FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The surging Fort Lauderdale United FC (9-5-5, 32 PTS) squad will look to extend its momentum in another heated Florida Derby as it travels to take on rivals Tampa Bay Sun FC (6-9-5, 27 PTS) on Saturday evening. The teams have squared off three times this season, with each encounter ending in a draw after 90 minutes of physical, hard-fought action. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in Tampa Bay, and with the USL Super League playoff race heating up, the fourth iteration of the Florida Derby has the potential to be the most intense chapter yet in this heated rivalry.
Fort Lauderdale United has all the momentum in this one, carrying a nine-match unbeaten streak into Saturday’s road matchup with Tampa Bay. Led by the Super League’s joint-leading scorer in Addie McCain (9) and two-time Player of the Month Jasmine Hamid (7G, 2A), the FTL UTD attack has been on a tear as of late. Sh’Nia Gordon, who leads the Super League in shots (39), is coming off a March performance that saw her score 2 goals and notch 1 assist. Dating back to December, forward Kiara Locklear has registered 3 goals and 4 assists in just 6 starts.
On the defensive side, with defender Laveni Vaka out for the season, the center back duo of Laurel Ansbrow – who has earned consecutive Team of the Month selections – and Celia Gaynor – who ranks 6th in the Super League in passes (986) – will be key in leading a back line that has conceded the least amount of goals in the Super League (18). Goalkeeper Cosette Morche has been dominant in the net for FTL UTD, earning her first Team of the Month selection for March after an excellent showing. The Texas A&M product has kept 3 clean sheets and conceded just 2 goals over her last 5 matches, helping to anchor the Fort Lauderdale back-line. With the playoff race heating up, the third-seeded FTL UTD club will be looking to continue its strong run of play against Tampa Bay in the Florida Derby.
Tampa Bay has earned points in 7 of its last 8 matches (2W, 5D), bringing some solid momentum into Saturday’s matchup. The Tampa attack is led by a balanced trio, as the squad is the only one in the league with three players who have scored at least 6 goals. Natasha Flint (8), Cecilie Fløe (6), and Carlee Giammona (6) have combined for 20 of the club’s 26 goals. Defensively, the club is anchored by two top-five passers in the Super League: Vivian Bessette (1,087) and Brooke Hendrix (1,014). The physical Tampa Bay Sun team leads the league in fouls conceded (265), and it’s back-line will have its hands full with the dominant, electric Fort Lauderdale United attack on Saturday evening.
Matchup History
The first Florida Derby meeting was postponed due to inclement weather, and ended up taking place on November 10. FTL UTD trailed for the majority of the game, but a clutch 93rd minute goal from Anna Henderson secured a point at home in a 1-1 draw.
The teams met for the second time in Tampa on February 8 in the first match of the spring half of the season. FTL jumped out to a 2-0 lead after goals from Hamid and Gordon, but a pair of second half penalty kicks from Tampa resulted in the match ending in a 2-2 draw.
For the third matchup, the rivals met in Fort Lauderdale on March 8. The in-form Hamid scored a volley after a perfect cross from Gordon to give FTL a 1-0 lead, but a late first-half goal from Tampa resulted in the teams tying for the third time this season.
Where to Watch
The match is set to kick-off at 7:00 p.m. and it will be streamed on the Peacock app. The direct link to watch the match can be found here.
Tickets
Season ticket packages for all home matches, as well as single-game tickets can be purchased here. FTL UTD’s next home match is scheduled for Saturday, April 12 against DC Power FC for Pride Night. The clubs first met on September 13 in what ended up being the historic first victory in FTL UTD club history (2-0), courtesy of goals from McCain and Hamid. In the second matchup on November 23, DC Power secured a late win with a decisive goal in the closing minutes.