Harrisburg was facing an uphill climb as they prepared for Saturday’s match against Tampa Bay. They were playing their second match in Florida on only two days rest, and to make matters worse most of the pregame focused on how hot and humid the conditions were in Al Lang Stadium. The City Islanders have played in hot conditions on short rest before, but it has never impacted their performance as much as it did Saturday night.
Things started out poorly for Tampa Bay as they were forced to make a substitution in the seventh minute when Joe Cole went down with a lower back issue.