As a former coach once told me in the rain, “It’s a lovely day for football.”
I think he was right, and the Rowdies probably agreed as well.
It was a rain-soaked evening that turned into a goal-soaked evening after the Rowdies won 2-0 thanks to two goals from Joe Cole, but coach Stuart Campbell gave all the credit to the fans.
"I need to thank the fans," Campbell said. "When we missed the penalty kick in the first half, it would have been easy to sit there and think, 'Oh no. Here we go again.' But they didn't. Straightaway the fans were back at it. They galvanized the team and the players bounced back."
And here lies more proof that soccer is the greatest fan-driven sport out there:
The Rowdies have struggled to find goals in recent matches, having not scored a goal before Saturday since the 14th minute of the game on August 13. Imagine a team in another sport not scoring a single point in two-and-a-half games. Crazy. Yet 5,000 of the Bay area’s most faithful braved the weather and made their way to the match Saturday night.
Al Lang’s capacity is 7,000. Even with 5,000 fans, that’s a 71 percent capacity for a game after a rain storm, for a team that didn’t score for 317 minutes. Not bad. The Trop has a capacity of roughly 37,000 — not including the 5,000 or so seats covered by the tarp — and they average about 16,000. You can do the math on that.
After Joe Cole’s missed penalty in the first half, the stadium erupted with song to stand behind the team. A crowd rendition of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” topped off the night and let the team know they have just what we need. And that’s how they celebrate when the Rowdies don’t score.
Two goals later, both from Cole, were both marked with the green and yellow smoke-filled air. Flags — from all over and nearly outnumbering people — are waved to show support of the team, the city and players. I’ve been to Bucs games, Rays games and Lightning games. All fun as hell, but no other fans compare to the excitement shown when the Rowdies score a goal. This is how the world celebrates sports.
“[Ralph’s Mob] have never let me down,” Campbell said after the match. “That’s why I have to keep thanking them.”
The win came at a crucial moment. Rowdies’ owner and well-known knee-jerker, Bill Edwards, has a history of dismissing head coaches prematurely. If he followed his pattern, Campbell’s time may have been up after another loss. But Edwards took a different approach this week and reportedly had a sit-down with the team.
“He had a good chat with us during the week,” Cole said. He’s right behind us and the manager and everything we’re doing here.”
With a mouth full of chicken, rice and beans from Ciccio’s, Cole claims the team is anxious in front of the goal and is the reason for the scoring problems, and he is no exception.
“It was a bad penalty, man. Bad penalty,” Cole said of his own missed penalty kick. “I changed my mind at the last minute. That sums us up. We’re playing well, but anxious in front of goal.”
We need to get that man some more Ciccio’s. Keep the goal streak alive.
Rowdies spend the next two weeks on the road but return on September 17.
This article appears in Aug 25 – Sep 1, 2016.
