Memphis 901 FC @ Tampa Bay Rowdies preview: another wild one on-deck?

Memphis 901 FC’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is three. Three points is all the Beale Street Boys need to make their third straight playoff appearance. With four games left in the regular season, their chances seem quite good. Even better, is that 901 FC has managed to get points in four of their last five games. That point streak has allowed them to climb into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, which, should they stay there, would mean hosting a coveted home playoff game. And the final push for that third straight playoff berth begins against a team 901 FC just beat a few weeks ago: the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The last meeting between Memphis 901 FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies was a wild affair. Even before kickoff things were weird as Tampa manager Nicky Law did not make the trip and managing in his absence was Stuart Dobson. Once the game got under way, Tampa eventually took the lead in the 20th minute. But just eight minutes later, Rodrigo Da Costa equalized and Memphis went into the locker room tied at 1-1. Seven minutes into the second half, Tampa once again took the lead. But for some reason, they were not content to sit on their 2-1 lead and continued to play wide open which left them exposed at the back. 901 FC duly took advantage through Jeremy Kelly in the 88th minute. That’s when things got weird. First, interim Tampa coach Stuart Dobson was cautioned and shown a yellow card for arguing about a foul call at midfield. Dobson then decided to have an impromptu tryout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL and kicked a water bottle past the dugout and was duly sent off and shown a red card. Memphis was then awarded a penalty that Aaron Molloy stepped up to take and redeem his miss in the playoffs against Tampa last year. His shot was saved but there was a wild scramble for the rebound and the ball found its way into the goal for a 3-2 901 FC lead. And that was the end of, what perhaps, was the turning point of the remainder of the season for Memphis.

Since giving away the game against Memphis, Tampa has played two games. They had a home game against Louisville City that they were able to win by a score of 2-1 on the back of two goals by former 901 FC player Cal Jennings. Following the home win against Louisville, they went on the road to San Antonio and had an experience eerily similar to their loss to Memphis. They took a 3-2 lead in the 81st minute only to concede an equalizer in the 92nd minute. And while Memphis is looking to lock up a playoff spot, Tampa is looking to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference, as they sit just three points behind Pittsburgh with 54 points to the Riverhounds 57.