https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/901496?referrer_id=2349190
Eastern Conf. Notebook — Rowdies Avoid ‘One of Those Nights’
Battery aim to gain momentum from victory; Despite defeat, Kickers produce positive response
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies were well on top in Saturday night's clash against Bethlehem Steel FC but come halftime they found themselves deadlocked at Al Lang Stadium. Having racked up 13 shots in the first half, including one that had appeared to cross the line only to be ruled out by the assistant referee, it was starting to look like a frustrating evening with Bethlehem goalkeeper John McCarthy proving difficult to get through.
“[McCarthy] was tough to crack,” said Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell. “I thought Cody did well, too. He made a couple of great saves again. Especially early on in the game, the first real chance they had, he made a big save to tip it round the post.”
The frustration was starting to come through at the end of the first half following Leo Fernandes' effort that was ruled to have been cleared off the line by Steel FC defender A.J. Paterson, but that gave way to a phenomenal relief through the sellout crowd of 7,368 fans on hand when Rowdies forward Georgi Hristov hit the back of the net in the 62nd minute. A second goal six minutes later by Fernandes gave the Rowdies a solid cushion, and the 2-0 victory made it two wins of two to start the regular season.
“It was really tough because you start thinking maybe it’s just one of those nights, you know? It was really hard to score,” said Hristov. “I’m happy that we stepped up our level even higher in the second half and scored two very good goals. I’m happy we won because they’re a good team.”
The goal capped a strong performance from the Rowdies, who got the win they deserved against a difficult Steel FC side. With a visit to Louisville City FC coming up next weekend, Tampa Bay got the sort of performance it was looking for to face the defending USL Cup champions with plenty of confidence.
“I thought it was a really good performance from the first minute, really,” said Campbell. “I thought we defended really well as a team and we attacked really, really well as a team. We created multiple chances and I thought their goalkeeper was exceptional.”
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https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/901484?referrer_id=2364194-news-archive
11 Things – Hounded Out
Pittsburgh almost spoils Nashville’s opener, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tampa Bay earn rousing receptions
2. WELCOME HOME: Nashville’s crowd of 18,922 saw its side earn the first point in club history, but it also had the distinction of being the highest-attended game in the United States over the weekend, leading another tremendous week for the USL overall in the stands. More than 80,000 fans turned out overall, and the league’s nine home openers saw an average of 7,421 fans in attendance on Saturday night as fans of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Phoenix Rising FC and Las Vegas Lights FC in particular welcomed their clubs for the first time this regular season in what turned into a memorable night of action for all three teams.
6. POWER PLAY: After the manner of their victories in the opening weekend of the regular season, there was a sense of anticipation going into the Tampa Bay Rowdies’ home opener against Bethlehem Steel FC, and while the visitors almost landed the first blow early the night ended up showing the sort of separation a club like Tampa Bay might have on the rest of the pack in the Eastern Conference in the early going. The Rowdies were consistently a step faster, cheered on by a sellout crowd of 7,368 fans, especially down the left side where the trio of Zac Portillos, Marcel Schafer and Leo Fernandes combined to put consistent pressure on Bethlehem’s defense. Fernandes’ second goal of the season capped a marvelous display, and if he’s able to stay in better health than last season’s 11 appearances then the Rowdies have another potent attacking weapon at their disposal.
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http://floridapolitics.com/archives/259514-not-just-a-body-of-water-a-briefing-on-tampa-bay-politics-3-26-18
Not Just A Body Of Water — A briefing on Tampa Bay politics — 3.26.18
Childhood cancer survivor to sing anthem for Rowdies
At the age of 10, Marissa Preddie stood on the pitch for the first time at Al Lang Stadium at a “Gold Together for Childhood Cancer” match, wowing the crowd with her heartfelt rendition of the national anthem. Two years earlier, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia. Now, the 12-year-old Peddie is cancer free and the first ever official anthem singer of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. “I’m so excited to become the Rowdies’ official anthem singer,” Marissa said. “When the Rowdies asked me if I was interested, I was like OMG, really? YES!! I love coming to the games and cheering the Rowdies to victory.”
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/87ebq7/3_doors_down_collective_soul_soul_asylum_coming/
3 Doors Down, Collective Soul, Soul Asylum coming to Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg (tbo.com)
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http://www.tbo.com/blogs/soundcheck/2018/03/26/3-doors-down-collective-soul-soul-asylum-coming-to-al-lang-stadium-in-st-petersburg/
3 Doors Down, Collective Soul, Soul Asylum coming to Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg
We've seen a couple of false starts when it comes to getting live music into Al Lang Stadium.
First there was a '90s package tour led by TLC, which was supposed to take place last fall, but got canceled shortly beforehand. Then, in January, a show by Flo Rida was also canceled.
But now it looks like we might have a show that'll stick.
Alt-rockers 3 Doors Down, Collective Soul and Soul Asylum are teaming up for a package tour that'll hit Al Lang on July 11. Tickets start at $49.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. Click here for details.
Like the other shows, this one is promoted by Bill Edwards, the St. Pete entrepreneur behind the Mahaffey Theater and Tampa Bay Rowdies. Despite the false starts with TLC and Flo Rida, if he can build Al Lang into a reliable outdoor concert venue, it could have a big effect, bringing tours to town that otherwise might not come. Stay tuned to see if this one actually happens.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/879ivx/hristov_nears_scoring_milestone_in_rowdies/
Hristov Nears Scoring Milestone in Rowdies’ Dominant Win (stpetecasual.wordpress.com)
(Follow link for full article.)
https://stpetecasual.wordpress.com/2018/03/26/hristov-nears-milestone-in-rowdies-dominant-win/
Hristov Nears Milestone in Rowdies’ Dominant Win
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/87bukm/rowdie_takeaways_week_2_tbr_vs_bst/
Rowdie Takeaways Week 2: TBR vs BST (self.TampaBayRowdies)
-A domineering performance by the Rowdies. The result was never in doubt despite the Rowdies being "disallowed" a score in the first half. Outside of the first seven minutes, the Rowdies dominated on the ball and created a plethora of great chances capped off by a wonderfully slotted ball by Fernandes and Hristov with an on-target header. This W was never really in doubt, Bethlehem was simply overmatched outside of inspired performances by Burke and Epps.
-This may be controversial but it needs to be said. There HAS to be some sort of goal line or replay system to remedy awful calls like the Fernandes botch. To have goals called back that clear as day crossed the line is just little league officiating. I say hire a league-wide replay official who can be called on in two instances, if a ball crossed the line, or if a foul called on the edge of the box is a penalty. I wouldn't want an oversaturated replay system, but it's getting painful to see replays where there's a game-changing bad call.
-Defensive improvement this week is a positive sign. Gorskie made a great sliding tackle. Najem has taken on some lethal runs. Positioning and marking looked solid in the back.
-I was really excited by the signings of Flemmings and Graf but I'm wildly surprised by how great Jack Blake is. His curled shots are LETHAL. Blake is all over the field defending and making passes.
-I'm fascinated by Campbell's fixation with Guenzatti being a go-to guy. We got the Flemmings debut for all of 20 minutes which I pray that the injury news comes back positive, and the immediate replacement choice is Guenzatti. It's not that I think Guenzatti is a bad player, he's just okay. I need someone to make a pro-Guenzatti case for me. I just see a guy who is okay on the ball, okay passer, not a major scoring threat, but he'll get in good positions. I just think there's a very high upside with Graf and Morrell and they're spending a majority of their time on the bench.
-Speaking of Guenzatti, my opinion of Fernandes has improved after two straight weeks of scoring and good overall play. I see Fernandes as a better version of Guenzatti. Fernandes is able to get in good positions for good runs pretty frequently. Good passer and his shots have been on target with great placement.
-TV commentary was lackluster. I watched the game on YouTube and cringed to the point I fell out of my skin listening to the announcer call Fernandes goal his "first of the season" with a graphic accompanying it saying the same... Did anybody in the studio watch week 1? The color analysis was mostly dry, and the play-by-play guy has good tonality but Pepper last year really sold you on the goals.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/87crv7/are_rowdies_practices_open/
Are Rowdies' practices open? (self.TampaBayRowdies)
My son has spring break this week and it'd be fun to take him to watch a practice. If they are open, any ideas when they practice?
Kinda. You can't get into the stadium when they practice there, but the big open section of the stadium on Bayshore means you can just stand there up against the fence and watch. Similar story if they're practicing at the facility they share with USF a few blocks away. The fence is closer to the field there, so you can get a better view.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/87eaqt/orlando_city_gm_hints_at_strategy_to_develop/
Orlando City GM Hints at Strategy to Develop Players in 2019 (themaneland.com)
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https://www.themaneland.com/2018/3/26/17161468/orlando-city-to-unveil-new-player-development-strategy-in-2019
Orlando City’s GM Hints at Strategy to Develop Players in 2019
Niki Budalic told ESPN that OCB will return in the new USL third division in 2019, which shows how the club will develop its prospects.
While most MLS clubs without second teams in the USL have affiliations with other clubs, Orlando City has yet to come to such an agreement. The Tampa Bay Rowdies seem to have failed in their push for MLS and the NASL appears to have seen its final days. The Jacksonville Armada is currently playing in the fourth division NPSL, but could certainly make the jump to the USL in 2019, as multiple MLS second teams will likely drop to the third division. This would provide the Lions with a choice of two nearby USL teams to affiliate with for players that have advanced beyond OCB but aren’t quite ready for the first team.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018/03/26/miamis-mls-expansion-ownership-considering-additional-stadium-sites
Miami's MLS expansion ownership considering additional stadium sites
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utI_d2lI3sQ
How Would the Rowdies Spend a Day at the Beach?
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on Mar 26, 2018
We went ahead and asked the players what their ideal day at the beach would look like. Check out what they had to say!
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH4GEVJzz1Y
GOALS from Rowdies vs Bethlehem Steel - March 24, 2018
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on Mar 26, 2018
Check out the goals from Saturday's 2-0 win over Bethlehem Steel.
(Follow link for full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuVrWMkkcNY
Meet Marissa Peddie, the Rowdies' National Anthem Singer
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Published on Mar 23, 2018
The Rowdies announce Marissa Peddie, a 12-year-old childhood cancer survivor, as the 2018 official anthem singer.
READ: http://bit.ly/2GiqkTd
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