June 5, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – A few days after conceding late and settling for a 1-1 draw against FC Tulsa, the Tampa Bay Rowdies saw out a gritty 1-0 result versus Louisville City FC on Sunday night at Al Lang Stadium. Leo Fernandes provided the lone goal, earning a penalty and then converting from the spot to put the Rowdies up.
“I thought it was probably more than a professional win if you know the type of the week we’ve had,” said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. “The first half had some fantastic bits of play, we really created some great opportunities. In the second half, we had to really dig it out and show a lot of grit. I thought the boys did that. It was really important to see that side of it. The other night we had a very good performance but maybe lacked that little bit more in important times.”
Sunday’s match was originally scheduled for Saturday night, but unexpected travel delays for Rowdies players and staff returning from Tulsa meant the match had to be postponed a day. The entire Rowdies contingent that went to Tulsa did not end up making it back to Tampa Bay until Saturday morning.
Just a few minutes into the match, play was stopped for an extended time after a head injury to Louisville keeper Kyle Morton. With Morton unable to continue, Louisville inserted Danny Faundez into the net.
Faundez made two impressive stops in the second half. He came off his line to shut down Jake LaCava’s angle before the Rowdies attacker could get his shot off. He also stood his ground to deny Tampa Bay’s Kyle Greig after he blasted a low strike from the top of the box toward the near post.
The Rowdies found their breakthrough moment in the 43rd minute. With some persistent pressure, the Rowdies forced Louisville into a turnover in their own defensive third. Fernandes collected the ball just inside the box and was impeded by defender Wes Charpie while trying to lay a pass off to…