April 10, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
Matchday Info:
Tampa Bay Rowdies (6 pts, 6th East) at Miami FC (4 pts, 8th East)
Thursday, April 11, 7 p.m. ET
FIU Soccer Stadium, Miami FL
2024 Records:
Rowdies: 1W-0L-3D (0-0-2 on the road)
Miami: 1W-3L-1D (1-2-0 at home)
Tune in: ESPN+, SiriusXM FC Channel 157
Watch Party: Join the official Rowdies Watch Party at Grand Central Brewhouse in Downtown St. Pete.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies head south for their first meeting of the year with in-state rival Miami FC this Thursday at 7 p.m. ET at FIU Soccer Stadium. Miami started the season under new head coach Antonio Nocerino on a positive note with 2-0 victory over Colorado Springs on March 16. However, since then Miami have gone winless in four straight outings, posting three losses and one draw.
Converting Draws to Wins
Tampa Bay enters Thursday’s match as one of only five teams in the league that have yet to lose a match this season. With that in mind, three of their first four have ended in stalemates, a trend the squad will look to improve upon.
“Tying too much is never a good thing,” said midfielder Blake Bodily. “If you get two wins, it’s better than one win and two ties. So we need to find more ways to create chances, score more goals, and also not concede late in the game. If we do that, I think it’ll ultimately end up with more wins and a more favorable position for us.”
Bringing Intensity on the Road
There were positives and negatives to take away from last Saturday’s trip to Pittsburgh for the Rowdies. They earned their first shutout of the season but were also blanked themselves for the first time in 2024. In 180 minutes played on the road so far this year, the only goal tallied by the Rowdies is an own goal committed by North Carolina FC.
“It’s about applying the same intensity as we do at home on the road,” said Bodily. “We need to do that. We haven’t done that the last two games and we know that. Just getting back to our basics, back to our foundation, back to what we know we’re good at and being aggressive in the press. I think if we do that on the road, the results will show and we’ll create more chances and score more goals.”
Matching Up with Miami
Historically, the Rowdies have fared well against their rivals to the south. Across all competitions, the Rowdies have claimed victory 9 times and drew four other times. Last year, the Rowdies won both regular-season contests between the two sides with a pair of 2-0 results….
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