ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay Rowdies midfielder Leo Fernandes is having an MVP-caliber season. He's the only player in the USL Championship who ranks in the top five in goals (18) and assists (9). He says the key to his success came when head coach Neill Collins gave him total freedom to play his own game every night.
"Just Neill really giving me the confidence to be creative in and around the box. Take chances, take risks," Fernandes said after Friday's practice. "Sometimes I might lose the ball, be he always gives me the confidence to keep going and not get discouraged. I think that’s played a huge role in my performance this year."
"He obviously gets a lot of headlines for his goals and his assists. It’s a product of being part of a great system, a great team," Collins added. "I think Leo just does the right things. A team player. He works hard for the team. We’ve always said, you do that, you get your rewards."
One players who've been rewarded more than any in Rowdy's history is forward Sebastian "Seba" Guenzatti. He has three goals in the last two games, giving him a franchise record of 63 (breaking the old record of 60).
"Since I came to this club, I had dreams of doing big things," Guenzatti said Friday. "Hopefully, I’m accomplishing that. And that’s all thanks to the fans and my teammates and everybody involved."
Seba went through a scoring drought this season, but he never pressed too hard or made the game about himself.
"We live on scoring goals," he added. "So for me, yeah, it was a tough time, but I knew I had to stay focused and give everything in training and make my teammates better. They’ve been doing an unbelievable job."
Their opponent is TBA, but the Rowdies earned the right to host their first playoff game of the postseason, and they'll play in one of the best home-field environments in the league.
"We have so much confidence playing at home," Fernandes said. "Every time we play at home in front of our fans, we always give that extra effort."
"It’s important to remember, you gotta win the first one. First of all, we’ve got a game tomorrow night, as well," added Collins when addressing the need to end the regular season on a high note. "We want to go on feeling good, as we have been and not jump another one."
The regular season finale kicks off tomorrow night when the Rowdies host New York Red Bulls II at 7:30 P.M. at Al Lang Stadium.
