Everything you need to know as Miami FC heads to USL playoff game vs Tampa Bay Rowdies
South Florida soccer fans looking for a team to rally around now that the Inter Miami season is over can turn their attention to Miami FC, which opens the USL Championship Playoffs on the road Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Miami FC is coached by former Inter Miami assistant Anthony Pulis, who replaced Paul Dalglish this season. The team peaked in recent weeks with a 9-2-4 record during the past 15 matches and is undefeated (4-0-1) against playoff teams during that stretch. Miami finished in sixth place in the Eastern Conference of USL, the second-tier U.S. league behind MLS.
The defense carried the team with 17 clean sheets in 34 games. The only team with as many shutouts was first-place San Antonio FC. Miami goalkeeper Connor Sparrow recorded 12 of those shutouts over 23 appearances but had hip injury recently and is out for the playoffs. Jake McGuire stepped in and kept five teams scoreless across 11 games.
Miami defenders Paco Craig, Callum Chapman-Page, Aeden Stanley and Mark Segbers also contributed to the team’s success. Craig, a native of England, is the son of Mikey Craig, the bass player for Boy George’s 1980s pop band Culture Club.
The attack is led by forward Kyle Murphy, who has 10 goals. Winger Joaquin Rivas, a member of El Salvador’s national team, has been hot of late with four goals and one assist in his past five games. Canadian forward Adonijah Reid has also scored in critical moments late in the season.
“We’re pleased with where we’re at coming into the playoffs,” Pulis said. “Me coming in at the start of the year, certain players were inherited and we signed a number of new players, so I knew it would take time for everything to jell and come together. Sometimes you go through ups and downs, some sticky patches. We tried to remain consistent in our process.”
Miami and Tampa played twice this season and split the series. Miami beat Tampa 1-0 on the road in April, one of Tampa’s only two home losses at Al Lang Stadium and lost 2-1 at FIU Stadium in June.
“We know Tampa’s going to be a tough game. They are one of the powerhouses in USL,” Pulis said. “We know it’s a difficult ask, but we’ve been there once and won, so we are confident going into it. There aren’t many teams that have gone there and won.”
Pulis has enjoyed his first year at the helm of the club, despite the challenges.
“I knew it would be a difficult job,” he said. “Any time you have a good amount of turnover in a roster you know it’s going to take time for your ideas to set in. The biggest thing is the stress levels. The two years at Inter Miami as an assistant were certainly less stressful. I’ve enjoyed the responsibility, making decisions, building a culture.”
Among the challenges was the transition from MLS to USL.
“There’s a lot of things thrown at you at this level that you don’t have in the MLS, purely because you don’t have as many staff members, resources, training facilities, travel resources. In MLS those things I probably took for granted a little bit where here it’s back down to Earth with a bump, but in a good way because it means you’re involved in everything. Hopefully it will stand me in good stead for the future.”
Fans are invited to a watch party at Fritz and Franz Bierhaus in Coral Gables (60 Merrick Way). Festivities begin at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 12:38 PM.