FC Tampa Bay coach Ricky Hill saw Saturday's regular-season finale as an opportunity to build momentum heading to the playoffs. His team did its part, topping Fort Lauderdale 2-0 in front of 3,226 at Al Lang Stadium.
"It was important for us to get three points tonight. It's important psychologically for the players," said Hill, whose team lost to Puerto Rico and tied Minnesota in its previous two games. "Jeff (Attinella) had a clean sheet (Saturday), which always helps with goalkeepers, so it's the best feeling we could have."
With the win, FC Tampa Bay secured the third seed in the NASL playoffs, and will host Minnesota at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the single-elimination quarterfinal.
After a scoreless first half, things got interesting. In the 51st minute, Fort Lauderdale defender Cristian Arrieta was sent off with a red card after a hard tackle on Tsuyoshi Yoshitake near the sideline.
The home team took advantage soon after, as midfielder Shane Hill, from around midfield, lobbed a beautiful pass to an open Keith Savage, who sneaked past the defense and beat goalkeeper Matt Glaeser for his fourth goal of the year.
Matt Clare tacked on an insurance goal in the 91st minute.
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