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EASTERN TALKING POINTS: Rowdies’ Strength Shines as Shutout Streak Ends

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 09/27/21, 12:02PM EDT

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Memphis maintains position after draw with LouCity; OKC aiming to avoid complacency for Indy rematch


The Tampa Bay Rowdies' shutout streak ended at 891 minutes on Saturday night in Hartford, but the side again showed why it was capable of such a run in a tough game on the road. | Photo courtesy Hartford Athletic

The weekend’s action in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference brought some thrilling contests, outstanding goals and the end to a historic streak as the battle for postseason position continued. Here are five things we took away from the past three nights.

ROWDIES’ STREAK ENDS, DEFENSIVE STRENGTH STILL SHINES

The Tampa Bay Rowdies’ eight-game shutout streak wasn’t the first that Head Coach Neill Collins had been part of. As a player at Sheffield United in 2014 he was part of a streak of the same length while playing alongside current England international Harry Maguire, one that Collins described as coming “our of the blue” when it happened. By contrast, the Rowdies’ run – which ended deep in second-half stoppage time on Saturday night at 891 minutes in a 2-1 win against Hartford Athletic – was something that Collins saw the potential for with the group of players the club has assembled.

“I would say with this streak, it’s always been bubbling under the surface,” said Collins on Saturday night. “If you look at us the last two or three years, we’ve always had the potential to do that. The players have obviously performed to that level, but also maybe just a couple other things have gone for us. Coaching this team and watching this team, this one was easier to believe. The other one was just a string of events that came together. I think with this one, the players have been building on this over the last 30 or 40 games and it’s something we want to learn from. That one goal is something we’ll learn from.”

Tampa Bay had its own stresses before its game in Connecticut. Flight delays meant the team didn’t depart until after midnight on Friday night and landed in Hartford at 5 a.m. ET before the 7 p.m. kickoff on Saturday night, but the fact the side was able to put in another stellar display continued to show why they’re currently favorites to claim the Eastern Conference while holding a substantial edge on Louisville City FC for homefield advantage after LouCity dropped points against Memphis 901 FC in a 1-1 draw on Saturday. With the club’s defense as its foundation, there may be another run of this kind to come in the future.

MURPHY, MEMPHIS KEEP SPOT IN DRIVER’S SEAT

Memphis 901 FC dropped back into fifth place in the Central Division on Sunday evening after OKC Energy FC’s victory against Indy Eleven, but the side’s 1-1 draw with Louisville City FC on Saturday night at AutoZone Park that saw Kyle Murphy notch his 15th goal of the season capped a positive seven days for the side that had previously seen it claim victories against both the New York Red Bulls II and Indy. Those results meant that regardless of the result against Louisville, Memphis would be in the driver’s seat in the playoff race with two games in hand on OKC. Picking up a point against the division leaders was still a big plus for Head Coach Benn Pirmann.

“To come out of three matches in six and a half days with seven points is good,” said Pirmann. “Nobody ever likes tying, but they’re [Louisville City FC] the top team in our division. It’s a solid result, a solid outcome. We gave them a really goofy goal, but the chances in the first 60 minutes were ours.”

Murphy’s form remains arguably the biggest barometer for whether Memphis will achieve its goal of reaching the postseason in November. The forward’s 15 goals and one assist this season have seen him directly contribute to 61.5 percent of 901 FC’s 26 goals. That’s a potentially major burden to carry, but after reaching 40 regular-season goals in the Championship on Saturday night the 28-year-old has shown he’s ready to bear that with his teammate’s support.

ENERGY FC AIMS TO AVOID COMPLACENCY AFTER INDY WIN


OKC Energy FC's Villyan Bijev notched a pair of assists to lead his side to a 2-0 victory against Indy Eleven on Sunday, a result it will look to replicate when the sides meet against Wednesday night. | Photo courtesy Steven Christy / OKC Energy FC

OKC Energy FC got exactly the performance it needed on Sunday night to take a 2-0 victory against fellow playoff contender Indy Eleven at Taft Stadium as Villyan Bijev continued his excellent season with assists on goals by Jaime Chavez and Aidan Daniels to lead the team to victory. Energy FC now faces a somewhat unique circumstance, however, with the July 10 postponement of the first scheduled meeting between the teams at Taft Stadium resulting in its rescheduling for Wednesday night, setting up back-to-back meetings at the same venue between the same clubs. As good as their performance was, then, all OKC was focused on was avoiding the trap of complacency in the rematch.

“We don’t go into it on Wednesday with any complacency,” said Energy FC midfielder Charlie Ward. “Wednesday is a new challenge. We’ve got to show up and give even more than tonight to get that win and I’m sure that if we keep that mentality as a team, we’re not happy in that we won, but we’ve worked hard, we’ve recovered, we’ve got Wednesday and then after Wednesday, we’ve got Sunday.”

Energy FC is right to be wary. As poor as Indy has been in its past two outings – registering only two shots on goal and nine shots overall for a cumulative 0.67xG over the past two outings – the season may effectively be on the line for the Boys in Blue. A better performance, including a strong start to the contest, is a must for the visitors, and one OKC will need to be ready to respond to.

LEGION FC SHOW EFFICIANCY IN KEY WIN AGAINST CHARLOTTE

Facing a team on the sort of roll the Charlotte Independence was on, not only having won four consecutive games but having notched four consecutive shutouts as well, it was going to be incumbent on Birmingham Legion FC to maximize its opportunities when the sides faced off on Sunday evening at BBVA Field. The hosts accomplished just that, as while they were outshot 16-6 by the visitors, all six of Birmingham’s shots hit the target and sharp finishes by Neco Brett and Eli Crognale found the net in a 2-1 victory that pushed Legion FC to a two-win week.

“Neco’s ruthless if he gets in the box,” said Legion FC assistant coach Khano Smith. “I think he’s one of the best in the league at finishing those chances, and he’s ruthless. He’s made a really good career doing that. I don’t know if there’s many other guys in the league you want in that spot to get there and bury that chance. Eli, I mean, we aren’t surprised. We see Eli shoot like that in training every day. Eli’s got one of the most hardest and lethal strikes of the ball that we’ve seen on our team, so we tell him to shoot all the time. To be honest, I’m surprised it took this long, because the guy’s got a hell of a shot.”

Brett’s 15 goals this season have him tied for third in the Championship, and his 30 percent shot conversion rate also ranks highly among the league’s best scorers, putting him fourth among players with at least 10 goals this season. The Jamaican’s pedigree was known when he arrived at Legion FC last year, and with 24 goals in the regular season for the club in 42 games, he’s putting up serious numbers in the Magic City that continue to propel the side forward.

BATTERY GET ROLLERCOASTER OF EMOTIONS, BUT REMAIN RESOLUTE

Saturday night had to be a rollercoaster of emotions if you were a Charleston Battery fan, from the disappointment of falling into an early two-goal deficit on the road against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to the euphoria of a remarkable comeback to take the lead with less than 10 minutes to go, and the subsequent late equalizer by the Hounds that grabbed two points out of your club’s clutches. In result terms, the 3-3 draw between the longtime rivals at Highmark Stadium was one that put another dent in the Battery’s playoff chances, but it illustrated the battle the side is going to bring for the rest of the season which can still provide hope of a comeback.

“Soccer is always two teams on the field, and one is always going to be happy, the other one disappointed, it doesn’t always go your way,” said Battery forward Claudio Repetto, who scored twice on Saturday night. “The only thing you can do is manage your attitude and where you’re at. Looking at our second half, it shows a lot about our desire to get back and show people we are there to be in a playoff position. I think if we keep this attitude, we can expect some good things.”

The Battery face the challenge of taking on the Tampa Bay Rowdies in their next outing on Saturday night at Patriots Points and still face a nine-point gap to the Charlotte Independence with eight games to go in the campaign. That’s an uphill climb, but will be one worth watching as Charleston fights to the end.

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