Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium the North American Soccer League Championship will be on the line as the Tampa Bay Rowdies host the Minnesota Stars in the second leg of the NASL Soccer Bowl.
Minnesota is the defending NASL champions.
The Rowdies were out on the pitch Thursday preparing for Saturday’s game.
The last time the Rowdies competed for the championship was in the 1980s.
The Rowdies are expecting the largest crowd of the season. 5,000 tickets have been sold.
Earlier this month Rowdies head coach Ricky Hill was named NASL coach of the year.
Tampa native and 2002 Land O’Lakes high graduate JP Rodrigues is excited for the chance to win this championship in his hometown.
“It’s something you strive for all year. We worked hard to get home field advantage to have this game here at home so we want to make the most of it.”
The Game is Saturday at 7:30 pm at Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. Tickets are still available and start at $12.00. For more information the Tampa Bay Rowdies website.