Match Recaps

ST. PETERSBURG — With time winding down, it appeared the group of fans the Rowdies accommodated and spread across Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night would see their team fall.

Tampa Bay trailed Atlanta United 2 for the opening 60 minutes despite fielding a one-man advantage for most of the game. But Leo Fernandes saved the Rowdies from a draw, scoring on a rebound off a free kick in the 87th minute. From there, the Rowdies clung to their lead for a 2-1 victory in the first game in four months for both teams.

“First couple of games back is a huge leveler, no matter (if you’re a) team at the top, team at the bottom, it’s the same,” Rowdies coach Neill Collins said. “It’s who adjusts better, and I don’t think we adjusted well in the first half. But credit to the boys for finding a way to win today.”

Tampa Bay (2-0) has struggled against Atlanta in the past. The Rowdies were 1-3 against the club before Saturday’s key victory over one of their Group H opponents in the United Soccer League Championship. The teams face each another three more times this season.

That the Rowdies even had a crowd of 140 fans to cheer them on, occasionally boo referees, and occupy the stands in green and gold was notable. The last time a Florida professional sports team hosted fans for a game in its home stadium was exactly four months ago, March 11, when the NBA’s Miami Heat hosted the Charlotte Hornets — the same night Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. That night effectively began the shutdown of the sports world, until Saturday for the USL Championship, which restarted with six games across the league.

“We haven’t played in so long,” said Fernandes, who was given a yellow card after his goal. “To play such a tough first game and to get to three points in the last part of the 90 minutes, it’s a great feeling.”

The Rowdies had an opportunity to take an early lead on a free kick just outside the box in the seventh minute. Midfielder Lewis Hilton drew a foul from Atlanta′s Amir Basht, who was given a red card for violent conduct. Hilton’s free kick sailed above the crossbar, but the red card gave Tampa Bay a man advantage the rest of the way.

Just a few minutes after the card, Atlanta overcame its one-man deficit and scored on a breakaway goal by forward Jackson Conway in the 11th minute. Conway’s goal came from outside the box and over the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Evan Louro.

That ended up being the only ball that came Louro’s way all night as Atlanta took three shots, only one of which was on target.

The Rowdies won the possession battle by a wide margin (70-30) and took 22 shots to their opponent’s five.

In the 61st minute, Lucky Mkosana found the net to tie it for Tampa Bay. Juan Tejada was credited with the assist on the goal as Mkosana wedged the ball in past goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard. The Rowdies then controlled the remainder of the game, consistently keeping the ball near Atlanta′s goal.

That had been the case for much of the match, but the Rowdies had found little success. Hilton was able to redeem his earlier errant free kick when Fernandes rebounded a missed header by Forrest Lasso and scored the winner.

“I just thought to myself, I gotta get it in the box,” Fernandes said. “Because whenever you’re in the box, anything can happen. And it fell to my foot, and I was just hoping that no one blocked it, and it went right in.”

Fernandes and Collins were pleased with the fervent fans in attendance, but not all agreed on the season’s resumption, including fans in the stands.

Before the match, Francis Novoa, the game-day operations director for the Ralph’s Mob Rowdies fan club, worried about Saturday’s game and the rest of the season. His said his apprehension stemmed from the nature of a soccer’s environment: outdoors and chanting and dancing in close proximity, even with a mask on.

“I’ve been kind of torn because I want the team to play,” he said. “But at the same time, I don’t want them to play because I want everybody to be safe.”

Mike Pendelton, chief financial officer of Ralph’s Mob, decided that attending the game, with the precautions the team had in place, was safe enough for himself and his wife and son. He said the capacity — 1 percent in a 7,227-seat stadium — comforted him.

He emphasized the precautions and care put into making the game happen with fans in the stands, saying it wasn’t a rush to do so.

“I think a lot of people will be like, ‘Look at this careless sports team and careless fans who just want to get into the game,‘ ” Pendelton said. “And we absolutely want to support the guys, but I can’t tell you how much care and thought it was. It wasn’t a callous decision.”

The Tampa Bay Rowdies made their long-awaited return to the field on Saturday, mounting a comeback effort to knock off Atlanta United 2 2-1. You can ready Matt Cox’s full recap of the match here.

As grateful as they were to be back out on the field after a four-month suspension in play due to the global pandemic, it didn’t take long at all for head coach Neill Collins to be reminded of the stresses that come with the job.

“I can’t believe after four months, two minutes into the game, straight away you’re thinking ‘why did I ever miss this?’ Straight away all the stresses come back,” Collins joked.

Despite Atlanta being reduced to ten men after Amar Bashti’s red card in the 7th minute, the visitors pounced on a chance a few minutes later to score first.

It took until the hour mark, but the Rowdies equalized when Juan Tejada set up halftime substitute Lucky Mkosana for a chance at the near post. As the match neared 90 minutes, midfielder Leo Fernandes cleaned up a rebound opportunity in front of net for the winner. The Long Island native also recorded the winning goal at New York Red Bulls II back in March when he had his own cheering section of loved ones.

If the Rowdies want to maintain Fernandes’ hot streak, the solution seems simple.

“Every time my parents watch a game I score. The last game they were at in New York I scored, so hopefully they keep coming to every game.”

Get the Result, Worry About Performance Later

Some rust had to be expect after such an extended break in play. That was certainly the case for the Rowdies in the first half. They gave up exactly one chance to Atlanta that resulted in a goal and then failed to threaten in the attack despite the man advantage.

“It’s a reminder of just how tough it is to win in the USL,” Collins said. “I think it’s important people understand, especially with our squad, having four months off is very tough. Even against 10 men. Just getting back to the playing, the nervous energy. I genuinely believe we’ll benefit from that and improve from that. I think watching from around the world, the first couple of games back is a huge leveler. No matter whether you’re a team at the top or a team at the bottom. It’s about who adjusts better, and I don’t think we adjusted great in the first half.”

In these first few matches of the restart as every team shakes off the cobwebs, having the mentality to fight for the result becomes even more valuable. The Rowdies succeeded in this regard on Saturday, giving themselves an early leg up in the standings while they work to improve.

Set Pieces, Set Pieces, Set Pieces

The Rowdies earned 10 corner kicks on the night while Atlanta had none. That’s an impressive stat, but none of those opportunities were converted into shots on goal. With so much height brought into the squad this year, you’d hope to see the Rowdies threaten more in these scenarios. Collins noted after the match that he’d like to see the team be more dangerous on set pieces. The late winner was initiated by a quality free kick delivery from Hilton to the head of Forrest Lasso, so that’s an encouraging sign of what’s possible.

Al Lang’s Acoustics 

Al Lang definitely looked different than any past Rowdies gamedays, with just a little over 100 spectators being permitted into the bulidling. The presence of those select few was definitely felt, though.

Spread throughout the lower level of the stadium, supporters from Ralph’s Mob and Skyway Casuals made the best of their numbers and backed the players.

“They were so loud,” Fernandes said. “We could feel them all game. Just chanting, singing the whole time. It was a great feeling. They helped us, they pushed us to the last second. We were happy we were able to get a win and not a tie for them.”

Without larger crowd noise to contend with, the sounds from the field, sidelines and even the stands were also easier to pick up. Collins was at full volume seven minutes into the match when the Rowdies were not given a penalty for the foul on Hilton that drew a red card for Bashti. Since the match had no fourth official, center referee Elvis Osmanovic got quite an earful from Collins for that one.

Everyone in the building apart from Atlanta’s defenders could hear Forrest Lasso calling for the ball on the free kick that he headed toward goal before Fernandes ended up finishing the opportunity.

Depth Already Being Tested

Collins made full use of the league’s new rule allowing teams to make five substitutions. The first two were unfortunately due to injury, as Yann Ekra and Dom Oduro both picked up knocks in the first half and were swapped out at halftime.

No update was given on their status, but if they’re unavailable next week it would leave the Rowdies with just 19 senior players to choose from. This shows just how difficult managing a roster for the rest of the year will be.

“Unlucky to have two injuries with Ekra and Dom but obviously the five sub rule guards us against that, “Collins said. “Moving forward it’ll give us the ability to make changes earlier, but we want to try and get players match fit as well and the only way they’re going to get match fit is by playing extended minutes. It’s a fine balance. You don’t want to make too many changes and end up with guys only 45 minutes fit. I really didn’t think we needed the fifth sub but I made it to see out the game.”

A Cautious Return

We’re all happy to see the Rowdies back. It’s an incredible privilige that any fans at all were allowed to attend, and that player’s families were there to support after such a tough few months.

The Rowdies say they are hopeful about being able to allow more fans next month. It’s tough to say how likely this is given how the situation is constantly evolving.

By all accounts, the return on Saturday went well and the protocols in place gave those in attendance some level of comfort. Hopefully the team maintains its committment to saftey and will use sound judgement in determining whether to open Al Lang up to more fans.

“Ralph’s Mob and Skyway Casuals and everyone involved tonight behind the goal did a great job of one making noise and two making the stadium look great with all the tifos, the banners and the flags,” Collins said. “For the players, people forget, the families go through all the trials and tribulations with players. So it’s great that they’re there to share and watch them. That’s huge. Again, we’re not gonna get carried away with ourselves. We’re gonna take it one step at a time and hopefully in the future we’ve got more fans here. But first and foremost is safety and I hope everything went off without a hitch tonight. 

St. Petersburg, FL — In a season that hasn’t gone to anyone’s plans, why would this game be any different? Months of plans went out the window when Neill Collins found his Tampa Bay Rowdies up by a man but down by a goal before they were even halfway to the first half hydration break.

It all began in the 7th minute when Atlanta’s Amir Bashi received a straight red card for a foul on Lewis Hilton. Hilton’s subsequent free kick, into the Mob End, did not find the target, and minutes later the Rowdies would rue the missed chance when Atlanta’s Jackson Conway found the back of the net, from distance, over Evan Louro‘s hand. It was the only shot on target for Atlanta all night.

Whether the up-a-goal/down-a-man combo influenced Atlanta’s tactics is unknown, but the Rowdies spent the rest of the first half on Atlanta’s side of the halfway line, trying to unlock a compact defense that held it’s shape very well, frustrating the Rowdies attempts to equalize. Tampa Bay had several good opportunities to level the match before the first half, but shots from Juan Tejada, Sebastian Guenzatti and Dom Oduro and two Jordan Scarlett headers in first half stoppage times failed to get over the line and the Rowdies went into the locker room at halftime down, but not out.

“We were feeling confident,” said Leo Fernandes, when asked about the mood in the locker room at halftime. “We knew we just had to stay patient. It’s hard to play here – very hot, very humid and being down a man, we knew they would get tired and we would get our chances, and we did.”

Those chances came after the Rowdies started the second half with some personnel changes. Lucky Mkosana replaced Yann Ekra and Dom Oduro was withdrawn in favor of Jordan Doherty. Post-game, Collins said that the two players were replaced after picking up knocks in the first half & their current status is unknown. Following the substitutions, the Rowdies shifted their formation and gradually grew into the game.

Now attacking the Mahaffey End, Doherty picked up a yellow card in the 52nd minute, with Lucky going close with a shot moments later. 10 minutes later, the game was level again after Tejada hustled after the ball and passed it to Mkosana who directed it past Atlanta’s Ben Lundgaard for his first goal of the season.

Tejada was replaced by Kyle Murphy after the goal and the re-energized Rowdies pushed for a second goal, with several chances being blocked or saved. Mustupha Dumbuya made way for Sebastian Dalgaard in the 77th minute and the 140 fans and players family members invited to attend the game likely started to think that this would end with both teams splitting the points, but in the 87th minute, a Lewis Hilton set piece led to a scramble in front of the Atlanta goal and Fernandes poked the ball home, his second on the season.

Looking to maintain the lead, Max Lachowecki was brought on, replacing Leo, and the Rowdies played out the 6 minutes of second-half stoppage, securing the 2-1 win and staking their claim to the top spot in Group H while cementing Atlanta’s spot in the basement.

“Atlanta got down to ten men and perhaps that gave us a little bit of complacency,” said Collins after the match. “But again, credit to the players in the second half, they really put in a dominant performance and managed to win the game. Atlanta should take a lot of plaudits out of the game, they’re a young team and performed in game that people probably expected us to win.”

Dominant, indeed. Tampa Bay finished with 69% of possession, won 60.5% of the aerial duels, and both their overall passing accuracy (88.3%) and accuracy in the opponent’s half (81.6%) were well higher than Atlanta. They will want to get more shots on target, with just 5 of their 22 forcing Lundgaard to try and make a save. The Rowdies will look to win and continue to improve on Friday, July 17th, at home vs. North Carolina FC.