June 24, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, June 24, 7 p.m. ET
Highmark Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
Watch: Stream the match on ESPN+.
Follow Along: Live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday
The Tampa Bay Rowdies hit the road this weekend looking to find the winning edge against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. In six previous trips to Pittsburgh’s Highmark Stadium, the Rowdies have yet to come away victorious, posting three wins and six draws.
Tampa Bay are not the only side who have struggled to claim a win at Highmark. Pittsburgh has not been on the losing end of a result at home since June 6 of last year.
“Six games and we’ve not managed to get the three points there yet,” said Rowdies Assistant Coach Jon Stead. “So there’s been a real emphasis on that winning mentality, what it’s going to take to win. They’re extremely strong at home. They don’t give up many points and they certainly don’t lose very often. I think it’s probably been over a year since they lost there. We’re gonna be up against it. We’re gonna have to be absolutely bang at it in every area to get the three points. There’s been a real key focus on that this week.”
The Rowdies do happen to catch Pittsburgh in the midst of a rare dip in form. Bob Lilley’s side are winless in their last five outings, including back-to-back losses in their last two matches. Pittsburgh’s recent skid started at Al Lang Stadium on May 21, with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Rowdies. While there are good lessons to take from the recent win, the Rowdies know the environment at Highmark creates entirely new challenges.
“We take positives from every game, there’s always some aspects we’ve done well and certainly things we need to improve,” said Stead. “In that respect, it doesn’t really change week to week. We’re under no illusion about the difficult task that’s ahead of us. It’s a challenge and that’s a challenge that the players need to set themselves as a group and go and rise above that challenge to be in that group that goes and wins in Pittsburgh. They’ve got the perfect opportunity to do it on Saturday.”
Collins Returns to Camp
Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins returns stateside in time to lead the club in Pittsburgh this Saturday. Collins missed last week’s 1-1 draw versus the Charleston Battery while he was continuing the final stages of his UEFA Pro License Course in Europe. Assistant Coach Jon Stead and the rest of…