Gameday Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies host Charlotte Independence
Saturday, May 1, 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St Petersburg, Florida
Watch: The match will be broadcast online through ESPN+, with commentators Drew Fellios and Ryan on the call.
Follow Along: Live updates for the match will be posted on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday. Score Updates will also be posted on the Rowdies’ Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Rowdies Notes:
The long offseason is finally over for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
By the time they take the field against the Charlotte Independence this Saturday at Al Lang Stadium it will have been 189 days since the Green and Gold played a competitive match. The players are especially eager to get back in action and after the cancellation of last year’s USL Championship Final a day before the match.
“For me I’m just looking forward to watching the players. I trust them a lot,” said Tampa Bay Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “For me, when you’re prepared well you go out and let it go. That’s what I want to see from the players, just going out and enjoying it. You look forward to it for so long, so when you get the opportunity, just go out and enjoy it. You never know with the first game of the season, lots of things can happen but I’m looking to watching the lads.”
With their first Eastern Conference title under their belt, the Rowdies enter the 2021 season in a different position than years past. The rest of the league will be aiming to knock them off their perch after such a successful season.
To defend their conference championship and build on the success of last year, the Rowdies have retained 15 players from the 2020 squad. The list of returning players is full of key contributors from last year. Starting keeper Evan Louro is back after playing every minute in goal for the Rowdies last year. In front of Louro will be all three of last year’s starting center backs – 2020 USL Defender of the Year, Jordan Scarlett, and Aaron Guillen. The Rowdies have also brought back all but one of their forward form last year, including leading scorer and captain Sebastian Guenzatti. On top of that, fan-favorite attackers Leo Fernandes, Juan Tejada, and Lucky Mkosana are all back for another campaign.
Eight new players have been added as well to fill out Tampa Bay’s 23-man roster. Exciting, attack-minded players such as Dayonn Harris, Matt Srbely and Jordan Adebayo-Smith fit Collins’ mold of young players on the cusp of reaching their full potential. Veteran forward Steevan Dos Santos doesn’t fit that description one of the older guys on the squad, but his track record of over 50 goals in USL Championship play since 2015 is a definite boon to the Rowdies attack.
The Rowdies will need every player to stand ready as the league increases to a 32-match slate. This year the Rowdies have been placed in the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division. This week’s opponent Charlotte is in the Atlantic Division, as are Miami FC, the Charleston Battery, Hartford Athletic, Loudoun United FC, New York Red Bulls II, and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
Opposition Notes:
The Rowdies did face off against Charlotte in 2020 due to the shortened season. Head Coach Mike Jeffries returns for his seventh year in charge of the Independence. Last year Jeffries led his team to first place in its group during the regular season to earn a sport in the postseason. The Independence crashed out in the first round, though, falling to the Charleston Battery. Charlotte has retained a handful of core players from 2020 but have also added striker Irvin Parra, who had a quiet year with San Diego Loyal last year but notched an impressive 15 goals for Las Vegas Lights FC during the club’s inaugural season.
