Home vs Charleston Preview
Date: Wednesday April 12, 2023
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (5pt 1W-2D-2L); Charleston Battery (7pts 2W-2D-0L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 7th in the East and Charleston Battery are 3th in the East
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What a difference three weeks can make. That’s the span of time between the Rowdies’ two games against Charleston Battery this regular season. In the first of those ties – the away leg, if you will – Charleston lived up to their name and battered Tampa Bay over the 90 minutes. The Green and Gold now host the home leg in a different head space and with a fresh outlook. How will that new perspective affect the boys on the field?
Have we fully turned this ship around?
The reverse fixture of tonight’s game ended up a 3-0 loss. Every Rowdies fan will want to avoid a similar fate, especially with this game being at beloved Al Lang Stadium. The Battery have been a thorn in our side historically, with nine overall wins compared to eight (and three draws to boot). Yes, they got the jump on us early in a season that started poorly. However, the games since then suggest things are looking up.
With the Rowdies having recently switched back to their tried and true three-at-the-back formation, positive signs are showing. When lining up that way against Birmingham, Tampa Bay had what was their best game of the season so far. Not counting the game against amateur side Nona FC (though with all due respect to a team that fought hard), the following match turned into the first win of the season and an even better performance. One could expect that a 3-5-2 cum 3-4-3 is here for the foreseeable future.
Where the Rowdies struggled before to pin Charleston back most frequently was when the Battery attacking midfielders got on the ball. Augustine Williams’ movement would create space for the three beneath him, Fidel Barajas, Nick Markanich, and Tristran Trager, to build up some speed with the ball at their feet.
On the first goal, Williams drew in Freddy Kleemann before passing it around him to Markanich. The ball was then carried forward with two defenders jockeying, trying to split coverage between the man with the ball and Williams and Barajas higher up the field. The space created after Markanich laid the ball off and continued his run allowed Barajas all the room he needed to pick out the top corner, far post. Upper 90, as they say.
Barajas’ dribbling was partially responsible for the play that led to the penalty on which the Battery scored their second, while the third came from that same player being isolated and finding a wide open Markanich in the middle – even if the shot was deflected. The first goal the Rowdies conceded against Birmingham a week later came from a player again crossing the ball from out wide. The second Legion goal was a defensive lapse the likes of which fans have seen too often this season.
Having both three at the back and the Energizer Bunny that is Lewis Hilton in front of them should limit all of these options. The fullbacks can sit deep and wide in defense so that Barajas, Markanich, and Trager all have less time to work their magic, while Hilton’s nous and work rate in his usual role will also allow the central defenders to cover Williams wherever he goes. It should at least work in theory.
Will Charleston be any more vulnerable this week?
With in-game focus hopefully less of a problem, and a potential solution to the issue of Charleston’s tricky wingers set up, the next step is to tie it all together and turn possession into dangerous attacks. All four Rowdies goals in the USL this season have come from crosses, two of which were specifically from corners. Obviously nicking one off a set piece again would be solid.
To look further than that, though, the first and third goals in league play looked somewhat similar. Following some buildup in the game against Indy Eleven, a cross from Seb Dalgaard on the right was turned in by a wide open Jake Areman, by then playing as the left wing back on the opposite side. Against The Miami, some buildup between Ariel Martinez and Lewis Hilton eventually led to Conner Antley having the ball down the right side and hitting a similar cross to a wide open Felix Schroter. He deserved that first goal after some very good work in recent games.
So what might the Rowdies try to do tonight? It seems likely that the fullbacks will once again need to play a part in getting the team rolling. Ariel Martinez has been very impressive in his past few outings from the start, both drawing players to himself and then finding teammates in space once he becomes nearly surrounded. His ability to pick out a pass under heavy pressure is both astounding at times and crucial for other players to get open.
From there, Lewis Hilton’s patented play-the-ball-out-wide technique could kick start positive plays. What sounds so simple was, in fact, sorely lacking during his time on the sideline with an injury. Dalgaard, Antley, Areman, and Dayonn Harris have all benefited from his vision so far this year, while their crosses are where the Rowdies look most dangerous.
Cal Jennings and Felix Schroter are off the mark in the league now, while JJ Williams got his own first of the season against amateur side Nona FC in the Open Cup. Schroter, after scoring against The Miami, told the press afterwards that he likes the symbol of the scorpion, both as an emoji and a goal celebration. Relying on Schroter the Scorpion to get on the end of these balls in from wide seems like it was quite possibly what he was brought in to do. The Rowdies attack was always expected to be potent; it just seems fans’ patience had to be tested first.
Behind Enemy Lines with Special Guest The Howlers Podcast (@HowlersPodcast)
The Battery are looking to carry their hot early season form into the midweek matchup against the Rowdies. Four out of their five matches thus far have been played at the comforts of Patriots Point; this leaves their road status yet to be determined. However, Al Lang Stadium is a proper venue to earn some stripes. Head coach Ben Pirmann will be rejoining the touch line after serving his single match suspension from the first go around with the Rowdies.
He will have some key decisions to make with the increased workload of matches. It would be no surprise to see another outing for USL Championship veteran AJ Cochran, a crucial piece in the clean sheet the first time out against Tampa Bay. Lastly, there’s a player that looms in wide areas that demands your attention. His name is Nick Markanich and he’s red hot. Do not take your eyes off him.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos Rueda: 2-1 Rowdies
James Knowles: 2-2 Draw
Yurika Wheeler: 1-0 Rowdies
Special Guest: Mike Pendleton @phat7deuce says 3-1 Rowdies
