ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – In an open letter to supporters, Tampa Bay Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins has expressed his pride at what the club was able to accomplish in the 2020 Championship season, including claiming the club’s first Eastern Conference title as it dethroned Louisville City FC to earn its first silverware since joining the Championship before the 2017 season.

Now at the helm of the Rowdies for the past two-and-a-half year, Collins also wrote of his admiration for the squad the club had now at its disposal, with tenured leaders including captain Sebastian Guenzatti and Leo Fernandes this year having been joined by a strong crop of newcomers, including newly crowned 2020 Championship Defender of the Year Forrest Lasso.

“Two years ago, I penned an open letter to you and promised I would do everything in my power to put a team on the field worthy of our fantastic club,” Collins wrote. “I can confidently say that this set of players are befitting of the jersey. Without their professionalism and discipline off the field this season would not even have been possible.

“This group of guys have made unbelievable personal sacrifices in order to give themselves the best chance to succeed on the field. They do not just represent our club for the ninety minutes they are on the field but twenty-four seven and they have taken that responsibility very seriously.”

The Rowdies missed out on the opportunity to claim the second league title of their modern era due to the cancellation of last Sunday’s USL Championship Final against Phoenix Rising FC, but the success the club was able to achieve during the regular season and playoffs has Collins looking eagerly toward the 2021 season at Al Lang Stadium.

“While we come to the end of this season as far as I am concerned it is only the start of more success in the years to come,” Collins wrote. “If anything, the disappointment of the past weekend has made us even more determined to make sure we find ourselves challenging for trophies every year.

“Thanks again for playing your part in a successful season and I look forward to a day in the near future where our stadium is full and we can enjoy watching our great team in action together once again.”