 Retired former Rowdies captain, John Boyle, was hired on June 9.Under Boyle the Rowdies record was 7–8, and though Tampa Bay made the playoffs, Boyle resigned to accept a position as the team’s permanent European scout after the season.For his part, Firmani re-immerged as the Cosmos coach (just as several of his former players had predicted in early June), and ultimately eliminated Tampa Bay, 3–0, in the first round of the 1977 playoffs.