ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rowdies are going for a third straight Eastern Conference title in the USL Championship.
The Rowdies did enough to win their post-season opener with a 3-1 victory over Miami FC on Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium.
Midfielder Nicky Law scored the go-ahead, game-winning goal.
“I’m just trying to do my best,” Law said. “Do what the manager brought me in to do. That makes an impact in these games toward the end of the season.”
Big moments, like that playoff goal, are the reasons why Tampa Bay made a trade for Law, who began his career in the prestigious Premier League.
“Nicky is a top player. He has a lot of experience,” midfielder Lewis Hilton said. “He’s come in and really has enjoyed being his teammate. He’s so calm, so technical, and has a good brain.”
Law, 34, is in his 17th season of professional soccer.
“Nicky, the last few weeks particularly, scored a big goal at Monetary, scored a great goal here,” head coach Neill Collins said. “On top of that, he’s brought great calmness, great composure; he’s a very good player. When you couple that with experience, he’s a man for the big moments.”
With each win, those moments get even bigger as the Rowdies run toward another conference title. Their next challenge is Saturday on the road at Memphis in the conference semifinal.
“They finished above us by one point,” Law said. “That gives you an idea of how evenly matched the two sides are.”
“We’ve been chasing them all season because they started so hot,” Collins added. “We’ve won a game a piece. We won at home, they won at home.”
“That’s why you play games like this for the opportunity to play for trophies and win games like this. Just looking forward to it,” Hilton said.
Tampa Bay and Memphis kick off at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 29.
