By Brian McLaughlin

Rowdies Observer

I loved last year’s team. Who doesn’t love Joe Cole? And Hristov? And Marcel? And Rozeboom, etc etc etc? Of course we all loved them, just like Matt Pickens and the rest of the crew that departed after 2017.

But dude, I’m one month in and I’m hooked on this crew. As a former marking back myself, I love the suffocating defense. And the approach here obviously was to use that defense to let the offense find its chemistry — and then tonight we get it with this 4-0 Tampa Bay Rowdies win over Hartford.

It could have been 8-0, I think anybody watching would agree with that.

Chemistry is such a tough subject, as those of us learned in school. Finding that perfect mixture is a bitch, who are we kidding? It works the same way in sports. We’ve seen it in every sports imaginable. You think you can take a bunch of All Stars and glue them together and win? And then you find out … WRONG.

Then you get this Rowdies crew, which is almost completely reborn after 2018 … and they just seem to love being out there together. The chemist is Rowdies manager Neill Collins, who a year ago was wearing the jersey. Incredible work.

This team has played five matches and lost none. It has 11 USL Championship points and has conceded only one goal, while scoring eight. They clamp down and strangle opponents, both on the field and mentally. Tonight you could tell the Rowdies were facing an expansion club … and club the club they did.

Again, it easily could have been 8-0.

Yes, it’s early, but that was fun to watch … and who couldn’t be stoked to see David Najem step in and literally 2 minutes into his substitution bury the goal that put this 3 points away? What a moment.

Lots’ of fun. See you all next week at the stadium.

A raise of the Green and Gold chalice tonight in Tampa Bay …