Rowdies Avoid Opening Round Nerves with Emphatic Victory
November 7, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
The Tampa Bay Rowdies may have been the favorite in the matchup with FC Tulsa, but that by no means guaranteed they would come out on top. Just ask El Paso Locomotive FC and Phoenix Rising, the Western Conference's top seeds who were both bounced out of the playoffs this weekend.
"It's playoff soccer," said Rowdies midfielder Leo Fernandes. "You're not fighting for ties anymore, you're fighting to win."
Getting past that first playoff match can be so vital for teams in establishing confidence in this single-elimination environment.
"The first playoff game is never easy," said Fernandnes. "Some players get tight and don't want to make any mistakes but I thought the team really put out a great overall team performance. In the first half we were on it, we thought we could have scored more goals. At halftime we just said keep doing what you're doing and we'll get more goals."
Winning comes first and foremost in the postseason. When the final whistle blows, that is all that really matters in this stage of the year. It goes without saying that Rowdies are happy to be the team to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinal, but head coach Neill Collins was also pleased with the showing his side put in to earn the win.
"The ability to be able to play some great football under pressure, being able to take the ball, go past people, commit people. I thought that was all impressive," Collins noted. "Then just the relentless nature of it. Coming out at halftime, where we probably felt we should have been two ahead at halftime, to come out straight away like that is a credit to the players."
Driving the Rowdies to victory at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night was an energized crowd of 6,262 fans. The Rowdies were fortunate to be able to host two postseason games last year, but capacity for those games were limited due to the pandemic. Now, with no capacity limits in place, the storied waterfront venue has a totally different atmosphere, one that the players feed off of.
"It was amazing," said Fernandes. "It pushed us the whole game. Whenever you play in games like that, there's no better feeling as a professional soccer player. The fans were on it tonight. I couldn't say many better things about it. It was so fun to play here tonight."
Lucky's Playoff Magic
If not for the impact of Lucky Mkosana, the Rowdies may have come away with a much more narrow margin of victory. In just 7 minutes of play, Mkosana accounted for 3 Tampa Bay tallies. A minute after coming on in the 88th minute, Mkosana slipped behind the back line before slipping a pass to an unmarked Fernandes for the finish. Then in the second minute of stoppage time, Mkosana cleaned up in front of goal after a shot by Sebastian Dalgaard was deflected into his path. And then finally in the fifth minute of stoppage time, Mkosana set Fernandes up for another goal in the box.
Rowdies fans have become accustomed to Mkosana contributing well off the bench, especially in the postseason. In last year's playoffs, Mkosana scored the winning goals in the first two rounds at Al Lang.
Collins and his staff held Mkosana out down the stretch of the regular season, knowing the savvy veteran would be ready to come through when it matters most.
"We had him in cold storage for the playoffs," Collins joked. "Everyone knows Lucky's the best in the business coming off the bench and he's trained well. Obviously we're mindful that if we need a goal he's a good person to bring on, but he's also a good person if you're leading because he occupies defenders. All the subs that came in tonight helped take that game on and actually punish Tulsa."
Up Next
Up next for the Rowdies is Birmingham Legion FC, a team the Rowdies have not faced this year but one they took on in last year's playoffs. The Rowdies prevailed that night in 2020, knocking off Birmingham at home with a 4-2 result. Birmingham will come into Al Lang on an unexpected break after having their Conference Quartefinal match against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC cancelled due to positive COIVD cases within Pittsburgh's organization. In their most recent match, Birmingham lost a heartbreaker to Louisville City FC, which cost them the stop spot in the Central Division.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from November 7, 2021
- Rowdies Avoid Opening Round Nerves with Emphatic Victory - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- 10-Man Orange County SC Beats Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 1-0, in Western Conference Quarterfinal - Orange County SC
- Wild Western Shakeup Yields Compelling Conference Semifinal Matches in 2021 USL Championship Playoffs - USL
- Toros Advance to the USL Championship Playoff Semifinals for First Time in Franchise History - Rio Grande Valley FC Toros
- Rising Falls, 4-3, in Penalty Kicks Following a 3-3 Draw with RGV Toros - Phoenix Rising FC
- San Antonio FC to Host RCV FC in Western Conference Semifinal on November 13 - San Antonio FC
- Switchbacks FC's Season Ends in Western Conference Quarterfinal - Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
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