ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rowdies are back for their last appearance of the season in the 2021 USL Championship Final.
The Rowdies are no stranger to the Championship Final. The team won the title in 2019 and was set to play in the Final in 2020 when an outbreak of COVID-19 led to the cancellation of the game. The Rowdies, along with Phoenix Rising FC, were declared co-champions as a result.
This year, the Rowdies are back and better than ever, winning the Eastern Conference title in an exciting 3-2 victory over Louisville City FC. In the first half of the match, the Rowdies fell behind by two goals. However, the tables turned in the second half, with Rowdies’ striker Lucky Mkosana scoring two goals, one in the sixth minute of stoppage time, seconds before the game ended.
After tying up the game and sending it into extra time, Rowdies’ striker Steevan Dos Santos scored the winning goal, sending the team to the USL Championship Final.
After an outstanding season with 23 wins, one short of the league record, the Rowdies also had four of its players selected for the USL’s All-League Teams. Forrest Lasso, Evan Louro, and Sebastian Guenzatti were named to the All-League First Team. Aaron Guillen was named to the All-League Second Team.
Earlier this week, the USL Championship announced its finalists for the 2021 USL Championship Awards. The awards consist of five categories, honoring the league’s top performers. This year, four Rowdies members have been nominated in the following categories:
- Defender of the Year: Forrest Lasso
- Goalkeeper of the Year: Evan Louro
- Most Valuable Player: Sebastian Guenzatti
- Coach of the Year: Neill Collins
To celebrate the upcoming Championship Final, the city of Tampa says it will light up the skyline in green and yellow on Friday and Saturday nights in support of the Rowdies.
The Eastern Conference champions will take on Orange County SC at Al Lang Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 28 at 8:30 p.m. The game will air on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. You can find tickets to the game here.
