Aug. 6 (1998)

St. Louisan Steve Ralston scores in the 12th minute to start the Tampa Bay Mutiny on the way to a 3-1 victory over their cross-state rivals, the Miami Fusion, in a Major League Soccer match at Houlihan Stadium before 6,511 fans. Ralston strikes with a header off a cross from future Canadian Soccer Hall of Famer Frank Yallop. The result marks the Mutiny’s first win at home in six games and ends Miami’s four-game winning streak. “It was a huge win for us,” Ralston tells the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “This was a game we needed to win.” The 24-year-old Ralston, the MLS Rookie of the Year in 1996, will end the season with five goals and eight assists as the Mutiny struggles to a 12-20 record, their first losing season since the start of MLS in 1996. Ralston will play in more games (177) for the Mutiny than anyone else throughout their short existence. The midfielder from Oakville High School, Forest Park Community College and Florida International University will move on to the New England Revolution after the Mutiny folds following the 2001 season. He will continue with the Revolution until retiring in 2010 and will be the only St. Louisan named one of the top 25 players in the league’s first 25 years of existence.