ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (April 21, 2018) — Georgi Hristov has tied Derek Smethurst for the most goals in Tampa Bay Rowdies history following his strike in the second half of Tampa Bay’s 2-0 win over Real Monarchs SLC on Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium.
Hristov’s goal, a sharp right-footed finish in the 70th minute, was his 57th since joining the club in 2013. His first goal for Tampa Bay came in a 2-0 road win over the San Antonio Scorpions on April 13, 2013, five years ago yesterday.
Since that moment, Hristov has been one of the Rowdies’ most reliable players and a clear fan favorite.
In his first season with the Rowdies, Hristov scored 12 goals and tallied eight assists to win the Golden Ball as the NASL’s Most Valuable Player.
In the next two seasons, Hristov scored a combined 11 goals before roaring back into excellent form in the 2016 season, which saw him score 11 goals.
Another 15 last season left the Bulgarian just four goals short of tying Smethurst’s all-time Rowdies scoring record coming into the 2018 season.
Hristov made quick work of the final stages of his pursuit, scoring four goals in the Rowdies’ opening six matches to place his name alongside Smethurst’s at the top of the leaderboard.
He will go for sole possession of the record next Saturday night on the road when the Rowdies face the Charleston Battery.
