The Basics
IMG Academy vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies U23
Tuesday, July 11, 5:00 p.m. ET.
IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesU23
Records
IMG Academy: 4-6-3 (W-L-T), 15 points, 5th place
Rowdies U23: 3-7-1 (W-L-T), 10 points, 6th place
Rowdies Notes
The U23’s certainly haven’t forgotten the last time they faced off against IMG and certainly don’t look back on that day with fond nostalgia.
After losing the first of three stoppage time games at Al Lang to IMG, the Rowdies have kept a bit of a chip on their shoulder and that will be on full display Tuesday night in Bradenton.
That drive to prove themselves was only amplified Saturday night following a tough 3-1 loss to SIMA in front of easily the largest home crowd of the season thus far.
Head coach Keith Fulk echoed this sentiment stating how his side “has to go out and compete hard for all ninety-plus minutes” against IMG on Tuesday in order to hit I-75 as the victors.
While the Rowdies are well outside playoff contention, and subsequently cannot ruin any IMG playoff chances, a win would certainly be gratifying for Tampa Bay as they have not beaten an opponent in nearly a month to this point.
In terms of personnel, the U23’s will likely continue to give playing time and chances to newer players like Lufkin and Pritchard who were more prominent in practice on Monday.
Look for updates on Tuesday’s starting XI and substitutes at our official Twitter page.
Scouting IMG
A young team just like the Rowdies U23’s, IMG has found similarly tough sledding competing against much of the larger, more experienced teams in the PDL Southeast.
With that being said, IMG has been just about the opposite of streaky this PDL season.
After their first 12 games of action, the Bradenton squad has yet to go more than three games without a point, yet haven’t been able to string together consecutive wins even once this season.
As a result, IMG sits properly in 5th place in a situation that is truly indicative of their middle of the road season. They are too far to catch up to any of the top four teams, yet have enough of a cushion to more than likely hold off the bottom four teams in the division.
A win in what is their final PDL match of the summer would guarantee a top five finish for IMG this season after finishing in 6th place with 13 points a season ago.
A notable player to watch for Tuesday is the potential return of IMG goalkeeper Evan Finney who put in a remarkable effort the last time these two squads faced off on May 31st. He single handedly shut down at least a dozen opportunities on net for the U23’s at Al Lang Stadium which allowed his squad to score a game winning stoppage time goal, the first such loss for the Rowdies on the season.
Coming Up Next
Your U23’s will host the Lakeland Tropics in a make-up match on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. ET. Follow along for updates at twitter.com/rowdiesu23!
