HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — After a slow start to the season, the Tampa Bay Rowdies have won three straight games to pull their record to 4-4-2. This week, head coach Neill Collins decided to give his team a recovery day. Players took a break from regular practice to save their legs and get hydrated.
"When the players put in the effort that they did in training yesterday, the amount of intensity that they used, you then gotta think, 'How do we get them ready to show the same intensity on Saturday?'" Collins said.
"Any day that we can get a little bit of time off and then get back to it the next day is perfect for us," added midfielder Dayonn Harris. "Our bodies need it, that rehydration. We all need it. So it's very beneficial."
Forward J.J. Williams is hitting his stride during the team's hot streak. The first-year Rowdy is coming off a hat trick in Tampa Bay's 5-1 romp of Detroit.
"For me, it's just trying to be in the right place at the right time," Williams explained Thursday. "The job for me is to make sure I finish off plays, end plays. None of that matters if my teammates don't continue to put me in great spots. So all the thanks is to them, really."
"It's always good to have those guys in the [penalty box]," Harris said." So you know that they'll finish those crosses."
The Rowdies are still juggling a new-look roster, but Williams thinks the different pieces are starting to mesh at the right time.
"We have so much more to accomplish, especially with our potential. We are not even close to scratching the surface with that," Williams continued. "So I'm excited to see that whenever we finally do start to scratch the surface- where that takes us."
"Big expectations is always about the intensity and the work ethic," Collins added. "And I think we've seen that in the last two or three weeks, and if we can keep that at that level, then the results will be a byproduct of that."
The Rowdies travel to Texas to take on Rio Grande Valley FC on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 8:30 P.M.
