After a 1-1 road trip that extended over two weeks, the Tampa Bay Rowdies begin a two-game home stand when they host the New York Cosmos in a 7:30 p.m. match on Saturday, Aug. 16 at Al Lang Field. The Rowdies sit alone in third with nine points, one ahead of the Cosmos, six behind first-place San Antonio Scorpions and four behind the Minnesota United FC.
In their only meeting this season, the Cosmos quieted a sold-out crowd with a 3-0 win — scoring three goals in a 14-minute span — when they visited Al Lang Field on May 17. Rowdies goalkeeper Matt Pickens sustained a thigh injury in the 24th minute that would sideline him for the remainder of the spring season.
The Rowdies, who finished the spring season with a disappointing 10 points, have begun the fall season with three wins in five matches. After suffering a difficult loss to Fort Lauderdale two weeks ago, the Rowdies rebounded with a thrilling 4-3 win over the Carolina Railhawks last Saturday in Cary, N.C.
After Amani Walker and Tamika Mkandawire each scored in the first 10 minutes, the Railhawks evened the game with two early goals in the second half. Luckily, Mkosana and Darel Russell scored late in the match to secure the victory.
The Cosmos, who finished second in the spring season, began the fall season with one win in their first five matches. But they enter this weekend's match after a 2-1 victory in Atlanta last Saturday.
“I expect an exciting match and I hope we can give our great fans a victory that they long for and that they deserve," Ricky Hill said. "We haven't beaten the Cosmos yet since they've been back. In the spring season, it was nil-nil and then 10 minutes later we're 3-nil down. They had a great victory Saturday night in Atlanta and we had a great victory Saturday night in Carolina, so both teams are coming in with a positive frame of mind."
Saturday's match is expected to sell out, so Rowdies officials advise fans to contact the Rowdies ticket office at (877) ROWDIES to inquire about availability. August 16 will be tbt* Night with the Rowdies, where the first 1,000 fans in the stadium will receive limited-edition Rowdies sunglasses.
The Basics
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. New York Cosmos
Saturday, August 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Florida
Follow us for live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday.
You can also watch the match live on Great 38.
The first 1,000 fans will receive Rowdies sunglasses, presented by tbt*
Records (W-T-L)
Tampa Bay: 3-0-2, 9 points, NASL Fall season; 5-4-5, 19 points, NASL combined season
New York: 2-2-2, 8 points, NASL Fall season; 8-3-4, 27 points, NASL combined season