Marco Micaletto delivered an audacious late goal to lift a shorthanded Tampa Bay Rowdies side to a 3-2 victory over Miami FC at Pitbull Stadium on Saturday night. With the result, the Rowdies became the first USL Championship squad to reach ten victories this season.
“These guys have got hearts of lions, and they showed that tonight,” said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “Backs against the wall, down to ten men away from home, they’ve just conceded an equalizer, and then they go and win the game. It’s absolutely brilliant and I think it speaks to the quality of the character and the personality of this group.”
It was smooth sailing for the Rowdies in the opening stages of Saturday’s contest in South Florida, with attacker MD Myers and Russell Cicerone each converting on the club’s first shots attempts of the match. Cicerone was first to find the back of the net in the 10th minute when Myers perfectly threaded a pass between Miami’s high defensive line, giving him a free run into the final third with only Miami Goalkeeper Eloy Room to beat. Cicerone did just that, pushing the service from Myers forward with his first touch and then blasting a shot past Room from just inside the box with his second touch.
Myers increased the advantage for Tampa Bay just two minutes later. After playing a pass down the right wing for teammate Sebastian Cruz, Myers sprung forward into Miami’s box to get in position for a chance at goal. Cruz provided, centering a pass that Myers swiftly deposited into the bottom left corner.
“We talk about starting games at 100 miles an hour, and we obviously did that,” said Casciato. “That was really pleasing. MD and Russell are top players, and they do what top players do, which is create and score goals.”
The hosts managed to cut the lead in half from the penalty spot after Rowdies Midfielder Pedro Dolabella was whistled for a foul as the halftime break neared. Arney Rocha stepped up and converted the chance, sending his strike to the left side of the net as Rowdies Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite dove the oppositive direction.
Tampa Bay was hit with another blow just before the halftime whistle. Defender Isaiah LeFlore was sent off after picking up a second yellow card for a foul, leaving the Rowdies to defend their one-goal lead down a man for the entire second half.
Despite going down to ten men, the Rowdies managed to limit Miami from meaningful scoring opportunities. Miami held over 70 percent of the possession in the second half, but the two sides were even when it came to touches inside the opposing box. Myers even threated goal again in the second half with a shot from a tight angle that slipped past Room only to hit the near post and remain in play.
Miami’s only shot on target of the second half was all they needed to get back on level terms, though. In the 76th minute, substitute Mathieu Ndongo found a sliver of space in the box to send in a cross for attacker Jurgen Locadia to bury past Waite.
Only four minutes later, the Rowdies were back on top thanks to Marco Micaletto. Receiving a pass from teammate Charlie Ostrem at the halfway line, Micaletto spotted Room in a precarious position out of his box and quickly launched a long-range effort toward net. Miami’s goalkeeper sprinted back but was unable to get back in time as Micaletto’s strike dipped down under the crossbar and across the line.
“I’m really pleased with the discipline and composure from the guys, and their willingness to work and sacrifice for the team,” said Casciato. “Also, the impact from the guys coming off the bench was tremendous. We talk about this all the time. You look at Gennaro Nigro coming on at halftime for his first 45 minutes of the season. You look at Marco coming on and scoring a wonderful goal, Karsen Henderlong coming on and working so hard and holding on to the ball for us. Lewis Hilton makes a run forward with the ball at the end that kills the game for us. Evan Conway came on and did so well to close things out. The effort from those guys was outstanding.”
Along with becoming the first club to notch ten wins, the Rowdies also remain undefeated through nine regular-season road matchups this year.
“We’ve got an unbelievable staff here,” said Casciato. “John Pascarella, Ladule Lako LoSarah, Andrew Fox, Alejandro Fernandez, Stuart Dobson, Yann Ekra and Leo Fernandes behind the scenes as well. These guys work so hard. They put so much in to prepare the team. That’s why we’re able to come on the road and play like we’re at home. I’m really proud of the staff, and I’m really proud of the players. I think there’s so much more to come from this group. I think we’re just scratching the surface. We needed a night like tonight. We needed a night to suffer and sacrifice a little bit and come out on top.”
Next up, the Rowdies are back at home next Saturday, August 1 to host Eastern Conference rivals Louisville City FC. The match, which will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2, is set to kick off at 8 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary
TBR – Cicerone (Myers), 10’
TBR – Myers (Cruz), 12’
MIA – Rocha (Penalty), 45+2’
MIA – Locadia (Ndongo), 76’
TBR – Micaletto Ostrem), 80’
Caution Summary
MIA – Da Costa (Yellow Card), 8’
TBR – LeFlore (Yellow Card), 24’
TBR – LeFlore (Red Card), 45+5’
MIA – Calfo (Yellow Card), 45+8’
MIA – Locadia (Yellow Card), 72’
MIA – Mellow (Yellow Card), 83′
MIA – Ndongo (Yellow Card), 84’
TBR – Dossantos (Yellow Card), 90+3’
TBR – Waite (Yellow Card), 90+5’
TBR – Micaletto (Yellow Card), 90+6’
Stats Summary: TBR / MIA
Shots: 12 / 10
Shots on Goal: 6 / 3
Saves: 2 / 3
Corner Kicks: 3 / 3
Fouls Conceded: 20 / 24
Offside: 2 / 4
Possession: 40.2 / 58.8
Lineups
TBR: Waite, Ostrem, Leerman, Dossantos, LeFlore, Schneider (Nigro, 46’), Cruz, Perez (Henderlong, 74’), Dolabella (Hilton, 58’), Cicerone (Micaletto, 74’), Myers (Conway, 87’)
TBR Bench: Kachurak, Pack, Acoff, Nigro, Hilton, Micaletto, Conway, Henderlong
MIA: Room, Ndiaye, Knutson, Calfo (Levin, 46’), Milesi (Mello, 65’), Romero, Riyon (Ndongo, 46’), Diaz, Sonora (Da Costa, 3’), Tunbridge, Rocha (Locadia, 62’)
MIA Bench: Rodriguez, Yacoubou, Levin, Da Costa, Musto, Mello, Locadia, Ndongo, Celdran
