If you’ve been watching Ted Lasso and can’t get enough soccer – ahem, football – with a feel-good story, then the Tampa Bay Rowdies have the team for you. Here’s everything you need to know to catch up with the Bay’s hometown soccer team.

With the Bucs preparing to defend their Super Bowl championship, the Rays leading the AL East entering the homestretch of the regular season, and the Lightning still riding high from winning back-to-back Stanley Cups titles, Tampa and St. Pete sports teams are leading the national conversations. Locals, however, know there is one more hometown favorite at the top of its game

This Friday night, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are back at Al Lang Stadium as they continue the fight to claim yet another trophy for Champa Bay. Coming off a huge 2-1 win on the road against New York Red Bulls II, the Rowdies and their staunch defense sit only three points out of first in the division, with a chance over the next week to take sole possession of the top spot.

Rowdies Aiming For Conference Title Repeat – And Then Some

It’s that stingy defense that the Rowdies will depend on as they welcome Hartford Athletic to St. Pete at 7:30 on Friday night. No team in the conference has allowed fewer goals than the mere 15 the Rowdies have given up through 16 matches so far this season.

Of course, it’s no surprise the Rowdies are in a strong position this deep into the season. After returning nearly everyone from the 2020 Eastern Conference Champion roster, this club isn’t just trying to repeat: it’s ready for a shot at the league title that Covid robbed it of the chance to play for last year.

After Tampa Bay advanced to the finals of the USL Cup in 2020, the league was forced to cancel the championship game, and the red-hot Rowdies never had a chance to win their first-ever USL Cup. But as the 2021 season rolls along, they’re in prime position to return to the playoffs and make a run at another title for Champa Bay.

Can the Rowdies make it back to the USL Championship

The Rowdies return to the home pitch will be brief, as they hit the road again next week to face the division-leading Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Until a two-game homestand on August 28^th and September 3^rd, this is the last chance to catch a game in historic Al Lang Stadium.

And if that’s not enough, this Friday’s match features perhaps the best concessions deal in pro sports history with $3 Bud Lights all night long. Tickets can be found here, starting at $26.

Don’t forget, Beans & Barlour’s mobile bar is posted up at the stadium so you can get your sweet fix.

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