August 19, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
The Tampa Bay Rowdies find themselves in a position they haven’t been in since early May after dropping last week’s contest in Louisville. The result snapped a 13-match unbeaten run for the Rowdies, who now find themselves sitting third in the Eastern Conference standings behind Louisville City FC and Memphis 901 FC.
The good news for the Rowdies is the club has made a habit of following up losses with positive results over the past few seasons. Dating back to the 2019 season, the Rowdies have only lost out in back-to-back matches three times.
Castellanos is Officially Back
As tough as last week’s result in Louisville was, there was one undeniable positive development to come out of it. Robert Castellanos came off the bench midway through the second half for his first minutes in a match since he suffered a fractured ankle 12 minutes into Tampa Bay’s season opener.
Castellanos was likely in line for significant playing time after joining the Rowdies on loan from Major League Soccer’s Nashville SC at the end of preseason. The 24-year-old was only cleared for training recently and then joined the Rowdies again leading up to the team’s home match versus Detroit City FC. With 10 matches left in the season, there is still time for Castellanos to make his mark on the 2022 campaign.
“Caste getting on the field is probably the biggest positive of the night,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said after the match in Louisville. “Getting 20 minutes will do him a world of good. He’s had a really tough break this season. He’s come back and his attitude’s been great.”
Scouting Colorado
This week, the Rowdies travel to face one of the top contenders out of the Western Conference. Like Tampa Bay, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC sits third in the conference. This is in spite of the fact that Colorado has not posted a win since July 15.
Last year’s USL Championship MVP and Golden Boot winner Hadji Barry is having another productive season with 15 goals so far. It’s not just Barry, though. As a team, Colorado ranks second in the league with 50 goals. Only San Diego Loyal SC has tallied more.
While Colorado’s attack has looked unstoppable many nights, their defense has shown to be one of the more suspect in the league. Through 25 matches played, Colorado has conceded 45 goals. Colorado’s last home match on August 12 was a particularly tough night for the defense. After jumping out to a…