Pride of Countryside and USF already, now Jeff Attinella is pride of Tampa Bay on a professional level.

  Attinella made three saves in a penalty kick shootout, including the clincher, to give the Rowdies the NASL championship at a sold-out Al Lang Stadium Saturday night.

  Tampa Bay, needing to win by two to at least force overtime, did just that. Daniel Antoniuk's late goal gave the Rowdies a 3-1 victory.  The NASL Soccer Bowl was a home-and-home affair and Minnesota won last weekend at home 2-0.

  The Rowdies connected on their first three penalty kicks with Luke Mulholland, Raphael Cox and Fafa Picault scoring. Attinella stopped two of the first three Minnesota tries. Carl Cort had a chance to win it but was stopped, but Attinella came up with the save against Lucas Rodriguez to end it.

  In the first half Minnesota played like a team that didn't have to score, leading to Tampa Bay holding the ball most of the way.

  The Rowdies got their first goal 25:00 in when Keith Savage took a Luke Mulholland cross and sent the ball back to Cort, who calmly played it down to his feet before striking it home.  Tampa Bay had several good chances to even things up before half but it stayed 1-0.

  However it didn't take long after that for the Rowdies to go ahead 2-0, and even the goals total 2-2. Off a Mulholland corner kick Andres Arango played it on goal, and Keith Savage neatly re-directed the ball home in the 51st minute.

  Minnesota, for the first time needing to score a goal, took less than a minute get one. Rodriguez streaked down the left side unmarked and one-timed a shot to the left of Attinella.

  Mulholland came inches away from tying it at the 66-minute mark but his shot off a nice cross from Cox hit off the right post. Unlike the first half Minnesota didn't sit on its lead, which provided for end-to-end action the rest of the  way. The Rowdies cashed in when Antoniuk, just in the game for five minutes as a sub, pounced on a loose ball to make it 3-3 on total at 85 minutes.

  Both teams nearly scored ruing a wild flurry three minutes later, with Attinella making a great save from in close. Hill was called for the red card though he told WDAE's Darek Sharp that the player initiated the contact and embellished to get the call.

  In the first half Tampa Bay, already without stalwart defender Takuya Yamada due to injury, lost J.P. Rodriguez to a hurt leg. Normal midfielder Raphael Cox played left back the rest of the way.