We marched into the stadium for the USL Championship (https://www.uslsoccer.com/usl-championship) match between Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) and Tampa Bay Rowdies. Saint Louis scored in the 26th minute to take the lead; however, Tampa Bay equalized from the penalty spot in 50 minutes later. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, and the two teams stood atop the Eastern Conference table. (Tampa Bay is ahead on goal difference.) It was disappointing to settle for a draw when we had a win in our grasp; however, having 7 of a possible 9 points after the first three matches of the season is good going.
After the match, I came home to rest, then headed for the Enterprise Center (http://www.enterprisecenter.com/) in downtown St. Louis for a NHL (https://www.nhl.com/) game between the St. Louis Blues (https://www.nhl.com/blues) and the Tampa Bay Lightning. My brothers bought me a ticket for Christmas, and I finally got around to redeeming it this month. After shopping in a souvenir store and getting a soda from a food stand, I made my way to my seat in a corner of the lower deck.
It was quite a game, with the Blues taking a 3-0 lead in the first period, scoring these goals in a 1 minute 15 second span against a team that had the NHL's best record. Tampa Bay came back with two goals early in the second period, then the Blues got one back in mid-period to lead 4-2 after two periods. The Lightning scored late in the third period to make it 4-3, but an apparent tying goal late in the game was waived off after the Blues challenged the call, citing a Tampa Bay player being offside before the goal was scored. Thus, the Blues held on to win the game, 4-3. They are now close to clinching a playoff spot with seven games to go over the next two weeks.
I was one very happy man among many when I walked out of the Enterprise Center after the game. I think my brothers did me very good with their Christmas gift for me.
Later.
