News

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (January 17, 2017) — The second annual Rowdies Suncoast Invitational is set to return to the sunshine of St. Petersburg this February, with five Major League Soccer clubs set to compete alongside the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Al Lang Stadium will host five total matches in the tournament with a doubleheader on Saturday, February 18 and a tripleheader on Saturday, February 25. Along with the Rowdies, the Montreal Impact, D.C. United, Philadelphia Union, Chicago Fire and Toronto FC will all play at Al Lang.

The tournament debuted last season to rave reviews from some of MLS’s biggest stars for the unique atmosphere and playing surface at the Rowdies’ home stadium.

Four of the five MLS teams in this year’s edition of the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational qualified for the 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, including the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Toronto FC and runner-up Montreal Impact.

Along with their participation in the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational, the Impact will have an extended visit to St. Petersburg for their preseason training camp. During their time in the Sunshine City, the Impact will call Al Lang Stadium home, using the field, locker room and gym facilities alongside the Rowdies.

Tickets range from $15 to $20 in the main stadium bowl to $30 for the Midfielder’s Club and Reserve sections. A ticket includes all matches on a specific day. 2017 Tampa Bay Rowdies season ticket members will receive a complimentary ticket to one of the two matchdays of their choice (2/18 or 2/25).

Tickets to the Rowdies Suncoast Invitational will be available at Ticketmaster.com and will go on sale at 12 P.M. on Thursday, January 19.

Match Schedule
Saturday, February 18 – Al Lang Stadium
Montreal Impact vs. D.C. United, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 22 – Joe DiMaggio Sports Complex
Philadelphia Union vs. Montreal Impact – 7 p.m.

Saturday, February 25 – Al Lang Stadium
Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire, 3 p.m.
Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay vs. Montreal Impact, 7:30 p.m.
*match schedule subject to change

The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced their #MLS2StPete campaign in December 2016, only to be named as one of the ten candidates in the running for an MLS franchise less than two weeks later. The campaign also includes a privately funded renovation and expansion plan to Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. For more information, visit MLS2StPete.com.

The best way to show that Tampa Bay is ready for a Major League Soccer franchise is to secure 2017 season tickets. For information on how to become a 2017 Season Ticket Member, call (727)222-2000 or click here.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (January 16, 2017) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies have completed the signing of another defender, announcing the arrival of Damion Lowe on Monday, pending league and USSF approval. Per club and league policy, further contract details were not disclosed.

Lowe, 23, joins the Rowdies backline after an impressive 2016 season in the North American Soccer League with Minnesota United FC. He was in Minnesota on loan from Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders and featured in 27 games for Minnesota United, starting 25 matches and logging 2,241 minutes as one of the Loons’ first-choice centerbacks.

“We got to see Damion up close last year when we played against him,” Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell said. “He’s a handful to play against due to his size and strength, but he’s also a smart defender. He’s got the grittiness we’re looking for and we’re excited to bring him to Tampa Bay.”

After a collegiate career at the University of Hartford from 2011 to 2013, Lowe signed with MLS as a member of the Generation Adidas. He was selected eighth overall by the Sounders in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft.

Lowe played for the Seattle Sounders’ reserve team in 2014 and USL team in 2015 before joining the Loons on loan last season, where he became a key player for Minnesota and took the step onto the international stage.

Lowe made his senior international debut for Jamaica in October of 2016 against Guyana in the Caribbean Cup. He is the son of Onandi Lowe, who was capped 65 times by the Reggae Boyz from 1995 to 2004.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies kick off their inaugural USL Season in March 2017 and they’ll need your support to make it a memorable one. To secure the best seats at the best prices, call (727) 222-2000 or click here.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (January 14, 2017) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies were beaten 2-0 Brazil’s Clube Atletico Mineiro at Al Lang Stadium in the Rowdies’ final match of the 2017 Florida Cup on Saturday afternoon.

Atletico Mineiro’s Leonan Jose gave his side an early 1-0 lead, tapping in a rebound in the sixth minute after Tampa Bay goalkeeper Matt Pickens had made an initial save. Rodrigo Prado scored Atletico’s other goal in the 52nd minute, nodding in a Patric Cabral free kick.

“I thought it was an ok performance,” Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell said. “(Atletico) looked a lot fitter and sharper than us, which is to be expected, given we’re so early into preseason. They’re a good team the way they move the ball and the way they move themselves.”

Tampa Bay fielded a strong Starting XI featuring 10 signed players with one trialist, but both sides made plenty of substitutions in the second half with eight unsigned trialists featuring in the match for the Rowdies.

“I thought our signed players did ok, considering they’ve not had much practice together,” Campbell said. “The trialists did well, too. It’s hard coming in, not just from a physical standpoint, but a mental one too, because they think they’ve got to set the world on fire.”

Rowdies star midfielder Joe Cole made his preseason debut in the match, impressing in his first 45 minutes of action in 2017.

Tampa Bay was dealt an early blow in the 7th minute when Atletico raced out to a quick counterattack. Matt Pickens saved a quick shot, but the rebound fell into the path of Leonan, who slotted it home from close range to put the Galo ahead inside of 10 minutes.

The Rowdies showed some good early chemistry in the first half, with Cole displaying a strong connection with new teammate Alex Morrell in the 13th minute on a long diagonal ball to the right wing.

Rowdies midfielder Martin Vingaard had Tampa Bay’s first chance of the match in the 17th minute, but his shot from distance was saved.

Atletico nearly doubled its lead in the 32nd minute when Leonan whipped a mean free kick on target, but Pickens, making his preseason debut, made a spectacular save diving to his left-hand side.

Down 1-0 at the half, Campbell made his first four substitutions at the break, including giving new signing Luke Boden his Rowdies debut.

The Rowdies fell further behind in the 52nd minute, when Prado headed home a goal from a free kick. It would be the final goal of the match.

“We limited their chances, but that’s the difference when you play teams at this level,” Campbell said. “They don’t need a bunch of chances to score, they just need one and they take it. You could see that tonight. They were very clinical.”

Tampa Bay nearly provided a quick response, with Boden swinging in a cross for Morrell, who put it back across the face of goal, but trialist Jaime Siaj was unable to put his effort on target.

The Rowdies’ best chances of the night came from Michael Nanchoff corner kicks, with Tamika Mkandawire and Siaj each rising to put headers on the ball, but both going wide of target.

Tampa Bay’s Florida Cup is now over, but Al Lang Stadium will host one more match, with Brazil’s Sao Paulo FC taking on either River Plate (Argentina) or Millonarios FC (Colombia) this coming Thursday. Tickets for that match are available here.

Scoring Summary
Atletico Mineiro: Leonan Jose – 6th minute (unassisted)
Atletico Minerio: Rodrigo Prado – 52nd minute (assisted by Patric Cabral)

Caution Summary
Tampa Bay: Michael Nanchoff – 29th minute
Tampa Bay: Martin Vingaard – 45th minute
Atletico: Nathanael Ananias – 53rd minute
Rowdies: Luke Boden – 68th minute

Starting Lineups
Tampa Bay XI: GK Matt Pickens (Nico Campbell* 46′); D Darnell King, Tamika Mkandawire, Neill Collins, Zac Portillos (Luke Boden 46′); M Keith Savage (Eion Wearen* 46′), Martin Vingaard; M Alex Morrell (Jacques Francois* 69′), Joe Cole (Jaime Siaj* 46′), Michael Nanchoff; F Jonathan Glenn*

Atletico Mineiro XI: GK Uilson Pedruzzi; D Patric Cabral, Jesiel Cardoso, Rodrigo Prado, Leonan Jose; M Nathanael Ananias (Matheus Roldan 74′), Lucas Candido, Ralph Machado (Daniel Penha 68′); F Carlos Alberto (Joao Figueiredo 79′), Elder Santana (Thalis Henrique 55′), Joao Vitor (Cicero Clebson 84′)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (January 13, 2017) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Florida Cup match against Brazil’s Clube Atlético Mineiro is set for a 4 p.m. kickoff on Saturday afternoon at Al Lang Stadium.

Due to the earlier-than-usual kickoff, note that the Saturday Morning Market will be in Lot A at Al Lang Stadium until approximately 2:30 p.m., so parking in Lot A may be severely limited. Alternative parking options nearby include the Mahaffey Garage (1st St. SE), McNulty Garage (2nd St. SE) and Southcore Garage (1st Ave. S.) For a parking map, see below.

The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Clube Atlético Mineiro
Saturday, January 14, 2017, 4:00 p.m. ET.
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesGameday

Florida Cup
This match is Tampa Bay’s final match of the 2017 Florida Cup Challenge. The Rowdies opened the Florida Cup with a 2-0 loss to Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg last Sunday on the opening day of the competition. The German teams in the competition, VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen, won every match they played, clinching the Challenge title for Germany already.

Tickets
Tickets are available by calling (727) 222-2000 or online here.

Parking
Due to the presence of the Saturday Morning Market, parking in Lot A at Al Lang Stadium will be severely restricted. Fans are advised to make alternate plans and allow plenty of time to park. Alternative parking options nearby include the Mahaffey Garage (1st St. SE), McNulty Garage (2nd St. SE) and SouthCore Garage (1st Ave. S.) For a parking map, click here.

Rowdies Notes
This match will serve as Tampa Bay’s second of the year. The Rowdies opened their preseason campaign last week with the 2-0 loss to VfL Wolfsburg less than two weeks after opening preseason training camp. Tampa Bay’s lineup in the preseason opener featured five trialists in the Starting XI, with another five trialists featuring in the second half.

Since that match, Rowdies defender Luke Boden has arrived to training camp and could make his Rowdies debut Saturday if selected.

About Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro, known best as simply Atlético or Galo (Rooster), plays in Brazil’s Serie A, the highest level of soccer in Brazil. The club is based in Belo Horizonte in southeastern Brazil and plays its home matches at Estádio Raimundo Sampaio in Belo Horizonte to capacity crowds of 23,018. Select high-profile matches are played at the much larger Mineirão, capacity 61,846.

Founded in 1908, Atlético has had great success domestically and internationally. Atlético has won three of the last five state championships and finished fourth in the national Brasileiro in 2016. The club won the Brasileiro in 1971 and won the Copa Libertadores, South America’s equivalent to the UEFA Champions League, in 2013.

Atlético opened the 2017 Florida Cup on Wednesday night in Orlando, falling 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen on a goal scored by Mexican international Chicharito.

The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Clube Atlético Mineiro
Saturday, January 14, 2017, 4:00 p.m. ET.
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesGameday

Florida Cup
This match is Tampa Bay’s final match of the 2017 Florida Cup Challenge. The Rowdies opened the Florida Cup with a 2-0 loss to Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg last Sunday on the opening day of the competition. The German teams in the competition, VfL Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen, won every match they played, clinching the Challenge title for Germany already.

Tickets
Tickets are available by calling (727) 222-2000 or online here.

Parking
Due to the presence of the Saturday Morning Market, parking in Lot A at Al Lang Stadium will be severely restricted. Fans are advised to make alternate plans and allow plenty of time to park. Alternative parking options nearby include the Mahaffey Garage (1st St. SE), McNulty Garage (2nd St. SE) and SouthCore Garage (1st Ave. S.) For a parking map, click here.

Rowdies Notes
This match will serve as Tampa Bay’s second of the year. The Rowdies opened their preseason campaign last week with the 2-0 loss to VfL Wolfsburg less than two weeks after opening preseason training camp. Tampa Bay’s lineup in the preseason opener featured five trialists in the Starting XI, with another five trialists featuring in the second half.

Since that match, Rowdies defender Luke Boden has arrived to training camp and could make his Rowdies debut Saturday if selected.

About Atlético Mineiro
Clube Atlético Mineiro, known best as simply Atlético or Galo (Rooster), plays in Brazil’s Serie A, the highest level of soccer in Brazil. The club is based in Belo Horizonte in southeastern Brazil and plays its home matches at Estádio Raimundo Sampaio in Belo Horizonte to capacity crowds of 23,018. Select high-profile matches are played at the much larger Mineirão, capacity 61,846.

Founded in 1908, Atlético has had great success domestically and internationally. Atlético has won three of the last five state championships and finished fourth in the national Brasileiro in 2016. The club won the Brasileiro in 1971 and won the Copa Libertadores, South America’s equivalent to the UEFA Champions League, in 2013.

Atlético opened the 2017 Florida Cup on Wednesday night in Orlando, falling 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen on a goal scored by Mexican international Chicharito.

(TAMPA, Fla.) – The United Soccer League (USL) today was granted provisional Division 2 status by the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) Board of Directors, beginning with the 2017 season.

Earlier this year, the USL submitted its application and supporting documentation for entry into Division 2. This landmark decision by USSF supports the USL’s vision to become one of the most globally recognized second division professional soccer leagues. 

Since 2014, the USL has more than doubled in size. Ottawa Fury FC, Reno 1868 FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies are joining as new clubs for next season while Nashville SC will begin play in 2018 with further expansion on the horizon.

“The USL is honored to receive U.S. Soccer Federation Division 2 status, which provides further validation about our League’s financial sustainability, national footprint, ownership quality, stadium infrastructure and player development,” said Alec Papadakis, the USL Chief Executive Officer. “Our teams have invested more than $100 million into stadium development in the last year to enhance the experience for the 1.5 million passionate fans that attended games in 2016, the 1,000-plus players and nearly 100 coaches that have positioned our League as a highly sophisticated competition model that cultivates strong regional rivalries.”

The USL’s expansive national footprint features teams in 21 of the top 50 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas and three of the top six populated Canadian cities. This year, team markets reached 75 million people including 30 million who lived in a region where the USL was the only professional league.

“After an exhaustive process working with both leagues, in the best interest of the sport the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors has decided to grant provisional Division II status to the USL,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “U.S. Soccer will create an internal working group that will work with the league to set a pathway to meet the full requirements for Division II and allow for the larger goal of creating a sustainable future. We look forward to another productive year for professional soccer in this country.”

With the USL kicking off its 2017 season in late March, the League will be announcing its official schedule and conference alignments soon.

More Information: www.USLSoccer.com.

About United Soccer League
The United Soccer League is the fastest growing professional soccer league in the world with teams in 19 states and three Canadian provinces. Since 2014, the USL has doubled in size and established a sizeable North American footprint with strong ownership, experienced executives and regional rivalries.

The USL prides itself on three key tenets when identifying a potential expansion city. First, a strong local ownership group. Second, a millennial and diverse population. Third, plans for a soccer-specific stadium to showcase the game in the way it was supposed to be, while giving supporters a first-class venue.

In 2016, the USL experienced record growth with a total season attendance of almost 1.5 million, a 33 percent increase from 2015. The average attendance for the league’s top-10 drawing teams was 6,724, a 25 percent increase year-over-year.

Creating an engaging environment for passionate fans, the USL aims to establish all clubs as owners or primary tenants of 8,000-10,000 seat soccer-specific stadiums by 2020. Teams have invested more than $100 million into stadium infrastructure in the last year to enhance the experience for the USL’s passionate fans, 900-plus players and nearly 100 coaches in building a highly sophisticated league.

Expanding its broadcast reach with ESPN and SiriusXM partnerships, USL “Games of the Week” were available this year on ESPN3 to 99 million households. The USL aired more than 500 games last season through its Match Center. Recently, the USL finalized a $10 million investment and partnership with VISTA Worldlink to create USL Productions, which will create more than 1,000 hours of live match coverage for 2017. Additionally, statistical analysis will be powered by Opta – the world’s leading provider of live, detailed sports data – who will manage and deliver in-depth details for all USL games.

Based in Tampa, Fla., the USL supports its teams with operational excellence through 50-plus employees and 16 departments including Analytics, Competition, Creative, Digital, League Operations, Marketing, Merchandise/Licensing, Team Services, USL Productions and more.

Follow the USL at USLSoccer.com, on USL Match Center, and on social media via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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