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.
| 2017 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Bill Edwards | |||
| Head coach | Stuart Campbell | |||
| Stadium | Al Lang Stadium | |||
| USL | 3rd (Eastern Conference) | |||
| USL Cup | Conference Semifinals | |||
| U.S. Open Cup | Third Round | |||
| Top goalscorer | League: Georgi Hristov (13) All: Georgi Hristov (15) | |||
| Highest home attendance | 7,786 (sellout) (Sep 23 vs. Charlotte) | |||
| Lowest home attendance | League: 4,326 (Apr 1 vs. Toronto II) All: 2,490 (May 16 vs. Jacksonville U23) | |||
| Average home league attendance | League: 5,663 All: 5,345 | |||
|
| ||||
Club
editRoster
edit- As of September 24, 2017[1]
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Nico Campbell |  Jamaica
|
| 2 | DF | Darnell King |  United States
|
| 3 | DF | Neill Collins |  Scotland
|
| 4 | MF | Marcel Schäfer |  Germany
|
| 7 | FW | Darwin Jones | United States
|
| 8 | MF | Wálter Restrepo |  Colombia
|
| 9 | MF | Alex Morrell | United States
|
| 10 | FW | Georgi Hristov |  Bulgaria
|
| 11 | MF | Leo Fernandes |  Brazil
|
| 13 | MF | Justin Chavez | United States
|
| 14 | DF | Luke Boden |  England
|
| 15 | DF | Zac Portillos | United States
|
| 17 | DF | Tamika Mkandawire | England
|
| 18 | GK | Matt Pickens | United States
|
| 19 | FW | Martin Paterson |  Northern Ireland
|
| 21 | MF | Sebastián Guenzatti |  Uruguay
|
| 22 | MF | Keith Savage | United States
|
| 23 | MF | Michael Nanchoff | United States
|
| 26 | MF | Joe Cole (captain) | England
|
| 27 | DF | Hunter Gorskie | United States
|
| 31 | DF | Damion Lowe | Jamaica
|
| 32 | MF | Martin Vingaard |  Denmark
|
| 50 | GK | Akira Fitzgerald | United States
|
| 90 | DF | Kyle Porter |  Canada
|
Technical staff
edit
- Stuart Campbell – Head coach
- Raoul Voss – Assistant coach
- Stuart Dobson – Goalkeeper coach
- Cheyne Roberts – Rowdies 2 head coach
- Ryan Spurr – Director of Team Operations
- 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
edit- Bill Edwards – Chairman, chief executive officer and governor
- Andrew Nestor – Director
- David Laxer – Director
- Lee Cohen – Vice president and chief operating officer
Competitions
editPreseason
editThe 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 Cup | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0–2 | VfL Wolfsburg | St. 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 Cup | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0–2 | Atlético Mineiro | St. 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 Scrimmage | Orlando City SC | 0–0 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Sanford |
| 11:00 EST (UTC−5) | Quote Sheet | Stadium: Sylvan Lake Park Attendance: Closed-door |
| February 18, 2017 Suncoast Invitational | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0–1 | Philadelphia Union | St. 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 Invitational | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–1 | Montreal Impact | St. 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 FitzFest | Tampa Spartans | 0–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Tampa |
| = EST (UTC−5) | Report | Paterson 88' (Morrell) |
Stadium: Pepin Stadium |
| March 11, 2017 Friendly | Jacksonville Armada FC | 1–0 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Jacksonville |
| 14:00 EST (UTC−5) | Banks 48' Blake 64' |
Report | Lowe 25' Nanchoff 58' |
Stadium: Patton Park |
| March 18, 2017 Friendly | Miami FC | 3–0 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Miami Gardens |
| 11:00 EST (UTC−5) | Pinho 67' Pinho 68' (Poku)Rennella 75' (pen.) |
Report | Stadium: St. Thomas University |
USL
editThe 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
edit| 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) Champions
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) Champions
Results summary
edit| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 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
edit| March 25, 2017 1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–0 | Orlando City B | St. 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 2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 4–0 | Toronto FC II | St. 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 3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–0 | Ottawa Fury FC | St. 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 4 | Louisville City FC | 2–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Louisville |
| 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 5 | FC Cincinnati | 1–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Cincinnati |
| 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 6 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–3 | Charleston Battery | St. 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 7 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–0 | Richmond Kickers | St. 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 8 | Ottawa Fury FC | 0–0 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Ottawa |
| 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 9 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–0 | Louisville City FC | St. 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 10 | Toronto FC II | 1–3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Vaughan |
| 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 11 | Rochester Rhinos | 1–0 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Rochester |
| 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 12 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–1 | Saint Louis FC | St. 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 13 | Charlotte Independence | 2–2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Rock 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 14 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–1 | Rochester Rhinos | St. 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 15 | Richmond Kickers | 1–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Richmond |
| 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 16 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 2–0 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Pittsburgh |
| 19:00 EDT (UTC−4) | Walsh 11' Parkes 88' |
Report | Vingaard 55' |
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 1,977 Referee: Mark Kadlecik |
| July 1, 2017 17 | Charleston Battery | 2–0 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Charleston |
| 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 18 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–0 | FC Cincinnati | St. 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 19 | Orlando City B | 1–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Orlando |
| 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 20 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–0 | Charleston Battery | St. 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 21 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–0 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | St. 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 22 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3–0 | Harrisburg City Islanders | St. 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 23 | Saint Louis FC | 4–3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Fenton |
| 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 24 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–1 | Ottawa Fury FC | St. 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 25 | New York Red Bulls II | 4–2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Montclair |
| 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 26 | Harrisburg City Islanders | 2–3 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Harrisburg |
| 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 27 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–0 | Charlotte Independence | St. 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 28 | Bethlehem Steel FC | 2–2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Bethlehem |
| 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 29 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–1 | Bethlehem Steel FC | St. 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 30 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3–2 | New York Red Bulls II | St. 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 31 | San Antonio FC | 1–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | San 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 32 | Orlando City B | 0–2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Orlando |
| 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
editThe 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.
| October 21, 2017 Conference Quarterfinals | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 3–0 | FC Cincinnati | St. 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 Semifinals | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | New York Red Bulls II | St. 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
edit| May 16 2nd round | Tampa Bay Rowdies  | 3–0 | Jacksonville Armada U-23 | St. 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 |
Honors
editIndividual honors
edit- Marcel Schäfer (1st team)
Broadcast partners
editLocal 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
edit- ^ "Roster". Tampa Bay Rowdies. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ "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.