Tampa Bay Rowdies without a home to play in following hurricanes

Tampa Bay Rowdies back home after evacuating

Kevin O'Donnell reports

TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa Bay Rowdies are back home on their practice pitch in Tampa after evacuating to Miami and playing last weekend's game in Louisville.

It's been tough times for the boys in green and yellow as they look to lockup a playoff berth.

"For us, it's just a case to try to prepare as well as we could," Rowdies head coach Robbie Neilson said. "The club was fantastic looking after the players and their families and giving us the best opportunities to go and play the game."

"Being on the road for seven days in Miami with all the families, it was something where you really count your blessings," Rowdies goalie Jordan Farr said. "You think about what's really important. Being around all the kids, the wives, all the guys for an extended period of time away from home. It kind of brought us back to reality and reset the team really well, even given the results, and I think we are ready to push towards playoffs."

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The Rowdies have three regular season games left. All were scheduled to be played at home. They already have to move this Saturday's game against North Carolina FC to Cary, N.C.

As far as the final two games, they're not sure if St. Pete or Al Lang Field will be ready.

"We're still assessing it," Rowdies President Ryan Helfrick said. "We're assessing the damage down there. Seeing if we're able to get any matches in. I wouldn't take anything off the table right now. However, we definitely need to make sure that we are looking at other options as well. In the event that we can't play there."

The Rowdies prefer to play the remaining two games after Saturday's game in Tampa Bay. The road has been rough. They were winless during the two hurricanes that affected the Tampa Bay area, losing three straight games by a combined score of 8 to 3.

"When you go on the road it makes it more difficult," said Rowdies forward Cal Jennings. "Not in your own living situation, that makes it more difficult, but that's what we signed up for and at the end of the day you have to find ways to get results in tough spots. I'm hopeful we'll do that in the last three games."

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