ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Among the heroes for the New York Red Bulls II last October when the side claimed a 2-1 extra time victory in Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs against the Tampa Bay Rowdies were goalkeeper Evan Louro, midfielder Junior Flemmings and forward Stefano Bonomo.

When the teams meet at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET | Match Center | ESPN+) for the first time since that encounter, the trio are now divided on opposing sides. With Bonomo and Flemmings now in the Green and Gold of the Rowdies, Louro is ready to have some familiar faces to square off against in what is one of the bigger games in the Eastern Conference this weekend.

“Yeah, there’s some familiarity there, but you know as great friends they were when they were here, when the whistle blows, it’s all business so I think they’re in the same mindset as me,” said Louro. “After the game, then we’ll all hang out and stuff like that, but when it comes down to the game, we’re not really worried about that.”

Bonomo arrived in a mid-season move that saw him join Flemmings in Tampa Bay, with the Jamaican having linked up with the Rowdies last offseason. The two teamed up last Saturday night for the Rowdies’ opening goal in a 3-1 victory against Indy Eleven, Bonomo’s first for the club, and Flemmings went on to claim USL Player of the Week honors on Tuesday for a performance that saw him record one goals and two assists in the win.

As the Rowdies look to build on that victory and push toward the playoff positions in the Eastern Conference, the in-built chemistry possessed by Flemmings and Bonomo has come in useful during a major midseason overhaul of the club’s squad.

“Obviously, having Junior played a huge role in us signing Stefano,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “We knew they played together for two seasons and the chemistry was there. It clearly showed in our last game, where Junior played a huge role in the win and assisted Bonomo on his first goal with the club. We’re looking forward to watching them play against their former club, and hopefully coming away with the three points.”

“Playing against your former team is always special,” said the Jamaican. “We struggled in New York earlier on in the season, so we’re looking for a little bit of revenge come Saturday night. We had a great performance last week at home and hopefully we can replicate that this Saturday.”