Miami FC 2 Tampa Bay Rowdies 5: Rowdies roast Miami FC under the Thursday Night Lights
Miami FC No Show First Half to See Rowdies Stay Unbeaten
Cal Jennings would be responsible for three of the five Tampa Bay Rowdies goals, scoring two of them, as Tampa Bay would make the Thursday night trek to Miami FC and humiliate the host 5-2 in a game that both keeps the Tampa Bay Rowdies unbeaten, and makes it 5 in a row against their in state rival.
The Rowdies would continue on from their performance late against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. A third minute layoff by Edwin Munjoma to Daniel Crisostomo forced Daniel Gagliardi into tipping the ball away, the follow-up effort blocked. If there were a positive for Miami FC, it would come off a fifth minute set piece sequence where Miami FC would easily defend not one but two balls into the box. The initial ball in from 45 yards was easily headed out for a corner by Nicolas Cardona, the resulting corner defended perfectly at the near post.
The tenth minute should have seen the Tampa Bay Rowdies in front. On a perfect ball into Cal Jennings, he was able to beat Daltyn Knutson. Daniel Gagliardi rushed Jennings, Jennings having the perfect angle to chip one far post. The shot looked like it was going in, only to be denied by the far post right at the intersection with the crossbar.
Miami FC would see their inability to hold possession for any length of time come back to haunt them in the 21st minute. Daniel Booth would let Manuel Arteaga pick his pocket on the edge of the Rowdies penalty area. From there Arteaga would spot Edwin Munjoma unmarked coming into the penalty area and get the ball out of traffic. Munjoma saw Cal Jennings ready to pounce from 8 yards out and put in the centering ball that deflected off Samuel Biek and into the net on the far post, an own goal that put the Rowdies in front.
Five minutes later Tampa Bay had a golden chance to take advantage of poor play from Miami FC in the Rowdies attacking third. This time Rocco Genzano would lay off a poor pass right into the Cal Jennings. Jennings would find Josh Perez unmarked from 20 yards, Perez’s effort blasting off the near post.
Miami FC simply couldn’t keep possession long in the first half. Every chance Miami FC got happened quickly. It would start in the eighth minute when Daniel Gagliardi tempted everyone close before going long to Frank Lopez. Lopez failed to keep up with the pace of the ball and would lose possession while trying to keep it on the end line. The 24th minute would see Samuel Biek unable to redirect a Gabriel Cabral free kick goalward after Jordan Farr came out and missed the ball, headed wide of the near post.
Frank Lopez is going to regret two chances after the half hour that should have leveled the match. The 31st minute would see Rocco Genzano ping Frank Lopez past Aaron Guillen. With Jordan Farr already off his line it would have been the perfect opportunity for Lopez to round the keeper, or at worst pick the far post. Instead, Lopez would take the shot with his first touch right into the chest of Farr, Guillen trailing back would clear the danger. Five minutes later, a long ball to Andrew Booth would be centered to Frank Lopez, Edwin Munjoma the only Rowdie in the vicinity. Lopez would collect before firing near post with pace, Jordan Farr already there though to make the save. They would be the Miami FC’s best chances of the half; none found the back of the net.
Three minutes after the Lopez miss the Rowdies would be two goals to the good. It would start with a cross field pass to Blake Bodily who had freedom of the left side of the pitch to make the forward run. Cal Jennings would make the run near post to meet the cross from Bodily, neither Knutson or Biek able to challenge. Jennings would beat Gagliardi to the spot to head home, 39 minutes in and the Rowdies more than deserving of their two-goal lead.
The lead would extend to three with the last spell of the first half. The sequence would start with a give and go between Jordan Doherty and Edwin Munjoma. Doherty would find Cal Jennings, Jennings easily able to get past Gabriel Cabral. From there it was play around the penalty area. Jennings would set up Perez, Perez seeing Bodily unmarked and laying the ball off to him. Bodily would have plenty of time to collect, settle the ball, and fire far post before Nicolas Cardona could even get settled to defend. Daniel Gagliardi would have the angle all wrong and at halftime Miami FC had no showed a rivalry game, the Tampa Bay Rowdies not having to do much to lead 3-0.
Miami FC would come out of the second half and finally play with some desperation. Three minutes into the half Miami FC would pull one back. Again, it would come quick. A throw in to an unmarked Andrew Booth gave him freedom and time for someone to get forward. That person would be Rocco Genzano, the cross into the penalty area allowing Genzano to beat Blake Bodily and head it home past a shocked Jordan Farr.
The hope would be short lived for Miami FC, and it would be their own undoing. Off a horrible corner kick that went through everyone in the box, it would be Josh Perez who would ultimately get the ball and from there he was off the races. It was a 70-yard unchallenged run for Perez, no Miami FC player within 5 yards of Perez. Cal Jennings matched the run of Perez, and it was a selfless act for Perez to lay it off to Jennings between Datlyn Knutson and Jordan Ayimbila to finish before Gagliardi could get settled. Counter attacks off a corner don’t get any easier than that, just like that it was 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies four minutes after Miami FC got their opener.
Five minutes later Allen Gavilanes would get a goal that would qualify as a goal of the week contender on any other week. Andrew Booth again would start the sequence setting up Rocco Genzano. Genzano would find Frank Lopez, Lopez laying it off to Allen Gavilanes. Gavilanes would set, turn and fire on the near post before the Rowdies lines could reset. It was a great individual goal in a losing cause.
The 62nd minute would see this game end as a contest. Lewis Hilton would play a long ball into the path of Manuel Arteaga. Daniel Gagliardi, 25 yards off his line, went to punt the ball clear. The only problem with this plan was Gagliardi would whiff on the ball, put a touch off his leg before falling to ground, allowing Arteaga an empty net tap in. Miami FC’s defense was nowhere to be found on the goal, an embarrassingly easy finish for the Rowdies forward.
Miami FC would see their night go from bad to worse in an 8-minute span after going down 5-2. Three minutes after assisting on the Rowdies fifth goal, Daniel Gagliardi’s night would be over, an injury sustained when whiffing on the effort finally finishing his night. Khadim Ndiaye would come in and make a great save to deny an Aaron Guillen long distance effort four minutes from the 90. The 73rd minute would see Miami FC finish the night on ten players, first half substitute Manuel Botta would pick up his second bookable offense after being exceptionally late on a tackle of Blake Bodily. Despite the man advantage, Tampa Bay was unable to add a sixth.
Let’s make no two bones about it, Miami FC no showed the opening 45 minutes and I don’t know what you do with a back line that quite frankly can’t defend. I can’t tell if Daniel Gagliardi is just bad or if he’s been left so isolated he’s having to make rash judgments because he has no help. Even the second half wasn’t useful as just as quickly as Miami FC found the back of the net, they would see themselves three goals down again. And this is a Tampa Bay Rowdies team without Leo Fernandes, and Charlie Dennis not fully fit.
For the Tampa Bay Rowdies this felt very much like a get right game. Outside the opening ten minutes of the second half the Rowdies made Miami FC’s life a nightmare. You can tell why Robbie Neilson wanted Blake Bodily so badly, he isn’t afraid to do the dirty work. His work rate tonight was rewarded with a goal as well. Cal Jennings is adding additional dimensions to his game other than being the man with pace, having Manuel Arteaga in the attacking three definitely helps in that regard. Having the freedom to give Charlie Dennis the late minutes is also a warning sign to the rest of USL that he isn’t far away from coming back into the starting eleven, the injury worries in preseason starting to sort themselves out.
I'm not familiar with the Miami FC roster but did any of the players from Indy via the instant trade see game action?