Welcome to the Classic Championship Game of the Day, where today we return to the final month of the 2017 regular season and an interconference matchup between hosts San Antonio FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Toyota Field.

Both teams had been among the best in the Championship throughout the season, with the talk in the build-up to the game that it could be a potential preview for the 2017 USL Championship Final. San Antonio sat fourth in the Western Conference going into this contest, but was not only level on points with second-place Reno 1868 FC and third-place Sporting Kansas City II but also held a game in hand on both sides as it looked to claim the No. 2 seed for the postseason.

The Rowdies, on the other hand, were already sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of both the Charleston Battery and Charlotte Independence. Led by international veterans Joe Cole and Marcel Schafer and club legend Georgi Hristov, Tampa Bay’s first season in the Championship had been an unquestionable success, and the side entered the Alamo City undefeated in its previous five outings.

The scene is set, so sit back, relax and enjoy a classic clash from the Championship’s history.