ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rowdies are 11-0-2 of their final 13 video games. It’s their longest unbeaten streak within the trendy historical past of the franchise (begin of the 2019 season). Their final loss got here on April 30.
“Our performances have sustained very, very well over that period,” head coach Neill Collins stated after a coaching session. “I can think of maybe only one half of football against Hartford, away, where we didn’t sustain the performance. The rest of the time, the performance has been good. Generally, if you play well, you give yourself a chance to win.”
One of the most important causes for the Rowdies’ latest success is the play of Steevan Dos Santos. The middle ahead missed a month with an ankle harm, however he stormed again to attain 5 objectives in his final 4 video games.
“Thanks to my teammates, I had some chances to score,” Dos Santos stated. “I’m happy that I could put some of the chances away and help the team win games. That’s most important for us.”
Dos Santos and Collins have an on-field historical past as effectively. The two performed in opposition to one another in 2017 and 2018 when Dos Santos performed for Ottawa and Collins performed for the Rowdies.
“Sometimes we just talk trash to each other,” Dos Santos recalled with a giant smile. “But after the game, we would come together and just say ‘That’s part of the game,’ and we were always cool.”
Collins knew Steevan was the kind of participant he wished on his group when he grew to become a head coach.
“Me and him in some pretty good battles,” Neill added. “I have to say, he caught my eye as a different type of player. One of the players that I played against that certainly made the right impression.”
Dos Santos notched his one hundred and first aim as knowledgeable in final weekend’s 1-0 win over Detroit City FC. Collins was named USL Championship Coach of the Month for July, main the Rowdies to 5 wins in 5 video games.
Tampa Bay (14-3-6, 48 pts) can take sole possession of first place within the Eastern Conference from Louisville (15-3-4, 49 pts) with a win at Louisville Saturday night time. Kickoff is about for 7:30 P.M.