The green and gold are heading 2372.432 miles (give or take) northwest to the frigid nether regions of our continent to play a match against FC Edmonton. The forecast for tonight is 42 degrees with a chance of rain, so it could get pretty bleak if the weather doesn't break quite right.
Both teams are riding 3 game unbeaten streaks into the match, a streak both teams started in a 1-1 draw in Saint Petersburg a few weeks ago when Edmonton stole a point with a stoppage-time goal.
FC Tampa Bay has been relying heavily this season on its defense and especially on its goalkeeping. On Saturday they were able to earn a 0-0 draw at Minnesota despite missing two of their regular defenders to injury, Omar "The Giant" Jarun (okay, I just made that one up, but seriously the dude’s huge), and Andres Arango.
They lead the league in shutouts with four (the same number that they had all of last season) and have allowed less than a goal per game. The seven goals they’ve allowed this season also leads the league.
The stellar goal prevention is somewhat mitigated, however, by the lack of offense. They have only scored 7 goals this season. If you’re new to basic math, that’s also less than one per match.
The match starts at 9:30 at Foote Field in Edmonton. As always, the game is being broadcast live on FCTampaBay.com.