Away vs. Rio Grande Valley Preview

Date: Saturday May 20, 2023

Kickoff Time: 8:30 pm EST at H-E-B Park in Edinburg, TX

Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (14pt 4W-2D-4L); Rio Grande Valley FC (11pts 2W-5D-2L)

Standings: The Rowdies are 4th in the East and Rio Grande Valley are 10th in the West

The Rowdies have gone from zero to hero in a matter of weeks and look to take their show on the road in southern Texas. Rio Grande Valley are formerly the reserve team of MLS side Houston Dynamo, whom Tampa Bay faced in the Open Cup. They are now fully independent, with ties between the clubs severed. Still, the idea of revenge might be necessary to get the boys from Florida through a game in hot and potentially stormy conditions. 

So…. are the Rowdies back?

Last week this column took a line from The Wire to show how the Tampa Bay Rowdies are likely to be feeling in the locker room this week. The first month or two, the club seemed down and out. Shoulders sometimes drooped. Frustration was evident in post game press conferences and in every goal given up to some silly mistake. 

Now, it is surely not just wishful thinking when fans proclaim the Green and Gold are actually gold again. Sure, two of their wins on the season came against the worst team in the East. Their other two were against clubs just barely above their respective playoff lines. But, this is surely just the start of even better things. A 5-1 win last weekend put a true stamp on the change in fortunes. 

With multiple important players seemingly on the verge of returning from injury, the roster, such as it is, seems to be in great shape, too. Jordan Doherty has stepped into the hole left by Lewis Hilton being injured, while the loan signing of Ryan Spaulding looks even more important every game. The interchange of winger and fullback on both sides of the field has been marvelous to see. Aaron Guillen and Conner Antley seem to have added aspects to their game that fans have noticed before, but not to this degree. 

The final piece of the puzzle from prior games that didn’t turn into wins was the actual goals. In an Open Cup game against the Houston Dynamo, the Rowdies looked the better team for much of the 90 minutes. However, the finishing left something to be desired. In the intervening weeks, the crossing has become more precise, the choices of starter have been consistent, and the payoff has finally come. 

JJ Williams got his first goal of the season two weekends ago at home vs. Phoenix Rising, a former club. Now he has four. Turning your first goal for the Rowdies into your first hat trick is an amazing achievement. He also had an assist in this past game, one of two players to score and find a helper on the day. The understanding between Williams and the players around him in the attack, Spaulding, Charlie Dennis, Dayonn Harris, and the fullbacks, is remarkable. It suggests a strong understanding of roles and instincts on the part of all players involved. The switch to four at the back Neill Collins has made is working wonders. 

Does RGV have any hope after last week’s beat down?

Unfortunately, this column would be remiss to leave out something of a shadow being cast over the team from Tampa Bay this past week. A club in England’s fourth tier is making headlines across the pond with their new ownership group. No, this is not the feel-good story of Wrexham, a club from a rusty town in Wales made famous by moviestar Ryan Reynolds and (my favorite of the two) It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenny. 

Instead, Walsall FC of westerly England are looking for a new manager. They were bought out by the “football investment company,” Trivela Group. Upon finishing only eight places above non-league football – and thus only four from relegation to that flight – they have decided to look in a new direction. Rowdies coach Neill Collins is supposedly on their shortlist and while reports are out they have done multiple interviews, fans in Florida are feeling the pangs of nervousness that come with offseason transfer windows. 

Now managers are not subject to those; but, the prospect of a new ownership group, flush with cash, giving you a summer to rebuild a broken club might be appealing to certain people. (RBLR Sports has reached out to Trivela Group for comment. None has been provided as of writing.) Whether or not Collins goes back to more familiar surroundings may not impact the team on a day-to-day basis. It may not even happen for a year or more anyway. But, a fan’s perspective from the outside is always one of less understanding. What could be going on in there?

Without offering surely-useless speculation, I will simply say one hopes this does not actually have any influence on the players who take the field. Most professional footballers got to that level in part because of their ability to compartmentalize and put anything in the future out of their heads for 90 minutes to focus on the task at hand. Maybe the southern Texas heat will be the distraction needed in the moment. 

Those Rio Grande Valley players who’ll be more used to the conditions will want to take advantage of everything they can. To do so, they’ll have to rely on a few names in particular. One of those is Jose Francisco Torres. From Texas originally, Torres spent most of his career playing in Mexico, springboarding from that league into the US men’s national team. El gringo, as he was known south of the border, even represented the US at the 2010 Men’s World Cup. His technique and intelligence will not have left him even if some speed has over the years. 

He and Colombian Juan David Cabezas will be looking to find the RGV playmaker, Taylor Davila. An LA Galaxy academy player, Davila has moved up and down through the leagues to wind up here where he co-leads the team in scoring alongside Ricky Ruiz and Christiano Francois. Francois, nominally listed as a striker in most games, will be free to vacate his position and allow other players into that space as he chases the ball with speed to burn. Ruiz and Wilmer Cabrera Jr., son of club coach Wilmer Cabrera Sr., will be the players looking to move into that area if it’s open. Cabrera in particular played through college as something of a false nine, and so is used to making runs as an attack develops. 

Behind Enemy Lines with Special Guest Ray Silva (@SoTxAthletix)

Despite the slow start for RGV FC, the Toros have found a bit of a rhythm. In their last three games they have managed to take 5 of the last 9 points. The home form has been a concern for the Toros as they have only taken 4 of 15 points in a stadium which has been labeled “where visiting hopes go to waste.”

To be honest, I’m expecting an open game because both teams are starting to find their identities but with Tampa they are the team in better form for now. For RGV FC it’s a matter of finding a defensive balance while trying to close out games at the end.

Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:

Carlos Rueda: 2-1 Rowdies

James Knowles: 3-0 Rowdies

Yurika Wheeler: 1-0 Rowdies

Special Guest: @RowdiesRap (Mark) 2-1 Rowdies