Real Monarchs SLC at Tampa Bay Rowdies
April 21, 2018; Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Florida
5:30 p.m. MT; RealMonarchs.com/ESPN+
Real Monarchs SLC (4-0-0, 12 points); Rowdies (3-2-0, 9 points)
Player to Watch – Leo Fernandes has been seemingly dominant in the midfield while bridging the gap into the attacking third for the Rowdies. Outside of his expertise moving the ball around to others, Fernandes is no stranger to scoring goals himself. Fernandes currently sits tied for the most goals scored for Tampa Bay early in the season with forward Georgi Hristov with three goals. Fernandes has scored in 3 games for the Rowdies this season, all three of which the Rowdies have won.
History – This will be the first meeting between the two sides in club history, with the Rowdies just beginning play in the USL ahead of the 2017 season.
Last Five – In its first four games, the Rowdies only allowed two goals combined, only to allow five in their last game against New York Red Bulls 2 in their most recent fixture. A week previous to the five-goal rout by Red Bulls 2, Tampa bay had a 5-0 win themselves over Ottawa Fury at Al Lang Stadium just a week prior. With mixed results, Through five matches this season, the Rowdies have shown what its potent offense is capable of while soliciting a leaky backline at times ahead of the weekend’s marquee matchup with the Monarchs.
