The weather was far from ideal in the first Florida Derby matchup of the year, but the overhauled pitch at Al Lang and retooled Rowdies roster withstood the downpour from above and visiting Strikers to earn a 1-0 victory, inching closer to the first-place Cosmos in the Spring title race.

“It wasn’t just another game, because I knew the importance of this game in terms of the standings, in terms of being at home and in terms of knowing that it would be in front of a great crowd. A win for us, to stay in the hunt with three games left, was the most important thing.” Rowdies Head Coach Thomas Rongen said.

After looking rather tame in last week’s scoreless draw with Ottawa, the Rowdies looked to be back on the right attacking track. Georgi Hristov returning from suspension, with his physicality and intelligence compared to last week’s midfield performers, was a key factor in the return to form.

Perhaps an even bigger element, though, was Richard Menjivar’s marked improvement. With another week of training under his belt after the trade with San Antonio, the midfielder appears to be finding his niche quite well. Menjivar was energetic on defense, made selfless runs to open up lanes for teammates, and was excellent at maintaining possession. That last bit is an area where the Rowdies have struggled many times this season.

Since Keith Savage’s season-ending injury in week one, Thomas Rongen has been experimenting to find the right midfield partner for Marcelo Saragosa. If Menjivar keeps showing like he did in this match, Rongen may be able to call off the search.

Likely the most encouraging aspect of the game was the Rowdies possession wasn’t meaningless. For the most part, there was a purpose and a plan when players had the ball at their feet. The attacking unit of Hristov, Martin Núñez, Robert Hernandez, and Maicon Santos pressured the visiting keeper and back line early on, something the team has not done often this season.

Hernandez and Núñez had the Rowdies first real scoring chance of the night in the 14th minute. After a lovely sequence of passing that began at midfield, Núñez had a good look on goal with David Meves off his line. Meves, though, closed down the angle and stopped the shot with his chest. The block fell to Hernandez, who attempted to sneak an attempt between Meves’ legs but was denied.

Hernandez was the player to break the scoreless deadlock, finding the back of the net on another rebound opportunity in the 55th minute. The slippery conditions led to a miscued clearance by former Rowdies captain and current Fort Lauderdale defender Frankie Sanfilippo. Hristov pounced on the giveaway and played a cross on the ground into the box to find Maicon Santos. The Brazilian was marked but trapped the ball well and used his big body well to shield the ball from his defender while turning to face goal. He then fired off a shot that Meves made a diving block on, which fell right to Hernandez for the easy open-goal finish.

The tally was Hernandez’s first goal in a Rowdies shirt, a relief to the young Venezuelan who had dealt with injury the past few weeks and failed to impress much in the final third when he was on the field.

“It was very emotional,” Hernandez. “There were a couple of games where I wasn’t able to score so this was good. Now that I’ve scored one, there should be more to come.”

The Rowdies could benefit greatly if they were to gain a consistent goal scorer outside of Santos. Rongen believes that Hernandez still has some maturing when it comes to his final touch, but admits that the young Venezuelan has a ton of upside.

“[Hernandez] can stretch defenses because of his dribble-penetration and speed,” said Rongen. “He’s not yet where he needs to be from a tactical standpoint.. But as a young twenty-year-old, he’s very gifted. There’s certain things I can’t teach, and his speed is sprinters speed. For him to get a goal was pretty cool.

Santos, the Rowdies leading scorer had a relatively quiet first half after sitting out the Ottawa match with a thigh injury. Fort Lauderdale seemed to put emphasis on double-teaming, sometimes even triple-teaming, the target-man when the ball was played to him on the ground.

The forward did flub two golden opportunities to score in the second half. The first came just a minute before Hernandez’s goal. Left back Ben Sweat whipped in a perfect curling cross that Santos had ample time to prepare for, but the ball somehow sailed right past Santos’ head without any contact made. The second came in the 60th minute, when Hernandez streaked toward the box, drawing defenders in to him, and slotted a perfectly weighted ball to an unmarked Santos. When he attempted to trap the pass, though, the ball rolled right under his foot and out for a goal kick.

Despite the missed opportunities, the Rowdies back line was up to the task of making the most out of a lone goal. Darnell King, with support from his teammates, did an excellent job shutting down midfielder PC all game. Sweat, with less pressure coming down his side, was free to move up the field and occasionally cause some havoc in the Strikers end of the field.

Center backs Tamika Mkandawire and Stefan Antonijevic had another admirable performance, forcing a frustrated Strikers side to settle for a handful of shots from 30 yards out. The only true scare came in the 75th minute. Second half substitute Aly Hassan slipped behind the back four to earn a one on one with Pickens, but was swiftly dealt with by a perfectly timed tackle from behind by Antonijevic to sweep the ball away.

“We’ve just been playing super, super well collectively on the defensive side of the ball. We’re hard to break down,” keeper Matt Pickens said. “We know each other’s tendencies, keep our lines tight and we just limit their chances. When you do that you get a good shot at keeping a zero on the board.”

The win was a big step for the Rowdies in their quest to return the Coastal Cup to Tampa Bay. They now have a three-point lead over the Strikers and a six point lead over Jacksonville Armada FC for the intrastate competition. The three points are also critical for the team as it heads into its bye week. The Rowdies were able to close the Cosmos’ gap three points and regain sole possession of second place on the Spring table. Before returning to league action on May 30 in Indianapolis, the Rowdies will take the field on May 27 for the US Open Cup.

IMAGE, TAMPA BAY ROWDIES