Tampa Bay Rowdies ready for lengthy road trip to begin season

Tampa Bay Rowdies kick off season on Saturday

Sean Barie reports.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For the members of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, spring had definitely sprung.

"This morning, I was telling my wife that it feels like the first day of school," said Rowdies defender Aaron Guillen.

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Dig deeper:

For the first time in months, the Rowdies walked onto the training pitch Monday morning knowing they were now practicing for an opponent with the team set for their season opener on Saturday in Las Vegas.

"You have a real focus at the end of the week now," said Rowdies head coach Robbie Neilson. "Obviously, the preseason games are mostly about the training, the fitness level and the preparation. But now, it's about winning on Saturday."

After six long weeks of training, Neilson is still finalizing the starting roster as new offseason additions to the team continue to work their way into the squad.

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"I want to, once again, get to know each other more and how people react to adversity and just build from that," Guillen said.

The backstory:

If building a camaraderie that bonds a team is the goal, then the Rowdies will have a great opportunity to do just that over the first month of their season. Each of their first four games are on the road as Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg continues to undergo repairs from damage sustained during Hurricane Milton.

"Games in this league, going away, are always hard. But, it's a good test for the group," said Guillen.

By the numbers:

With games in Las Vegas, Tulsa, Miami and Charleston, the Rowdies are set to travel more than 8,500 miles to and from those games still with one goal in mind.

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"Yes, these first four games are going to be difficult, but they're games were going to go and try to win, and we expect to win," Neilson said.

What's next:

While they may be in search of some key early-season victories, the Rowdies are also looking forward, at the end of this stretch, to coming back home to Al Lang for a home opener on April 12.

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