Tampa Bay Rowdies in NASL Final Tonight
It’s a big night for Tampa Bay Rowdies tonight as they look to come back in the second leg of the 2012 NASL Soccer Bowl Finals against Minnesota Star and recover from a 2-0 defeat in the first leg. The Rowdies host the Star at Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg at 7.30pm tonight… just a 90 minute ride from Florida Leisure’s vacation homes in Kissimmee. The omens look good for Tampa as they have only lost once at home this season and an expectant crowd will be looking for their team to quickly wipe out the Minnesota advantage.
The scenario is simple; If Tampa Bay wins by two goals in the second leg of the NASL Soccer Bowl Finals, the game will be decided in two 15-minute halves (no sudden death) of extra time. If the match is still tied after extra time, the series will then be decided by penalty kicks. If Tampa Bay wins by three goals or more, the Rowdies will be the 2012 NASL Soccer Bowl Champions. If the Rowdies draw or lose the second leg, Minnesota will be crowned the 2012 champions.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies lost 2-0 against Minnesota in the first leg of the NASL Soccer Bowl Finals last Saturday, October 20 at NSC Stadium in Blaine, MN. Minnesota forward Amani Walker scored in the 67th minute with a strike from 18 yards out to put the Stars in front 1-0. Forward Simone Bracalello picked up the assist. The home team made it 2-0 in stoppage time, as second half substitute Martin Nunez was able to push the ball into the Rowdies goal, with defender Connor Tobin assisting the forward on the goal.
Rowdies head coach Ricky Hill looked forward to the match… “Our players know that it all comes down to the match on Saturday. I know they will have the support of the fans, as they have been behind the team in every step of the way. It will be a very difficult game, especially after the late goal in the first leg. We’ve worked hard during the week and have perfected our miscues from the first leg.”
“The players are ready and they are anxious to get out on the pitch in search of the NASL Soccer Bowl,”added Hill. “I am going to need a perfect game from all our players and it will not be easy to come back from a two-goal deficit. With that being said, if they scored two goals in one half, it means we can do the same or even more than they did in the first leg. We know how much winning this championship will mean to the team and all the Rowdies fans.”
We’ll be there to cover the game and hope that Tampa can bring a championship title back to Florida.
