ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies and Birmingham Legion FC will square off for the third time in postseason play as they meet in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Al Lang Stadium. Here’s what you need to know.

How They Got Here

Tampa Bay Rowdies (19-9-6, 63pts) – The Rowdies underwent a season of change that saw the side start slowly before picking up steam before the midseason departure of longtime Head Coach Neill Collins in July. Another brief downturn in form ensued, but led by a new forward line featuring Cal Jennings, JJ Williams and Charlie Dennis the side led the Eastern Conference with 60 goals to sit second behind Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Now new Head Coach Nicky Law and his experienced squad will take aim at a third Eastern Conference title, and first USL Championship crown.

Birmingham Legion FC (14-16-4, 46pts) – Birmingham Legion FC continued its streak of reaching the postseason in every season in club history, but its inconsistency in the regular season saw Legion FC end with the No. 7 seed as it conceded the most goals of any team in the playoff field (53). With a plethora of attacking talent led by Enzo Martinez, Juan Agudelo, Neco Brett, Tyler Pasher and Prosper Kasim, Birmingham will be hoping it can summon a repeat of its success in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where it advanced to the Quarterfinals for the first time in club history during the summer.

All-Time Series

Birmingham swept the regular season series this campaign with wins home and away and leads the all-time regular season series with a 3-1-3 record. Tampa Bay has won both prior playoff meetings, however, advancing in 2020 and 2021.

DraftKings Odds

Tampa Bay Rowdies -150, Birmingham Legion FC +320, Draw +280

Opta Says

42 – Cal Jennings (19), JJ Williams (12) and Charlie Dennis (11) combined for 42 goals in the regular season, making them the highest-scoring trio in the Championship this campaign.

25 – Eleven of Birmingham Legion FC’s goals in the regular season came in the opening 15 minutes of the season half, accounting for 25 percent of their goals overall in the campaign.

Players to Watch

Tampa Bay Rowdies – JJ Williams: The experienced forward will face one of his former clubs coming off a standout season in which he recorded 12 goals and nine assists, an individual single season-high in goal contributions.

Birmingham Legion FC – Neco Brett: The Jamaican forward scored both goals when Legion FC took victory at Al Lang Stadium earlier this season for his first career goals against the Rowdies in the 81 he has notched in the USL Championship.

Discipline Report

Tampa Bay Rowdies – No suspensions

Birmingham Legion FC – No suspensions