by JAKE NUTTING

Gameday Information

Tampa Bay Rowdies host Ottawa Fury FC

Saturday, June 4, 7:30 p.m. ET

TV/Streaming: Bright House Sports Network, ESPN3

Referee: Jaime Herrera

The Rowdies look to have finally hit their stride as the Spring Season is winding down. They picked up a emphatic 2-0 win over Minnesota United on the road last week and turned around on short rest to best FC Cincinnati 1-0 in U.S. Open Cup action on Wednesday night. It may too little too late for the spring title, but the two matches left on the schedule could still end up being critical in the final playoff picture in the fall.

Last year’s Soccer Bowl runner up and Fall Season champion, Ottawa Fury FC, will be the final visitors to Al Lang Stadium this spring. Ottawa has undergone a major overhaul in the offseason that led to a rough start to the season, but the Canadian side seems to have found a decent run of form in recent weeks. They should be brimming with confidence after knocking off MLS’ Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 in the home leg of the semi-final round of the Canadian Championship during the week. Although, that win means they could also be distracted by looking ahead to next week’s away leg.

Scouting Ottawa

The rise in form for Ottawa has coincided with the team staying north of the border for over a month now. Ottawa’s three-game unbeaten streak in league play was snapped by Fort Lauderdale in a 2-1 result that saw the Fury dominate in ever statistical category apart from goals. Prior to their lengthy stay in Canada, they struggled greatly on the road, picking up only one point in one match away from their home crowd.

Ottawa is now led by former Rowdies head coach Paul Dalglish, who was the first to lead the modern era Rowdies from the sideline in 2010, back when they were still known as FC Tampa Bay. Dalglish didn’t last to the end of that inaugural season, but he’s worked steadily in the coaching ranks since. He’s worked to establish a possession based system in Ottawa, although it hasn’t translated into much as the club has only seven goals from eight league matches.

The Fury roster boasts other former Rowdies in midfielders Jonny Steele and Mozzi Gyorio, as well as right back Rich Balchan. Steele is the only of the bunch that has established himself as a consistent starter in the spring, and he’ll be an even more important part of the midfield given the absence of Julian De Guzman and Marcel De Jong to international duty on Saturday.

What to Watch For

Possible Changes: Given he’s gone the full 90 minutes-plus in four straight matches, Saturday might be the first time we see midfielder Joe Cole get a slight reprieve since debuting. The short rest in between the last two starts suggests Cole might not make the starting lineup, or finish up the game if he does. If he’s fit to play, Michael Nanchoff is likely to slot back into the starting lineup after sitting out Wednesday’s Open Cup match.

Up Top: Tommy Heinemann has been unavailable since going down with an injury against New York two weeks ago, although Stuart Campbell did list him as a gametime decision for Wednesday’s match. Heinemann will more than likely be eager to get on the field against his old team, but Campbell might not be so quick to switch things up after getting solid performances from Georgi Hristov up top.

Formation: While it may be an indication of absolutely nothing, Campbell did list his formation as a 4-3-3 on Wednesday night, changing things up from the normal 4-2-3-1. It could just be a one-off situation based on the match up presented by Cincinnati, or maybe Campbell is toying with the idea of tweaking things to improve the scoring consistency.

Pepper Peiser: If not for Romuald Peiser continuing to mind the net for Ottawa, the team would without question be in far worse shape on the league table. He’s not quite standing on his head the same way he did last year, but the Golden Glove winner is tied for second in the league with 27 saves and come up with numerous critical saves. The Rowdies will likely need to produce a few more quality chances and finishes than they have in recent weeks in order to get by Peiser.