The final nail in the coffin came on Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium. While the Tampa Bay Lightning were soundly beating the Ottawa Senators, the Rowdies drew the Ottawa Fury 1-1 in an injury-laden, red-card baring, Canada vs. America showdown that essentially left both teams losers in the end.
“It was eventful,” Coach Stuart Campbell said after the match. “It’s going to take a while to digest this.”
The season couldn’t end without a bang to send it off. But the only bang we heard was another shot to the heart when Eric Avila went down in significant pain after a taking a sloppy tackle from behind. Unconfirmed reports from the Rowdies staff say he fractured his ankle on the inside and outside portions of the bone.
“I knew it was bad because he stayed down and I saw how distressed he was on the pitch, Campbell said. “I’m absolutely devastated for the boy because he was having a fantastic season.”
While plenty of paramedics tended to Avila on the field, there was an obvious lack of them in the stands. This was proven by a young man who during this stoppage of play fell off the bleachers and split his noggin. Luckily for him, he was tended to by the beer man and a security guard before more medics could be found to give him a Civil-war style head bandage that I’m sure he will rock proudly on his way to school Monday morning. As for Avila, he was stretched off the field.
Goalkeeper Matt Pickens had a few choice words for the referee after not issuing a red card to the assailant.
“The refs just need to do a better job. Obviously it was a foul. You go excessively though someone, that’s a red card,” Pickens said. “We even told him ‘now you’re setting a tone, expect something to happen, this is a grown man’s game’.”
The Rowdies teased fans with a glimmer of hope in the second half. Georgi Hristov scored his 11th goal of the season in the opening minutes, but one goal wasn’t enough. Story of our season.
“Our problem has been — and you can see it up to the virtually last bloody kick of the game — not scoring goals. Right in front of goal. Six yards out. And we don’t do it,” Campbell said. “The amount of opportunities we create in a game and don’t capitalize on them; it’s been a broken record.”
Hristov finished the match in the locker room after being sent off in the final minutes. Joining him was Ottawa defender Eddie Edward (his real name), leaving the teams looking like a beer-league match were not enough players showed up. 22 players ended with 19, but hey, the season’s over.
The draw with the already-eliminated Ottawa side officially eliminated the Rowdies from playoff contention. They will play a compensation match in Jacksonville to finish off the season this Saturday.
“If there’s anybody that doesn’t deserve that tonight was you lot in the stands,” Campbell said after the match. “You were great and that’s what makes it even worse.”
But the biggest news is yet to come.
USL offices are in Tampa and are currently petitioning the United States Soccer Federation to become America’s second division league, and bump the NASL to third. Confirmation of the Rowdies’ joining the league could come this week.
The club has not issued a comment.
This article appears in Oct 20-27, 2016.