ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (August 16, 2020) — The Miami FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies played to a 1-1 draw on Sunday night at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL. Forward Sebastian Velasquez had put Miami up 1-0 early in the first half, but the Rowdies would equalize in the second half off a goal from forward Lucky Mkosana.
“Every game that goes past we’re getting closer and closer to being where we want to be,” said Head Coach Paul Dalglish. “We saw improvements in the performance and you can start seeing this can be very exciting team to watch. We take the result to increase our confidence, but we are also very hungry to keep improving. If we keep improving, with the talent we have, we will be a very dangerous team.”
The Miami FC played a phenomenal first half at Al Lang Stadium on Sunday night, which was capped off by a perfectly executed counter attack leading to the only goal of the match.
Velasquez put the visiting team up 1-0 after just seven minutes. The Colombian received a through ball from forward Prince Saydee and fired a shot past Rowdies goalkeeper Evan Louro.
After the goal, Miami FC continued to push to extend the lead, applying pressure on the Rowdies defensive third. The Rowdies did however get a chance to level it with Tejada beating the Miami backline, but Miami FC goalkeeper Bryant Gammiero was there to force the save.
Velasquez would have a chance to double the lead in the 29th minute, but this time his shot went straight to Louro, who punched the ball out of danger.
The second half began with Miami FC continuing their impressive performance, but as the minutes rolled on, the Rowdies began to press higher up the field in search of the equalizer.
Moments before the hour mark, the home side leveled it thanks to a powerful header by Mkosana. Midfielder Malik Johnson curled a ball into the heart of the box and Mkosana was able to beat a diving Bryant Gammiero.
“Defensively, we showed a togetherness and our players fought for each other,” commented Dalglish. “It was really important we secured a point in one of the most difficult places to play in the USL Championship. In the second half we got pinned back, which is understandable, but going forward we need to work on attacking a lead instead of protecting it.”
After the Rowdies goal, Miami FC was able to sustain the pressure by the home side. Gammiero played a pivotal role in Miami taking a point from St. Pete with two amazing saves in the dying moments of the match.
“I am super thankful that all my hard work has paid off and I was able to help secure a point for the team tonight,” said Gammiero. “In the last couple minutes, I knew I needed to step up and help my teammates. Tampa Bay is a tough team to play, especially at home, but I feel overall we put together a good performance.”
Up next, the Rowdies host back-to-back matches at Riccardo Silva Stadium. First up, Atlanta United 2 will visit Miami this Wednesday, August 19, while Charlotte Independence comes to town on Sunday, August 23.
STARTING LINEUPS
Miami FC (4-3-3) – GK Bryant Gammiero; D Marco Franco, Lance Rozeboom, Brenton Griffiths (Hassan Ndam 41′), Othello Bah; M Brian James (Tomas Granitto 63′), Harrison Heath, Vincent Bezecourt; F Sebastian Velasquez, Romario Williams (Mohamed Thiaw 63′), Prince Saydee
Tampa Bay (3-5-2) – GK Evan Louro; D Jordan Scarlett, Forrest Lasso, Aaron Guillen; M Mustapha Dumbuya, Dominic Oduro, Lewis Hilton, Jordan Doherty (Yann Ekra 46′), Malik Johnson; F Kevin Mendoza (Lucky Mkosana 46′), Juan Tejada (Kyle Murphy 79′)
Scoring Summary
Miami: Sebastian Velasquez – 7th minute (Assisted by Prince Saydee)
Tampa Bay: Lucky Mkosana – 59th minute (Assisted by Malik Johnson)
Caution Summary
Tampa Bay: Aaron Guillen – 31st minute
Miami: Othello Bah – 47th minute
Miami: Harrison Heath – 75th minute
