October 4, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release
After snapping its five-match winless skid on the road with a dominant 3-1 victory at San Antonio FC in its final Western Conference road trip of 2024, Rhode Island FC returns home for a clash with Eastern Conference powerhouse Tampa Bay Rowdies. RIFC sits just four points removed from the fourth and final playoff hosting position, currently occupied by Tampa Bay ahead of the weekend slate. Saturday’s match represents a golden opportunity to shoot up the Eastern Conference standings in front of the home fans as the final stretch of the regular season has arrived. Ahead of this weekend’s intraconference clash, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, October 5
Kickoff | 7:30 PM ET
Location | Beirne Stadium, Smithfield, RI
Broadcast | NESN, ESPN+
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Match Hashtag | #RIvsTBR
TAMPA BAY ROWDIES
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Jordan Farr, 15-Phil Breno, 99-Taner Akin
DEFENDERS (7): 3-Forrest Lasso, 19-Freddy Kleeman, 22-Jordan Doherty, 23-Eddie Munjoma, 33-Aaron Guillen, 34-Mateus DeJesus, 42-Zane Bubb
MIDFIELDERS (9): 4-Lewis Hilton, 8-Damian Rivera, 10-Leo Fernandes, 11-Blake Bodily, 13-Ben Bender, 17-Danny Crisostomo, 18-Nathan Worth, 20-Nick Moon, 27-Pacifique Niyongabire
FORWARDS (5): 9-Manuel Arteaga, 16-Cristian Ortiz, 21-Endri Mustali, 26-Cal Jennings, 98 Joshua Perez
On the Slide
Despite spending the majority of the season in top-three positioning on the Eastern Conference table, a season-worst run of form through the month of September has seen Tampa Bay drop three of its last four matches, being outscored 11-4 with the only win coming in the club’s sole home match of the stretch. The Rowdies are now winless in their last five road matches dating back to July 20. The Florida club has not played in nearly two weeks after its scheduled match vs. Hartford Athletic last weekend was postponed due to weather. In total, Tampa Bay are 4W-6L-5D on the road, with three of those four wins coming within the first four months of the season. The Rowdies will have to find a way to flip the script on the road against an RIFC team that have not lost at Beirne Stadium since June 8 if it wants to secure a top-four finish.
Farr Going Far
After finishing just two saves shy of his season-high against Charleston with five, Rowdies goalkeeper Jordan Farr became just the 15th player in USL Championship history to surpass the 300 career-save…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at OurSports Central Outdoor Soccer News…