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The Basics
2013 Rowdies Preseason

Tampa Bay Rowdies at University of South Florida

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

Location: USF Corbett Soccer Stadium (11899 Bull Run Dr. Tampa, FL 33620)

Admission: Tickets in advance are $5 via www.ticketmaster.com and $7 general admission day of the game. Seatback chairs are $8 in advance, $10 day of the game. Click here to purchase tickets.

Pre-Game Kids Clinic: There will be a youth clinic prior to the game from 6-7 p.m., featuring former Tampa Bay Rowdies as well as USF coaches and players. The cost to participate in the clinic is $10 general admission ticket and open to kids ages 7-13. Tickets for the clinic must be bought in advance, and participants must bring a soccer ball.

Roster
The Rowdies will have 16 signed players available for Saturday’s match, as well as nine trialists.

Scouting the Bulls
In 2012, USF reached the second round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament, bowing out to Tulsa in an overtime 1-0 loss. The Bull finished the 2012 season with a record of 8-5-6 (W-T-L) under the helm of George Kiefer, who enters his 12th season as head coach.

While in the Big East Conference, the Bulls main offensive threat is Venezuelan forward Roberto Alterio. He led the Bulls in scoring with five goals in the season, while adding one assist to end the year with 11 points. Defender Ben Sweat played in 18 games for USF, scoring two game-winning goals and picking up two assists. The midfield is orchestrated by Ricardo Webb, who appeared in all 19 games for the Bulls, scoring one goal and adding 3 assists last year.   

The NASL Champions faced USF last year during the Rowdies Rush 2012 Preseason Tour.  The Rowdies defeated the Bulls 1-0 on Saturday, March 24 at the USF Corbett Soccer Stadium.

Rowdies Notes
The Tampa Bay Rowdies played to a 2-0 defeat against Orlando City on Saturday night in the final match of the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer Classic. An early goal off of a penalty kick in the first minute gave Orlando City the 1-0 lead. Forward Jamie Watson placed his kick into the bottom left corner of the net for an early lead. Forward Dennis Chin sentenced the 2-0 final score in the 76th minute, filtering through the Rowdies back line and scoring off of a breakaway.

The Rowdies will have one more trialist available for Saturday’s match, as the NASL Champions have added 28 year-old forward Georgi Hristov to the preseason roster. The Bulgarian native has recently seen action in Bulgaria’s first division, playing for Lokomotiv Sofia and Slavia Sofia.

Quotable
Rowdies Head Coach Ricky Hill
“The squad has worked hard during the week, focusing on increasing their fitness levels ahead of Saturday’s match. USF always is a top collegiate team and it is a great match for us to see how we have progressed in this preseason. We hope to come out with a victory tomorrow as it will give our players confidence going into the last month of preseason.”  

Up Next
The Rowdies will compete in the 2013 I-4 Derby presented by United World Soccer against Orlando City SC. The matches will be held on March 9th at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando and on March 30th at Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. Fans can purchase their tickets for the second leg of the I-4 Derby by clicking here. Tickets for the first match in Orlando can be purchased now by calling (855) ORL-CITY.

The reigning NASL Soccer Bowl Champions will start the 2013 NASL Spring Season by hosting the Carolina RailHawks in its 2013 home opener on Saturday, April 6 at Al Lang Stadium. For information on 2013 season ticketscontact the front office at 813-287-1539 or tickets@rowdiessoccer.com. Single-game tickets will go on sale at a later date.