by JAKE NUTTING

Gameday Information

Tampa Bay Rowdies host Jacksonville Armada FC

Saturday, July 2. Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET

TV/Streaming: beIn Sports

Referee: Luis Guardia

Limited tickets remain for the match



Didn’t we just do this?

Not much has changed since the Rowdies squared off with Jacksonville in the Spring Season finale. The Rowdies were one of the few inactive teams during the midseason break, while their instate rivals have been busy trying to find a way out of the league’s basement.

After only mustering five goals in the spring, Jacksonville dumped forward Matt Fondy on Carolina and brought in Swedish attackers, Alexander Andersson and Nicklas Maripuu. Andersson, 30, is a seasoned striker who recorded 22 goals in Sweden’s second division over the last six years. Maripuu, 24, will be tasked with creating scoring chances as a playmaker in the midfield. Their status for Saturday’s match depends on their international clearances being granted in time.

On the defensive side of the ball Jacksonville made one impressive acquisition, picking up MLS veteran Karl Ouimette on a season-long loan from the New York Red Bulls.

With defender Mechack Jerome and winger Pascal Millien both returning from international duty with Haiti, Jacksonville should be ready to absorb the pressure and play for the counter attack on Saturday at Al Lang.

What to Watch For

Protecting Al Lang: The Rowdies had a positive start in the spring, but one area in need of slight improvement is capitalizing on home field advantage. They only came up with two wins at home, giving up a handful of soft goals to allow opponents to steal a point at Al Land. With the way the table played out in the spring, it’s looking as if every point is going to be crucial in the chase for a postseason spot.

Vigilance: So far the Rowdies defensive lines have held firm and allowed only nine goals. That’s a respectable number but imagine how much better it would be if the team wasn’t so leaky in the moments surrounding the halftime break. Seven of their nine concessions this year have come in the final ten minutes of the first half or the first 10 minutes of the second.

Coastal Cup Race: Wasting a man advantage against a last-place team like the Rowdies did against Jacksonville in the spring finale is frustrating enough, but adding the Coastal Cup factor into the mix makes it particularly aggravating. Jacksonville may be tied for dead last in the standings but they’re the current pacesetters in this year’s Coastal Cup race. A win this weekend would firmly place the Rowdies ahead of them, though. The Rowdies knocked off Jacksonville in both of their battles at Al Lang last season.

It’s time: They had the spring to work out the kinks, now is the time for the Rowdies to kick things into high gear and start realizing their potential. No more cheap goals from the defense, but more importantly it’s time for someone to step up and become the consistent and clutch scorer the team needs. Georgi Hristov and Tommy Heinemann have shown their quality in moments, although neither has been able to do it in back-to-back league matches yet.