2017 Tampa Bay Rowdies season

The 2017 Tampa Bay Rowdies season was the club's eighth season of existence, and their first in the United Soccer League. Including the previous Tampa Bay Rowdies, this was the 24th season of a franchise in the Tampa Bay metro area with the Rowdies moniker. Including the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny, this was the 30th season of professional soccer in the Tampa Bay region.

Tampa Bay Rowdies
2017 season
ChairmanBill Edwards
Head CoachStuart Campbell
StadiumAl Lang Stadium
USL3rd (Eastern Conference)
USL CupConference Semifinals
U.S. Open CupThird Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Georgi Hristov (13)
All: Georgi Hristov (15)
Highest home attendance7,786 (sellout)
(Sep 23 vs. Charlotte)
Lowest home attendanceLeague: 4,326
(Apr 1 vs. Toronto II)
All: 2,490
(May 16 vs. Jacksonville U23)
Average home league attendanceLeague: 5,663
All: 5,345

Club

Roster
As of September 24, 2017[1]
No. Position Player Nation
1 Goalkeeper Nico Campbell  Jamaica
2 Defender Darnell King  United States
3 Defender Neill Collins  Scotland
4 Midfielder Marcel Schäfer  Germany
7 Forward Darwin Jones  United States
8 Midfielder Wálter Restrepo  Colombia
9 Midfielder Alex Morrell  United States
10 Forward Georgi Hristov  Bulgaria
11 Midfielder Leo Fernandes  Brazil
13 Midfielder Justin Chavez  United States
14 Defender Luke Boden  England
15 Defender Zac Portillos  United States
17 Defender Tamika Mkandawire  England
18 Goalkeeper Matt Pickens  United States
19 Forward Martin Paterson  Northern Ireland
21 Midfielder Sebastián Guenzatti  Uruguay
22 Midfielder Keith Savage  United States
23 Midfielder Michael Nanchoff  United States
26 Midfielder Joe Cole (captain)  England
27 Defender Hunter Gorskie  United States
31 Defender Damion Lowe  Jamaica
32 Midfielder Martin Vingaard  Denmark
50 Goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald  United States
90 Defender Kyle Porter  Canada

Technical staff
Stuart Dobson, Stuart Campbell, and Raoul Voss
  • Stuart Campbell – Head coach
  • Raoul Voss – Assistant coach
  • Stuart Dobson – Goalkeeper coach
  • Cheyne Roberts – Rowdies 2 head coach
  • Jason Riley – Strength and conditioning coach
  • Dr. Koco Eaton – Team physician/orthopedic surgeon
  • Dr. Sanjay Menon – Team physician/orthopedic surgeon
  • Dr. Christopher Salud – Team physician

Front office
  • Bill Edwards – Chairman, chief executive officer and governor
  • Andrew Nestor – Director
  • David Laxer – Director
  • Lee Cohen – Vice president and chief operating officer

Competitions

Preseason

The Rowdies began their preseason by co-hosting and participating in the 2017 Florida Cup. Tampa Bay also hosted Major League Soccer teams in the Suncoast Invitational for the second year in a row.

January 8, 2017 Florida CupTampa Bay Rowdies 0–2 VfL WolfsburgSt. Petersburg
16:45 EST (UTC−5) Vingaard  61' Report
TBR Report		 Herrmann  6', 41' Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Referee: Jonathan Wener
January 14, 2017 Florida CupTampa Bay Rowdies 0–2 Atlético MineiroSt. Petersburg
16:00 EST (UTC−5) Nanchoff  29'
Vingaard  45'
Boden  68'		 Report
TBR Report		 Leonan  6'
Rodrigão  52'
Ananias  53'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
February 11, 2017 ScrimmageOrlando City SC0–0Tampa Bay RowdiesSanford
11:00 EST (UTC−5) Quote Sheet Stadium: Sylvan Lake Park
Attendance: Closed-door
February 18, 2017 Suncoast InvitationalTampa Bay Rowdies0–1Philadelphia UnionSt. Petersburg
19:30 EST (UTC−5) Mkandawire  55'
Collins  84'
Carr  88'		 TBR Report
Report B		 Tribbett  61'
Jones  71',  73'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
February 25, 2017 Suncoast InvitationalTampa Bay Rowdies2–1Montreal ImpactSt. Petersburg
19:30 EST (UTC−5) Cole  34'
Brown  40'
Hristov  74'
Porter  75'
Vingaard  77'
Boden  85'		 TBR Report
Report B		 Piatti  71' (pen.)
Cabrera  89'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
March 4, 2017 FitzFestTampa Spartans0–1Tampa Bay RowdiesTampa
= EST (UTC−5) Report Paterson  88' (Morrell) Stadium: Pepin Stadium
March 11, 2017 FriendlyJacksonville Armada FC1–0Tampa Bay RowdiesJacksonville
14:00 EST (UTC−5) Banks  48'
Blake  64'		 Report Lowe  25'
Nanchoff  58'		 Stadium: Patton Park
March 18, 2017 FriendlyMiami FC3–0Tampa Bay RowdiesMiami Gardens
11:00 EST (UTC−5) Pinho  67'
Pinho  68' (Poku)
Rennella  75' (pen.)		 Report Stadium: St. Thomas University

USL
Main article: 2017 USL season

The Rowdies completed the USL regular season in third place on the Eastern Conference table with 53 points. This was one point behind the second place, Charleston Battery, and nine behind table-toppers, Louisville City FC. Tampa Bay finished the season strongly, going unbeaten in their final seven matches, and losing only two of their final fifteen. Their top-four finish also guaranteed that they would host at least one playoff match.

USL Eastern Conference table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Louisville City FC (C) 32 18 8 6 58 31 +27 62 Conference Playoffs
2 Charleston Battery 32 15 9 8 53 33 +20 54
3 Tampa Bay Rowdies 32 14 11 7 50 35 +15 53
4 Rochester Rhinos 32 14 11 7 36 28 +8 53
5 Charlotte Independence 32 13 9 10 52 40 +12 48
6 FC Cincinnati 32 12 10 10 46 48 −2 46
7 New York Red Bulls II 32 13 5 14 57 60 −3 44
8 Bethlehem Steel FC 32 12 8 12 46 45 +1 44
9 Orlando City B 32 10 12 10 37 36 +1 42
10 Ottawa Fury 32 8 14 10 42 41 +1 38
11 Harrisburg City Islanders 32 10 7 15 28 47 −19 37
12 Saint Louis FC 32 9 9 14 35 48 −13 36
13 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 32 8 12 12 33 42 −9 36
14 Richmond Kickers 32 8 8 16 24 36 −12 32
15 Toronto FC II 32 6 7 19 27 54 −27 25
Source: 2017 USL standings
Rules for classification: 1) total wins; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 5) disciplinary points; 6) coin toss or drawing of lots
(C) Champion.

Results summary
OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
32 14 11 7 50 35  +15 53 10 5 1 27 10  +17 4 6 6 23 25  −2

Last updated: April 26, 2018.
Source: Match reports

Matches
March 25, 2017 1Tampa Bay Rowdies1–0Orlando City BSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Hristov  57' (pen.),  60' Report Neal  36'
Cox  90+4'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 7,710
Referee: Ted Unkel
April 1, 2016 2Tampa Bay Rowdies4–0Toronto FC IISt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Lowe  12'
Hristov  20'
Cole  22'
Brown  70'		 Report Fraser  79' Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 4,326
Referee: Caleb Mendez
April 8, 2017 3Tampa Bay Rowdies1–0Ottawa Fury FCSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Hristov  47'
King  51'		 Report Campbell  50'
Obasi  83'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,310
Referee: Matthew Miscannon
April 15, 2017 4Louisville City FC2–1Tampa Bay RowdiesLouisville
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Davis  22',  31'
Spencer  45+5'
Smith  83'
Lancaster  87'		 Report Boden  57'
King  63'
Hristov  71'
Paterson  89'		 Stadium: Louisville Slugger Field
Attendance: 9,074
Referee: Andrew Musashe
April 19, 2017 5FC Cincinnati1–1Tampa Bay RowdiesCincinnati
19:00 EDT (UTC−4) Delbridge  36'
Bahner  58'
Dacres  75'		 Report Schäfer  7'
Boden  20'
Nanchoff  65'
Lowe  70'		 Stadium: Nippert Stadium
Attendance: 15,244
Referee: Jon Freemon
April 22, 2017 6Tampa Bay Rowdies2–3Charleston BatterySt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Cole  34'
Hristov  62',  90'		 Report Williams  38'
Lasso  40',  61'
Chang  45+2'
Woodbine  62'
Anunga  89'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,016
Referee: Jonathan Weiner
April 29, 2017 7Tampa Bay Rowdies1–0Richmond KickersSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Lowe  40'
Brown  45'		 Report Sekyere  88' Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 4,829
Referee: Elvis Osmanovic
May 6, 2017 8Ottawa Fury FC0–0Tampa Bay RowdiesOttawa
14:00 EDT (UTC−4) Salazar  18' Report Hristov  18'
Chavez  29'
King  33'		 Stadium: TD Place Stadium
Attendance: 3,840
Referee: Yusri Rudolf
May 13, 2017 9Tampa Bay Rowdies2–0Louisville City FCSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) King  46'
Hristov  59'
Lowe  70'
Brown  72'
Collins  73'
Schäfer  78'
Pickens  89'		 Report Craig  87' Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,410
Referee: Guido Gonzalez
May 19, 2017 10Toronto FC II1–3Tampa Bay RowdiesVaughan
17:00 EDT (UTC−4) Uccello  10'
Aubrey  45'
Spencer  62'
Alseth  83'		 Report Schäfer  58'
Collins  63'
Cole  68'
Paterson  80'
Jones  82'
Nanchoff  87'		 Stadium: Ontario Soccer Centre
Attendance: 551
Referee: Carol Anne Chenard
May 24, 2017 11Rochester Rhinos1–0Tampa Bay RowdiesRochester
19:05 EDT (UTC−4) Fall  24'
Garzi  39'		 Report Hristov  33'
Lowe  55'
Nanchoff  81'		 Stadium: Capelli Sport Stadium
Attendance: 1,140
Referee: Matthew Franz
May 27, 2017 12Tampa Bay Rowdies1–1Saint Louis FCSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Fernandes  6'
Morrell  39'
King  56'
Nanchoff  76'
Mkandawire  82'
Collins  87'		 Report Charpie  12'
Alihodžić  41'
Plewa  54'
Angulo  59'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 6,068
Referee: Danielle Chesky
June 4, 2017 13Charlotte Independence2–2Tampa Bay RowdiesRock Hill
19:00 EDT (UTC−4) Martínez  45+3'
Castillo  51',  56'		 Report Hristov  25' (pen.),  27'
Mkandawire  35'
Boden  71'
Savage  83',  86'		 Stadium: Eagle Field
Attendance: 1,216
Referee: Dule Djurasevic
June 10, 2017 14Tampa Bay Rowdies1–1Rochester RhinosSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Cole  19'
Collins  28'
Savage  58'
Nanchoff  89'		 Report Graf  5'
Fall  68'
Kamdem  78'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 6,026
Referee: Kevin Broadley
June 17, 2017 15Richmond Kickers1–1Tampa Bay RowdiesRichmond
19:00 EDT (UTC−4) Tayou  90+4' Report Boden  42'
Nanchoff  44'
Savage  60'
Schäfer  64'		 Stadium: City Stadium
Attendance: 4,034
Referee: J.T. Alukonis
June 22, 2017 16Pittsburgh Riverhounds2–0Tampa Bay RowdiesPittsburgh
19:00 EDT (UTC−4) Walsh  11'
Parkes  88'		 Report Vingaard  55' Stadium: Highmark Stadium
Attendance: 1,977
Referee: Mark Kadlecik
July 1, 2017 17Charleston Battery2–0Tampa Bay RowdiesCharleston
19:00 EDT (UTC−4) Guerra  8'
Griffith  50'
Williams  70'
Cordovés  81'		 Report Lowe  55'
Boden  62'
Morrell  65'		 Stadium: MUSC Health Stadium
Attendance: 2,967
Referee: Matthew Franz
July 6, 2017 18Tampa Bay Rowdies2–0FC CincinnatiSt. Petersburg
20:00 EDT (UTC−4) Paterson  39'
Cole  44'
Savage  69'
Mkandawire  90+2'		 Report Quinn  7'
Dacres  45+3'
McLaughlin  74'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 6,269
Referee: Jonathan Weiner
July 13, 2017 19Orlando City B1–1Tampa Bay RowdiesOrlando
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Pereira  74'
Clowes  90+2'
Deakin  90+6' (pen.)
Laryea  90+7'		 Report Paterson  21'
King  43'
Morrell  45'		 Stadium: Orlando City Stadium
Attendance: 1,504
Referee: Kevin Broadley
July 22, 2017 20Tampa Bay Rowdies2–0Charleston BatterySt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Mkandawire  25'
Cole  40'
Paterson  69'		 Report Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,619
Referee: Daniel Gutierrez
July 29, 2017 21Tampa Bay Rowdies2–0Pittsburgh RiverhoundsSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Mkandawire  3'
Morrell  11',  76'
Porter  67'
Pickens  75'		 Report Agbossoumonde  44'
Adewole  75'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,737
Referee: Rosendo Mendoza
August 5, 2017 22Tampa Bay Rowdies3–0Harrisburg City IslandersSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Collins  15'
Paterson  73'
Restrepo  90'		 Report Grosh  51'
Brent  60'
Olabiyi  90+4'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,619
Referee: Jonathan Bilinski
August 13, 2017 23Saint Louis FC4–3Tampa Bay RowdiesFenton
19:00 EDT (UTC−4) Jackson  1'
Rudolph  5',  67'
Ledbetter  38'
Petosevic  68'
Plewa  89'		 Report Schäfer  10'
Hristov  16',  28'
Lowe  25'  85'
Paterson  36',  36'		 Stadium: World Wide Technology Soccer Park
Attendance: 4,001
Referee: Gustavo Solorio
August 19, 2017 24Tampa Bay Rowdies1–1Ottawa Fury FCSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Hristov  11'
Paterson  19'
Nanchoff  49'
Restrepo  90+3'		 Report Duba  4'
Manesio  72'
Lefèvre  90+1'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 6,710
Referee: Jonathan Weiner
September 2, 2017 25New York Red Bulls II4–2Tampa Bay RowdiesMontclair
16:00 EDT (UTC−4) Tinari  17'
Powder  41'
Valot  54'
Flemmings  83'		 Report Hristov  5'
Paterson  20'
Porter  60'
Collins  63'
Gorskie  77',  77'		 Stadium: MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field
Attendance: 562
Referee: Jose Rivero
September 6, 2017 26Harrisburg City Islanders2–3Tampa Bay RowdiesHarrisburg
18:30 EDT (UTC−4) Dabo  9'
Nishanian  31'
Mensah  45'
Benbow  51'
Opoku  58'
Mendoza  67'
Tiago  89'		 Report Hristov  36',  57',  68' (pen.)
Paterson  38'
Chavez  75'		 Stadium: FNB Field
Attendance: 1,856
Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj
September 23, 2017 27Tampa Bay Rowdies1–0Charlotte IndependenceSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Gorskie  33'
Chavez  45+1'
Restrepo  75'
Guenzatti  83'
Nanchoff  90'		 Report Herrera  36'
Johnson  37'
Ekra  86'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 7,786
Referee: Rosendo Mendoza
September 27, 2017 28Bethlehem Steel FC2–2Tampa Bay RowdiesBethlehem
15:00 EDT (UTC−4) Moar  19'
Burke  38',  46'
D. Jones  55'
Trusty  65'
Conneh  78'		 Report Hristov  18',  36' (pen)
Gorskie  55'
King  90'		 Stadium: Goodman Stadium
Attendance: 2,881
Referee: Jared Simons
September 30, 2017 29Tampa Bay Rowdies1–1Bethlehem Steel FCSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Gorskie  29'
Cole  62'
Guenzatti  80'
Restrepo  90+4'		 Report Heard  26'
Conneh  56'
Samuel  58'
A. Jones  74'
McGuire  89'
Roberts  90+4'
Burke  90+6'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 6,611
Referee: Guido Gonzalez
October 4, 2017 30Tampa Bay Rowdies3–2New York Red Bulls IISt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Cole  18'
Vingaard  23'
Paterson  25',  45'		 Report Bonomo  16'
Scarlett  50'  63'
Flemmings  54',  84'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,260
Referee: Jonathan Weiner
October 7, 2017 31San Antonio FC1–1Tampa Bay RowdiesSan Antonio
20:30 EDT (UTC−4) Pecka  50'
Gordon  55'
O'Ojong 84'
Guzmán  88',  88'		 Report Hristov  69'
Restrepo  72'		 Stadium: Toyota Field
Attendance: 7,043
Referee: Victor Rivas
October 12, 2017 32Orlando City B0–2Tampa Bay RowdiesOrlando
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) da Silva  76' Report Vingaard  38'
Portillos  51'
Hristov  74'
Gorskie  80'
Guenzatti  90+3'		 Stadium: Orlando City Stadium
Attendance: 1,185
Referee: Jonathan Bilinski

USL Cup playoffs
Main article: 2017 USL Playoffs

The Rowdies clinched their spot in the single elimination 2017 USL playoffs on October 4, with a 3–2 victory over New York Red Bulls II.

 
First RoundConference Semi-FinalsConference FinalsUSL Championship
 
              
 
October 20 – Louisville Slugger Field
 
 
#1 Louisville City FC 4
 
October 28 – Louisville Slugger Field
 
#8 Bethlehem Steel FC 0
 
#1 Louisville City FC 1
 
October 21 – Capelli Sport Stadium
 
#4 Rochester Rhinos 0
 
#4 Rochester Rhinos (a.e.t.) 2
 
November 4 – Louisville Slugger Field
 
#5 Charlotte Independence 1
 
#1 Louisville City FC (pen.)1 (4)
 
October 21 – Al Lang Stadium
 
#7 New York Red Bulls II 1 (3)
 
#3 Tampa Bay Rowdies 3
 
October 28 – Al Lang Stadium
 
#6 FC Cincinnati 0
 
#3 Tampa Bay Rowdies 1
 
October 21 – MUSC Health Stadium
 
#7 New York Red Bulls II (a.e.t.) 2
 
#2 Charleston Battery 0
 
November 13 – Louisville Slugger Field (ESPNU)
 
#7 New York Red Bulls II 4
 
#1 Louisville City FC 1
 
October 20 – Rio Tinto Stadium
 
#4 Swope Park Rangers 0
 
#1 Real Monarchs 1 (1)
 
October 28 – Children's Mercy Park
 
#8 Sacramento Republic FC (pen.) 1 (3)
 
#8 Sacramento Republic FC 0
 
October 21 – Swope Soccer Village
 
#4 Swope Park Rangers 1
 
#4 Swope Park Rangers (pen.)1 (4)
 
November 4 – Children's Mercy Park
 
#5 Phoenix Rising FC 1 (2)
 
#4 Swope Park Rangers (pen.)0 (7)
 
October 21 – Greater Nevada Field
 
#6 OKC Energy FC 0 (6)
 
#3 Reno 1868 FC 0
 
October 28 – Toyota Field
 
#6 OKC Energy FC 1
 
#6 OKC Energy FC (pen.)1 (4)
 
October 21 – Toyota Field
 
#2 San Antonio FC 1 (1)
 
#2 San Antonio FC 2
 
 
#7 Tulsa Roughnecks 1
 
October 21, 2017 Conference QuarterfinalsTampa Bay Rowdies3–0FC CincinnatiSt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Schäfer  8',  25'
Hristov  61',  67'
Cole  84'		 Report McLaughlin  52'
Walker  63'
Berry  90'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 6,104
Referee: Malik Badawi
October 28, 2017 Conference SemifinalsTampa Bay Rowdies1–2 (a.e.t.)New York Red Bulls IISt. Petersburg
19:30 EDT (UTC−4) Hristov  26'
Portillos  35'
Guenzatti  39'
Cole  42'
Pickens  57'
Vingaard  62'
Restrepo  66'
Paterson  116'		 Report Bonomo  58' (pen.),  93'
Flemmings  86'
Ndam  96'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 5,119
Referee: Joe Dickerson

U.S. Open Cup
Main article: 2017 U.S. Open Cup
May 16 2nd roundTampa Bay Rowdies 3–0 Jacksonville Armada U-23St. Petersburg, Florida
7:30 PM EDT Porter  3'
Morrell  43'
Paterson  68'		 TBR Report
Report		 McKenna  55'
Rosales  60'
dos Santos  62'
Bolt  63'		 Stadium: Al Lang Stadium
Attendance: 2,490
Referee: Christina Unkel
May 31 3rd roundMiami FC 2–0 Tampa Bay RowdiesMiami, Florida
7:30 PM EDT Mares  63'
Rennella  74' (pen.)
Chávez  84'		 Report Boden  33'
Fernandes  45+2'
Hristov  90'
Paterson  90+4'		 Stadium: Riccardo Silva Stadium
Attendance: 1,403
Referee: Andres Pfefferkorn

Broadcast partners

Local Hearst Television channel, WMOR-TV, announced on March 9, 2017 that they would be the Tampa Bay Rowdies' exclusive broadcast partners for the upcoming United Soccer League season. All USL home games will be broadcast live and in primetime on channel 32.2, thisTV Tampa Bay.[2]

References
  1. "Roster". Tampa Bay Rowdies. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  2. "Hearst Television Station Group in Tampa Bay Inks Exclusive Promotional & Broadcast Partnership with Tampa Bay Rowdies". mor-tv.com. March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.