The Rowdies invaded Eckerd College in St. Petersburg Thursday. Tampa Bay, who normally plays on natural grass, practiced on the Triton's turf. That is what they will be playing on Saturday in New York.
“Most of the American guys are used to it (turf),” said Rowdies midfielder Keith Savage. “For some of the foreigners it’s really important for them to get a feel.
"Unfortunately this turf field is so much better than the one we are going to play on, but still it gets you used to the bounces and they’ll be more comfortable.”
The Rowdies are just two places and three points out of the playoffs. The top four teams in the combined standings qualify. Their opponent, the Cosmos, is one of the teams ahead of them sitting in third. Every advantage matters, including being familiar with a different playing surface.
“Familiarity is always good,” said Rowdies goalie Matt Pickens about practicing on turf. “Just getting used to the bounces, the pace of the ball on it, the running on it and the pounding on it.”
“The bounce of the ball you’re used to just doesn’t happen,” said defender Neill Collins through his Scottish accent. “Everything you’ve learned and you’re body knows- it does the opposite sometimes. It stops, it gets stuck, sometimes it spins out when it should stay in. These are the things you just got to get used to.”
The last time the Rowdies met the Cosmos in July it sparked controversial comments from Rowdies owner Bill Edwards about the quality of refs. They played to a 2-2 draw despite what Edwards labeled several blown calls.
“Rowdies and Cosmos, that’s a big big game any stage of the season,” said head coach Stuart Campbell. “Obviously when we met a few weeks ago, there’s been a lot said since that game and rightly so. It’s really tight for the last couple of playoff places. It’s a big big game for everyone.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Hofstra University.