. Wednesday’s draw snapped a four-match losing streak, but the Rowdies would certainly prefer to capture a win heading into next week.
“The biggest thing for us is momentum heading into the playoffs” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “Saturday gives us a chance to do that. I felt that momentum building a wee bit on Wednesday night. We showed that resilience to come back from down a goal twice and dominate the game at times.”
One More on Home Turf
While it may not be Al Lang Stadium, IMG Academy offered the Rowdies their first chance to play in front of home fans since Hurricanes Helene and Milton impacted the region. The sights and sounds of Ralph’s Mob and the Skyway Casuals in the stands against Hartford were exactly what the road-weary Rowdies needed. Now that the Rowdies know they can’t finish higher than fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, Saturday’s regular-season finale is the Rowdies only guaranteed home match left to play.
“We’ve missed the fans,” said Rowdies Captain Aaron Guillen. “It’s always a pleasure to play in front of our fans and feed off the energy we get from them even through the tough times that we’ve had. We know that they’re always behind us.”
Shoring Up Before the Playoffs
One reason the Rowdies have struggled through the final stretch of the season is the increased frequency of allowing goals. Through the first two-thirds of the seasons, the Rowdies were among the best defensive groups in the league. However, the team has conceded 22 goals in its last ten matches, accounting for almost half of the goals the squad has allowed all year. A clean sheet or at the very least a strong defensive showing would be just the boost the Rowdies are looking for as they head into the single-elimination playoffs.
“We don’t want to be giving up easy goals every game,” said Guillen. “We need to make the other team earn it. I think we just need to be focused for 90 minutes and be locked in throughout the whole game and just be a collective. We’re not defending with just one person or just the defenders. We defend all the way from the goalkeeper to the forwards. We need to keep that focus for 90 focus and carry that into the playoffs.”
Milestone Watch
Rowdies midfielder Lewis Hilton could hit an important career milestone this Saturday. If the Englishman takes the field this weekend against Indy, it will be his 250th career USL Championship regular season appearance. Now in his fifth season with Tampa Bay, Hilton leads the club in minutes played this season with 2,835 minutes under his belt. Hilton and attacker Damian Rivera are also the only two players on the squad who have appeared in every league match this season.
Availability Report
OUT: Forrest Lasso
QUESTIONABLE: Phil Breno, Pacifique Niyongabire
