PREVIEW | Rowdies vs. Armada FC

With a week of rest behind them, Jacksonville Armada FC will return to action at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla., to take on intrastate rival Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium and will be live on ESPN3.

The Armada FC, playing its second consecutive road contest, will try to get back in the winning swing after falling, 2-1, to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on April 11 in Fort Lauderdale. Bochy Hoyos scored Jacksonville's goal in what was an intense battle that saw a combined 32 fouls, four yellow cards, and two red cards.

The Rowdies are coming off a 2-0 loss to the New York Cosmos in New York last Saturday despite a few scoring chances. Tampa Bay committed 23 fouls and received four yellow cards in the contest.

DROPPING THE ANCHOR

• In a preaseason meeting between the clubs at the Armada FC Four-Team Challenge on March 28, the Rowdies downed the Armada FC,  2-0, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville. Keith Savage and Brian Shriver were Tampa Bay's goal scorers.
   
• It will be the second contest of the 2015 Coastal Cup competition, a trophy awarded to the best soccer team in regular season play among the Armada FC, Strikers, and Rowdies. First contested in 2010, the Rowdies won the first four trophies, but the Strikers won the competition in 2014. Fort Lauderdale is currently in first place with its win over Jacksonville.
   
• Lucas Trejo will be available for action against the Rowdies. He received a red card against the Strikers on April 11 in the 90th minute, but the ruling was reversed.
   
• Former members of the Rowdies, Jordan Gafa and Pascal Millien, will be returning to their one-time home for the first time since departing. Gafa, a defender, made 14 appearances for the Rowdies between 2013 and 2014. Millien played in 52 games for then-FC Tampa Bay in 2010 and 2011, scoring five goals. Gafa started at right back against the Rowdies in the Armada FC's preseason match on March 28.

SCOUTING THE ROWDIES
Led by head coach Thomas Rongen, who once served as the U.S. Under-20 head coach for five years, the Rowdies have a tally in each record column so far, with a win over the San Antonio Scorpions (3-1, April 4), a draw with Minnesota United (0-0, April 11), and a loss to the New York Cosmos (2-0, April 18). Tampa Bay's only home contest in the spring was against Minnesota. The Rowdies are led by defender Stefan Antonijevic, who was named NASL Player of the Week on April 6 after his goal against the Scorpions on April 4. So far this season, the Rowdies have been known as a physical team, leading the NASL in fouls (56) and yellow cards (15).