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Rowdies ready to make good on second shot at USL Championship title

COVID-19 issues a year ago canceled the final. Now only Orange County SC stands in Tampa Bay’s way.
 
Steevan Dos Santos, who had the winning goal in overtime, passes the ball to a teammate against Louisville City FC during the USL Championship Eastern Conference Final last Saturday.
Steevan Dos Santos, who had the winning goal in overtime, passes the ball to a teammate against Louisville City FC during the USL Championship Eastern Conference Final last Saturday. [ LUIS SANTANA | Times ]
Published Nov. 27, 2021

ST. PETERSBURG — It’s not that the Tampa Bay Rowdies didn’t deserve inclusion in the “Champa Bay” group alongside the Bucs, Lightning and Rays last season. After all, there was no actual USL Championship final, so the Rowdies’ Eastern Conference title was as near to a title as they could come.

But the positive COVID-19 results on the Tampa Bay side prevented the final from taking place, and one of the Rowdies’ team leaders acknowledges there’s still a sense of having something to prove.

“It’s been an elephant in the room, in this league, in this club,” said Forrest Lasso, a standout on the league’s best defense. “There’s no hiding from that. We definitely think about it, but we did all the hard work to get to the point of having another championship opportunity. And we’re focused on Sunday and getting the job done.”

The Rowdies host Orange County SC on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (TV: ESPN), and the job won’t be easy. Then again neither was the situation that faced Tampa Bay last weekend: trailing 2-0 with 10 minutes remaining before a comeback to defeat Louisville 3-2 in overtime.

That second straight Eastern Conference defeat, of a Louisville side that had made the previous three USL finals, has Tampa Bay (26-7-2) the clear favorite. But Orange County is on a tremendous run and has shown flair for the dramatic with consecutive penalty-kick victories to win the Western Conference.

“Orange County the last two or three months have been very difficult to beat,” said Rowdies coach Neill Collins. “They’ve not conceded many goals. We’re going to have to be at our best. ... They’re very much a collective, well-coached team.”

Coaching has been no small part of the Orange County run. Richard Chaplow, an assistant the previous three years, was named interim head coach midway through the season as the club parted ways with Braeden Cloutier, its leader since 2017. At the time Orange County was 7-7-5, winning just one of its last five and hanging on to the last playoff spot in the Pacific Division.

Since an Oct. 9 loss at Tacoma, Orange County has been on an eight-match win streak, allowing just two goals. Last year Orange County failed to make the playoffs, but as recently as 2018 reached the Western final, a team that Chaplow captained in his final year as a player.

“He changed a lot, the mentality part, the work ethic. Train like you’re going to play… guiding us, every session and not letting any details skip,” said Orange County center back Michael Orozco, a former USA national team player, of Chaplow. “...He changed our culture and that’s why the team is performing the way they are.”

Rowdies defender Forrest Lasso battles for a header during a 1-0 victory over Hartford in the regular season.
Rowdies defender Forrest Lasso battles for a header during a 1-0 victory over Hartford in the regular season. [ SCOTT PURKS | Scott Purks, Special to the Times ]

Orozco’s comments about Orange County’s overall defensive approach mirror the Rowdies, likely no coincidence as Chaplow and Collins are fellow Brits and former teammates. They both played for Preston North End in England just over a decade ago.

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“I wasn’t teammates with him for long, seven to eight months because I wasn’t very good that season,” Collins said. “Funny guy, great teammate. The type of midfielder that I like to have on our team, kind of closer to (Tampa Bay starter) Lewis Hilton. Me and Chappie were close. It’s great to have the chance to play against each other in such a big game.”

Collins and Chaplow have kept in touch throughout their coaching journeys, and the Orange County leader’s comments similarly flatter Collins. “Great guy, I think competitor is a word for him,” Chaplow said. “Fiercely competitive in everything he does. We know that his team has those values as well.”

While both teams are capable of winning with defense, they also possess big-time scoring threats. Rowdies captain Sebastian Guenzatti has 22 goals this year, and Steevan Dos Santos’ overtime winner against Louisville gave him a career-best 12.

Orange County only has one player with more than four goals but he is dangerous; Haiti national player Ronaldo Damus has 16 tallies, including both of Orange County’s playoff scores.

“Damus has been very exciting to watch. We’re going to have to keep an eye on him,” Collins said.

Goalkeeping could be a big factor. Orange County’s Patrick Rakovsky has made 25 saves during the team’s win streak, including a key penalty stop vs. Oakland in the West semis. Five of the wins have been by 1-0 scores, and the Oakland game went scoreless through 120 minutes.

For the Rowdies, keeper Evan Louro is a game-day decision. He injured himself during the post-match celebration, his leg landing awkwardly, which could mean Raiko Arozarena — brother of the Rays’ Randy Arozarena — gets the start under the most pressure-packed of circumstances.

Al Lang Stadium will be sold out for the final. Lasso and Co. hope to bring fans and the franchise another championship, and not just one of the conference variety.

“I mean it was unreal (last week), one of the best atmospheres I’ve been a part of in my entire life,” Lasso said. “...Everyone this side of the U.S. on the East Coast is trying to come to this game, because they can feel the energy and the spirit.”