May 27, 2018 USL Toronto FC II--Toronto FC II vs Tampa Bay Rowdies review (from rowdiessoccer.com)
Three Things: Toronto 2 - 4 Rowdies By Rowdies Communications, 05/27/18, 9:00AM EDT TORONTO (May 27, 2018) — It was far from a perfect performance, but the Tampa Bay Rowdies finally put an end to their road losing streak Saturday afternoon with a 4-2 win over Toronto FC II at BMO Field. A pair of goals from Junior Flemmings, plus finishes from Michael Nanchoff and Hunter Gorskie, secured the full three points for the Rowdies and broke an away scoring drought that stood at 450 minutes at kickoff. With a win secured, here’s Three Things we learned from the match… 1. All bad things end Since scoring in the 90th minute of a 3-1 win over North Carolina FC on opening day March 17, the Tampa Bay Rowdies had failed to score a goal away from home or pick up even a single point. The streak stood at 450 minutes at kickoff, counting USL matches only, or 540 minutes if the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is included. After all that frustration, when Junior Flemmings broke the drought with a goal in the 24th minute of Saturday’s match, it felt like the goals might start rushing in. As it turned out, that’s exactly what happened. From the time Flemmings’ goal hit the back of the net, only 77 seconds elapsed before Michael Nanchoff doubled the Rowdies’ lead with a beautiful strike from about 27 yards out. The Rowdies would go on to score another two goals in the second half, meaning they scored more road goals Saturday afternoon than they had all season. It was quite the way to snap both the scoring drought and road losing streak. 2. Flemmings steps up Junior Flemmings signed with the Rowdies this winter with a track record of scoring a lot of goals, but he got off to a slow start this season. He had scored 17 goals in his two seasons with the New York Red Bulls II, but, for whatever reason, Flemmings acknowledged after Saturday’s match that he just hasn’t been at his best so far in 2018. “At the start of the season, I was struggling a little bit, but this past week of training was really good for all of us and I think it carried through to the game,” Flemmings said. “We all put in the work and it paid dividends.” Flemmings’ first goal Saturday afternoon was a simple one. He received an inch-perfect Marcel Schäfer cross at the back post and tapped it in. His second goal was one of those goals that looks easy, but can often be difficult. Flemmings was the beneficiary of a bad decision by a Toronto defender to head the ball backward at midfield. Flemmings took possession with 35 yards and only a goalkeeper in front of him. He took one long dribble, then picked his spot and hit it to put the Rowdies ahead 4-2. After scoring a brace, Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins had a lot of praise for the young Jamaican attacker. “I’m delighted (for him),” Collins said. “I spoke to him when I first got the job and said I wanted to make him the Junior that I hated playing against when he was in New York. No one at this club rates Junior higher than me because I have first-hand experience trying to defend him.” 3. Mkandawire makes his 2018 debut Tamika Mkandawire made his long-awaited 2018 debut in the match and looked as comfortable as ever as he guided the Rowdies to a win. He had seven total clearances and two interceptions for the Rowdies, who fought through some rocky times early in the second half to prevail, plus this incredible blocked shot in the second half. With the Rowdies a little thin defensively following injuries to David Najem and Kyle Curinga, plus Neill Collins' move to coach, it's good to know Mkandawire remains a reliable option.
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