Two old flames rekindled their relationship Saturday evening at Al Lang Stadium, as the Tampa Bay Rowdies beat the Indy Eleven 3-1 to grab an important three points in the USL Eastern Conference table.

The two clubs were former acquaintances in the currently on-hiatus NASL. Tampa departed for the USL following the 2016 season, the last time the teams met. The Eleven followed suit a year later, making the jump after their 2017 campaign.

The victory moved the Rowdies up the conference table to just two points shy of the all-important top eight in the conference, and three points behind Indy. Here are three keys that led to the result:

ROWDIES’ ATTACK UP RIGHT SIDE

Junior Flemmings regularly found space and burned Indy up the right side. His excellent individual foray forward combined with keen vision led to Tampa’s opener. After dribbling a great distance, Flemmings found Stefano Bonomo alone in behind the defense with an incisive pass, and Bonomo calmly slotted the ball home at the near post.

Several Tampa Bay players turned in over-par shifts, but Flemmings proved the key that truly unlocked the left side of Indy’s midfield and defense. His late header goal on a cross from Georgi Hristov cemented his man-of-the-match showing and, more importantly for the Rowdies, the win.

NOT ENOUGH BEYOND STARIKOV

Eugene Starikov was a beastly creature all over the pitch for Indy. He used his low center of gravity and upper-body strength to win balls and shield off defenders, often while dropping deep to help out in the midfield.

🗳️ Time now to vote for your Cornerstone Family Dentistry Man of the Match for #TBRvIND#ElevenForever — Indy Eleven (@IndyEleven) July 22, 2018

Beyond Starikov though, no Eleven player positively impacted the game on a consistent-enough basis. The other guys listed in Indy’s Twitter poll delivered workmanlike efforts and had their moments, but no one else’s physicality and work rate stamped an imprint on the match quite like Starikov’s. He also added his team’s lone goal, but would’ve still been Indy’s man of the match without it.

The former Cosmos attacker has been in fine summer form since returning after missing a string of games with a knock in the spring. He’s made a strong case to head coach Martin Rennie to leave him as a staple in the starting XI.

QUALITY CHANCES AND A LITTLE LUCK

The match stats were quite even across the board. Both sides finished with exactly 13 total shots, and both put four on frame. The possession battle was neck and neck at 52-48 Rowdies, with the hosts also stringing a few more passes together.

The difference between them was in the meat and potatoes. Flemmings’ pass to Bonomo set up a virtual tap in, and the former’s header also developed from being afforded too much space and leverage to elevate after an excellent chipped pass from Hristov. So, while Indy recorded the same number of shots on target, the edge in quality of chances went to the Rowdies and ended up making all the difference.

Of course, a stroke of luck also goes a long way. The Rowdies’ second strike was just that, as an attempted clearance by Indy defender Kevin Venegas ricocheted off Hristov and in, putting the Eleven on their heels early facing a daunting two-goal deficit.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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