Tropics second stop on four-game road trip will see team head to Utica on Sunday

LAKELAND, Florida -- The Florida Tropics, presented by Bond Clinic, will be on the road for the second of four-straight away games this Sunday when they travel to Utica for a 2:05 p.m. kickoff. 

The game will be broadcast live by MASL TV on Twitch (link: twitch.tv/masl_soccer2).

Florida (9-7-2) is in a heated battle for the first four playoff spots in the East, with the Tropics currently in second place, four points behind the Milwaukee Wave (11-6-1, 33 points). The Tropics and Baltimore Blast (9-6-3) each have 29 points, with Florida technically in second place based on having one more regulation win than the Blast. Kansas City (8-6-4) is in fourth with 26 points. All four teams have played 18 games with six remaining in the regular season.

The top five teams in the East will earn post-season invitations, with the fourth and fifth place teams playing a one-game “play in” game that will advance them to the MASL quarterfinals. All series starting then are home-and-home with the higher seed playing a the second game at home. If the teams split, a 15-minute knockout game is played immediately at the conclusion of the second game with the winner advancing to the next round of the playoffs.

Utica is in fifth presently with 25 points, having played 19 games, three ahead of the St. Louis Ambush who have 19 points in 18 games played. The Tropics will end its regular season with two games at home against the Ambush on March 31 and April 2.

The Tropics are led by Ricardo Carvalho with 15 goals and 11 assists while Utica is led by Gordy Gurson with 17 goals and 16 assists. Florida is 2-0 against Utica this season, with one win at home and one on the road. 

After Sunday, Florida will complete its last road trip of the regular season with games at Kansas City next Friday and St. Louis next Saturday. 

The Tropics will return March 26 against Utica, Tickets for all home games are available starting at just $7 per game – which includes all fees -- by calling the RP Funding Center box office at 863-834-8111. Although tickets are also available online at www.rpfundingcenter.com, service fees are significantly higher through Ticketmaster as opposed to calling the box office directly. Tickets are also available on game day at the box office.