FC Tampa Bay entered the game on Saturday, Aug. 20, at Al Lang Stadium against Puerto Rico, trailing the Islanders by seven points for the coveted second seed in the NASL standings. That position carries with it a first-round playoff goodbye. A win would have pulled the Rowdies within four points of that second seed with six games (including another matchup with Puerto Rico) to play.
The night didn’t unfold as the home team had hoped. Despite controlling the pace of play throughout the game and creating numerous scoring opportunities, FC Tampa Bay fell 2-1 to the second place Islanders, dimming their already unlikely odds of catching the Islanders in the playoff chase.
The Rowdies extended their streak of consecutive games with a first-half goal to nine when forward Mike Ambersley capitalized on some sloppy defense and beat the Islanders’ keeper Ray Burse for his team-leading 10th goal of the season, giving Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Puerto Rico promptly tied the game three minutes later when the Islanders’ forward Nick Addlery finished a point blank opportunity created by midfielder Noah Delgado’s cross into the box.
Puerto Rico took the lead for good in the 75th minute thanks to a brilliant run and finish by midfielder David Foley. After navigating through the middle of the pitch, Foley took on the Rowdies’ back line 1-on-3, accelerating to his left before slipping a low line drive past Tampa Bay keeper (and USF alum) Jeff Attinella.
Rowdies’ coach Ricky Hill attributed the goal to a breakdown in the Rowdies’ defense, noting that the goal was a result of poor communication and could have been defended smarter.
From there, the Islanders staved off numerous Tampa Bay threats. Burse denied Aaron King from 10 feet away in the 79th minute. The Islander defense also stepped up late in the game, calmly handling a threatening cross from King intended for 2nd-half-sub Tsuyoshi Yoshitake, whose bicycle kick was deflected out of play.
Tampa Bay’s final—and perhaps best—chance to tie the game came in the 90th minute, when Yoshitake’s errant shot from the top of the box was nearly deflected in by late-sub Kerry Baptiste, who barely missed on his sliding attempt to tuck the ball inside the left goalpost.
“In big games like this you have to finish your chances. We didn’t do that tonight,” said Ambersley, of the missed opportunities.
The loss snapped the Rowdies’ four-match unbeaten streak and four-match home winning streak. FCTB will now embark on a season-long four-game road trip, which begins Saturday, Aug. 27, at Fort Lauderdale. FCTB’s next home game is Sept. 17, when the team takes on NSC Minnesota. Ticket prices start at $10.
