Match Preview: Rowdies vs El Paso

October 11, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release

Matchday Info

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs El Paso Locomotive FC

Wednesday, October 12, 7:30 pm ET

Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL

Tickets: Fans can purchase tickets for the match.

Watch/Listen: Wednesday’s match will be broadcast on ESPN Deportes and on SiriusXM FC’s channel 157.

Follow Along: Live updates on Twitter @RowdiesGameday.

Fresh off a record-setting 8-0 win over the weekend, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are back at Al Lang Stadium on Wednesday night to take on El Paso Locomotive FC. The midweek clash was originally scheduled for September 28 but was postponed due to Hurricane Ian.

Both sides will be motivated to take the maximum amount of points out of the match. A win for the Rowdies on Wednesday and then another on Saturday versus New York Red Bulls II coupled with either a win or draw for Memphis this weekend would give Tampa Bay the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, El Paso will be hoping to take all three points off Tampa Bay and then hope New Mexico United does not pick up enough points to surpass them for the final playoff spot in the west.

“El Paso’s team that I’ve been pretty impressed with this season, with the style of play that they’ve got,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “It’s a very tough conference they’ve had, points have been tough to come by. They probably need three to make it to the playoffs. I think that’s what makes it a great game for us as well, to play a team it means that much too. It means the same to us. We want the three points because we want to finish as high as possible. We want to go into the playoffs in as good a form as possible. It should be a really exciting game for everyone.”

One for the Record Books

Saturday’s 8-0 victory over Loudoun United FC is a result that is likely to topped for a long time. The Rowdies set a new club record for goals scored in a match, highest margin of victory, and also established a new club record goals in a single season (69).

With such a large margin of victory, it’s no wonder Collins believes the match was one of the most complete performances his side has put in all year.

“That’s exactly what we wanted,” said Collins. “Lucky getting on and scoring, Dayonn coming on and doing what he’s good at. Junior Etou was fantastic. I could name all the subs because I thought they all had a fantastic impact. We’ve got a lot of players in a much better position over the past three games. Anyone that has seen us through this point of the season in the past, knows it takes 16 men. I’ve not seen many teams win it with just 11. Those 30 minutes at the end are just as important if not even more important. Those guys that have got those roles are absolutely key.”

On top of all that, club captain Sebastian Guenzatti pushed past club legend Georgi Hristov to become the new Rowdies all-time scoring leader. With his two goals against Loudoun, Guenzatti now sits at 62 goals total for the Green & Gold.

Johnson’s Continued Development

In just his second league appearance for the Rowdies, Tate Johnson made his impact felt with his first professional assist. Johnson set up his former Rowdies USL Academy Coach Lucky Mkosana with a deft cross in from the left flank for a finish at the near post. At 16 years old, the future is certainly bright for Johnson, who made his professional debut with Rowdies in a U.S. Open Cup match earlier this year.

Guenzatti Gets the Record

If Saturday’s performance wasn’t already encouraging enough, Rowdies captain Sebastian Guenzatti returned to form with two goals to secure the club’s all-time scoring record. Guenzatti now sits at 62 goals total for the Green & Gold, surpassing club legend Georgi Hristov’s 60-goal tally. If Guenzatti can maintain his momentum in these last two regular season games and then into the playoffs, the Rowdies’ chances of a deep playoff run would increase dramatically.

Upcoming Milestones

Forward Kyle Greig is nearing 15,000 minutes played in the USL Championship regular season. He currently sits at 14,843 minutes played heading into the weekend.

Lewis Hilton are both nearing 30 regular season assists in the USL. Both are currently at 29 assists.

Injury Report:

OUT: CJ Cochran, Thomas Vancaeyezeele

QUESTIONABLE: Jake Areman

SUSPENDED: Laurence Wyke

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