Rochester won the first meeting at home, 1-0.
The Rochester Rhinos face the Tampa Bay Rowdies for the second time in less than three weeks. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm with the matches always available on the USL YouTube page. You can watch the match LIVE locally on WBGT Roc Sports Network channel 18 and digital 46.1.
Rochester defeated Tampa Bay, 1-0, at Capelli Sport Stadium on May 24, as Wal Fall scored his team-leading 3rd goal of the season, while goalkeeper Tomas Gomez earned his third of four shutouts.
The Rhinos are 3-0-0 against the Rowdies all time, with two additional victories in 2010. The Rowdies also have yet to score against Rochester, while the Rhinos have tallied a total of 8 goals against Tampa Bay.
The Rowdies will be without Georgi Hristov, as he will miss the match due to yellow card accumulation. He leads the club with 6 goals and 2 assists.
With a win, Tampa Bay (6-4-3, 22 pts) will have a chance to overtake the Charleston Battery and move into 1st place in the Eastern Conference, although they have played more matches than any other team in the USL (13).
The Rhinos, conversely, have played only 9 matches and find themselves in 5th place (4-1-4, 16 pts) with a chance to jump up to 3rd with a victory. Rochester is one of four teams in the league with one loss or less.
Captain Kenardo Forbes has been one of the brightest spots on both sides of the ball this season. He is one of three players (Joe Farrell, Ryan James) to start every match, scoring 2 goals and 2 assists, leading the team in chances created (15), and is 4th on the team in tackles (13).
The aforementioned Fall is at risk of a one-match ban. He picked up his fourth yellow card of the season vs. Orlando on Wednesday night, and will pick up a suspension with his next caution.
Rochester then will fly directly to Providence, R.I., to prepare for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round match against the New England Revolution, of Major League Soccer, on Wednesday. The Rhinos will hold a viewing party at the Exchange Sports Bar that night at 7:05 pm.
The next home match is on Saturday, June 17 at 6:05 pm on Rochester Real Beer Night, presented by Moe’s Southwest Grill.