Preseason is in full swing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who started preseason earlier than any other club in the league. By starting preseason earlier the Rowdies can work on strength and conditioning.
Rowdies goalkeeper Matt Pickens had on the workouts, “As good as this program is for our bodies, it’s even more important for us mentally. We’re setting the tone for our season. Every workout we’ve done has been challenging.”
With all the new additions, and with preseason started early, Pickens believes that it’s important they’ve begun working on relationships. “When we start playing soccer next week, we’ll already know what everyone else is about and their work ethic. We’re happy to have the new guys on board.”
The Rowdies will have their first test this Tuesday when they will go up against the Philadelphia Union. The Union recently played against the Jacksonville Armada in their first ever match. The Armada beat the Union by a score of 3-1. This will be a great match for the Rowdies because we could see all the pieces they put together for the first time.
This will also be the first time we are going to see Thomas Rongen take charge of the team in a professional match. What kind of formation will he play? Who will be in the starting eleven? These are all valid questions that will be answered on match day.
On Thursday the Rowdies will take on Malmö FF, a Swedish football club. This match will be played at the IMG Academy and will be another great test for the Rowdies. It will be great for the team to play a very competitive and talented squad like Malmo FF.
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(image courtesy of rowdiessoccer.com)
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