VSI Tampa Bay FC News Release -- www.vsi-fc.com
Saturday, April 6, 2013
PORTLAND Ore. – Coming off its first victory in franchise history on Tuesday night, VSI Tampa Bay FC heads to play Major League Soccer’s Portland Timbers Reserve team on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET at JELD-WEN Field. The groundbreaking partnership between USL PRO and MLS allows Tampa Bay to compete against the Portland Timbers Reserves twice this season in matches that will count in both league's standings.
The opener of the two-game series against Portland is the final game of VSI Tampa Bay FC’s three-game road trip. Tampa Bay enters the match with a record of 1-1-0 after securing a 1-0 win against the LA Blues, and will be hoping to return home with a second win as its experienced squad faces a young but talented Timbers Reserves line-up.
Sunday's game is the Timbers Reserves' first home game of the season, having taken victory against the Seattle Sounders Reserves 1-0 on March 17 and losing 1-0 to the Colorado Rapids Reserves on March 31. Jose Valencia scored the only goal against Seattle, while homegrown players Steven Evans and Brent Richards, who both starred in the PDL for the Timbers U-23s, will also be players to watch.
Players to watch for Tampa Bay include goalkeeper Alex Horwath and midfielder Douglas Dos Santos. Horwath enters the match with a shutout under his belt after VSI’s win against the Blues and Dos Santos is a steady threat to opponents with his ability to create in the final third, having recorded the assist on Antonio Neto's goal on Tuesday, the first in club history.
The match will be aired on the Portland Timbers website at www.portlandtimbers.com/timbers-live. The website will only be active during the match at 5 p.m. ET. Timbers Reserves tickets are available by contacting the Timbers ticket office at (503) 553-5555 or ticketsales@portlandtimbers.com.
VSI Tampa Bay FC returns home to Plant City Stadium next Saturday as it hosts its inaugural home opener against the Rochester Rhinos at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, visit www.vsi-fc.com.