October 31, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
For the first time since 2019, the Tampa Bay Rowdies will open the USL Championship playoffs on the road. After finishing as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference standings, the Rowdies are set to square off against Detroit City FC at Keyworth Stadium this Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
“I can definitely feel the excitement,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “This is my first time being involved with these kinds of playoffs. It’s almost like a clean slate for everyone. We’ve got eight teams in the east and eight teams in the west. Now it’s about bringing your best game in a one-off showing.”
Saturday will be the first-ever playoff meeting between Tampa Bay and Detroit. The Rowdies hold a slight edge in their all-time series with Detroit with three wins, two losses, and one draw. They’ve made three trips to Keyworth Stadium in the past and have come away with one win, one loss, and one draw.
Should the Rowdies defeat Detroit, they would advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinal to face the winner of the Quarterfinal matchup between the Charleston Battery and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
A Lift for the Playoffs
The Rowdies got a much-needed confidence boost in their regular season finale with a convincing 3-0 victory over Indy Eleven. Securing those three goals and a clean sheet were worth more than three points for the Rowdies. The result served as a great reminder of what the squad can achieve when playing to their full potential.
“It’s always good to enter the playoffs coming off of a win,” said Midfielder Danny Crisostomo. “Obviously we were going through a lot the last couple months of the season with the hurricanes and the little slump that we had. We’re definitely flying high now and staying focused on what we need to do against Detroit.”
Regular Season Series
The Rowdies earned a hard-fought point in a 1-1 draw in their first trip to Keyworth Stadium on July 6. Detroit was reduced to ten men when Abdoulaye Diop was shown a second yellow card in the 59th minute, the hosts still managed to nab the opening goal in the 71st minute after the Rowdies could not sufficiently clear a free kick sent into the box. Rowdies wingback Nick Moon then grabbed a late equalizer in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to ensure the club came home with a point.
Detroit finished on top 3-2 when the two sides met again at Al Lang Stadium on August 21. The visitors jumped ahead…