Away vs North Carolina FC Preview
Date: Saturday March 23, 2024
Kickoff Time: 7:00 pm EST at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, NC
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (1 pts 0W-1D-0L); North Carolina FC (1 pts 0W-1D-1L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 10th in the East; North Carolina are 9th in the East
How To Watch: ESPN+
A rivalry renewed that spans history in three different leagues, (if you include the Carolina RailHawks history) this will be the 32nd meeting between your Tampa Bay Rowdies & North Carolina FC. It’s great to see NCFC back in the USL Championship & there’s just enough juice in the past plus promising futures for both teams to make this one worth watching.
Different year, same beginning:
The Rowdies begin the 2024 campaign with a familiar result for the third straight season: a draw. Similar to last season’s beginning game against Indy Eleven, the Green & Gold had three points in the bag until late scores equalized it for San Antonio.
Cal Jennings picked right up where he left off with yet another goal, this time in the early stages of the game with a header from a corner service by Blake Bodily. Set piece goals were not common last year, and it is a part of the game the Rowdies have worked on in training — so hopefully many more are to come.
New signing Manuel Arteaga gave the home team a 2-0 lead that looked insurmountable – and the group celebration was entertaining even if it resulted in a yellow card in a match where they were handed out like candy.
Thankfully, none of the Rowdies picked up enough cards worthy of a suspension because the roster is unexpectedly thin at the time. Manager Robbie Nielson has a bare bones cupboard to piece together a lineup in this match, with expected starters Nick Moon & Charlie Dennis out alongside depth pieces Zach Herivaux, Zane Bubb, and possibly Freddie Kleeman who is questionable.
Who won’t be there for sure (but for a celebrated reason) is Pacifique “Wazii” Niyongabire, who was the star of the first matchup. Wazii played out of position, and brought a fire & energy plus an assist that made him stand out in front of the 7500 at Al Lang Stadium. It was such a wonderful debut that he was called up for the Burundi National Team for their two international friendlies.
GK Jordan Farr almost had a clean sheet in the books until the late mishaps at the 81′ and stoppage time, but with this matchup with North Carolina being the 32nd tilt between both clubs, maybe Farr can collect his 32nd career shutout?
How much of a threat is North Carolina?
The theme of the night in Cary, NC will be “Level Up” and Video Game themed, but might as well describe their ascension to the USL Championship after winning the USL League 1 trophy after self-relegating for the 2023 season.
Now at the Championship, they find themselves facing the Rowdies after a scoreless draw with Charleston Battery, and a 3-1 road loss to the surprisingly surging Loudoun United. With one goal in two games so far, the offensive attack will need to be in top shape to keep up with the Rowdies new free-flowing dynamic attack.
Leading that offense will be Rodrigo Da Costa who has created the most chances for NCFC, and is a threat at any time to poach a goal if given the opportunity. Mikey Maldonado scored the only goal so far for NCFC and is a threat in the midfield pivot at both ends of the pitch.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast Prediction Challenge:
(1 PT) Weekly Special Guest: @DavidFromTampa (@TampaProper) 2-0 Rowdies
(0 PTS) Carlos Rueda: 3-1 Rowdies
(0 PTS) James Knowles: 2-0 Rowdies
(0 PTS) Yurika Wheeler: 2-1 Rowdies
