FENTON, Mo. (March 24, 2019) – At some point, it was bound to end, right? The Tampa Bay Rowdies bid for a full season without conceding a single goal came up 32 games short Saturday afternoon, but a road point against Saint Louis FC actually saw the Rowdies move up a place in the standings.

Here’s Three Things from the 1-1 draw…

1. Still unbeaten
No one thought the Rowdies would go through a season with 34 wins from 34 games, but they did pass another major road test Saturday afternoon at Toyota Stadium in a matchup of perfect sides. Saint Louis FC, which had beaten preseason contenders Indy Eleven and Nashville SC in the opening weeks of the season was looking for another big scalp to add to its collection.

When the home team scored off a well-taken free kick in the 26th minute, it was the first real adversity the Rowdies have had to face this year. Prior to that goal, Tampa Bay hadn’t conceded a goal yet in 206 minutes of play in 2019. Down a goal, on the road against a skilled opponent, the Rowdies could have stalled out and fallen to a somewhat forgivable defeat.

Instead, the Rowdies didn’t skip a beat after conceding. Tampa Bay had to wait until late in the match to get its well-deserved equalizer, but the Rowdies were the stronger side for most of the match. Both teams recorded 11 total shots (three on goal apiece), but it never really felt like Saint Louis FC would add another goal. Apart from set pieces, the Rowdies didn’t look vulnerable at all, even with a retooled defensive lineup to account for Shawn Barry’s absence due to international duty.

Caleb Richards, who had played on the left side of a three centerback unit moved to right wingback, Tarek Morad switched to the opposite side of the three and Mohamed Kone made his Rowdies debut.

After Tampa Bay’s season-opening 1-0 win over Memphis 901 FC, a lot was said about how the Rowdies sat compact defensively and weathered the storm. The Rowdies used a different approach against Saint Louis, dominating the ball in the second half and controlling the tempo of the match.

2. Flexibility on display
Chasing a 1-0 deficit, Head Coach Neill Collins turned to his bench early, inserting Juan Tejada in Brandon Allen’s place in the 60th minute. Tejada joined Sebastian Guenzatti in the strike partnership, but things were shaken up again just four minutes later. Antoine Hoppenot, a forward, replaced Mohamed Kone, a centerback, and the Rowdies reshaped the positioning on the fly. Caleb Richards took Kone’s spot on the back line, Tejada moved to the right wingback spot Richards vacated and Hoppenot joined Guenzatti on the front line.

Even as players moved around, making it harder for Saint Louis FC to get too comfortable in their assignments, the Rowdies stayed on the front foot. Tejada looked totally comfortable as a wingback and made a huge impact on the match even from a position he hadn’t played yet in a match, though he has practiced there often.

Collins used all three substitutes on forwards but the Rowdies still looked secure enough defensively that it didn’t even seem risky to do away from home.

Just three weeks into the season, it looks like the Rowdies have a roster full of players that can be highly versatile, making it harder than ever to predict lineups.

3.  A dominant fifteen minutes
The Rowdies needed a penalty kick to level the match in the 75th minute, but a goal was clearly coming one way or another as Tampa Bay took full control of the match from the 60th minute to the 75th.

For that quarter of an hour midway through the second half, while the Rowdies were making their first two substitutions and reshaping the lineup, it was pure dominance from the visitors.

Tampa Bay had the ball for more than 80 percent of that segment of the match and more than a third of it was spent in Saint Louis’ defensive third. The ball only came into the Rowdies end for 13 percent of those 15 minutes. That kind of aggression away from home, down a goal in the second half, tells us something about this Rowdies team.

Had the penalty kick not been given, the Rowdies may not have had to wait too much longer for an equalizer anyway.