The Prinx Tires USL Cup returned to Jacksonville on Saturday, June 6, as Sporting Jax took on the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Hodges Stadium in an important Group 7 showdown.
The Prinx Cup is structured so that each club will play four group-stage matches, two home and two away. If a match is tied at the end of regulation, it will proceed to a penalty kick shootout.
Tampa Bay defeated Sporting Jax 2-0, maintaining their first-place spot in Group 7.
Despite the loss, it was a night to remember for Sporting Jax as First Coast native and Sporting Jax Soccer Academy product Ethan Underwood took the pitch in the second half, making his professional debut. This also marked the first in-match action for an Academy signing in Sporting Jax history.
“You only make a debut once, so that’s something that you’ll never forget, and I think it shows that there’s a pathway for our younger players,” said Sporting Jax head coach Liam Fox.
Underwood brought good defensive energy to the game and showed a lot of potential.
“I think I felt every emotion going out there,” Underwood said.
Underwood wasn’t the only Sporting Jax player to make his season debut on Saturday, as midfielder Piero Elias joined the game in the 79th minute. Elias wasted no time trying to make an impact when he received a pass from Underwood and worked his way into the box, firing a shot towards the net.
Sporting JAX goalkeeper Jake McGuire made his second start of the season on Saturday after missing some time due to injury.
McGuire was welcomed by the relentless Tampa Bay attack and made his best save in the 75th minute when he shut down a scoring opportunity for Rowdies forward Evan Conway.
Sporting Jax is still searching for consistency in league play, but Fox is encouraged by his team’s work ethic.
“What I can say about the performance tonight is that we kept going to the very end, we worked incredibly hard,” he said.
