Three Rowdies Named To NASL Best XI

Tampa Bay Rowdies goalkeeper Jeff Attinella, defender Takuya Yamada and midfielder/forward Luke Mulholland have been named to the North American Soccer League Best XI Team for 2012.

Attinella finished second in the league with a goals-against average of 1.07. Attinella’s 11 shutouts in the regular season helped the Rowdies give up only 30 goals, tied for second fewest in the NASL. He earned five NASL Defensive Player of the Week awards, most by a defensive player in the NASL this season and tied for most overall with San Antonio’s Pablo Campos, who has claimed the offensive award five times.

Yamada is currently the longest tenured Rowdies player having signed with the club prior to the inaugural 2010 season. In 2012, he led the league with 2,520 minutes played, starting in all 28 regular season matches. Scoring three goals and adding one assist in the regular season, Yamada showed both his offensive and defensive talents. He was named NASL Defensive Player of the week on September 10, after scoring in the 1-1 draw at home on September 8 against Atlanta.

Mulholland played in 26 matches in the regular season, with 25 starts. He is fourth on the team with five goals, and is tied for second in the squad with five assists. His most notable goal came at home on June 23 against the Scorpions, when he curled an outstanding free kick into the top corner of the net leveling the score at 2-2 in the last minute of play, setting the stage for a dramatic 3-2 win for the Rowdies.

With three players each, the Rowdies and the Scorpions are tied for most representatives named to the 2012 NASL Best XI. Additionally, Tampa Bay was awarded the NASL Fair Play Award for the second consecutive year on September 27, and last week Rowdies head coach Ricky Hill was awarded the 2012 NASL Coach of the Year Award.

Last Saturday, the Rowdies defeated the Carolina Railhawks 2-1 in the first leg of the NASL Semifinals at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

The Rowdies will host Carolina in the second leg of the NASL Semifinals on Saturday, October 13 at Al Lang Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available starting at $12. For more information and for discounted tickets, call our front office at 813.287.1539 or log on to RowdiesSoccer.com!