Away to Birmingham Legion Preview
Date: Saturday July 15, 2023
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, AL
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (34 pts 10W-4D-4L); Birmingham Legion (23 pts 7W-2D-8L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 1st in the East and the Legion are 6th in the East
With Neill Collins off to England, the Rowdies are sitting in first place. Fans will feel this is where the team was supposed to be all along. However, the boys head back out on the road again this weekend to face a club that had visions of grandeur all their own – and who’ll be out to get back near the top of the standings themselves. Tune into ESPN+ to watch this game from Alabama!
How did the Rowdies catch fire like this? How long can it last?
In a word, the Rowdies have returned. Not only have the team returned to the top of the table, they have returned to the basics that made the club so successful for the last five years. Earlier in the year, there were certain aspects of play that were missing. One was regular pressing; another was consistent, purposeful building out of the back. Similarly, formational changes impacted the way holdover players went about their tasks.
The Rowdies have brought all that back and then some, with high intensity and a good attitude readily apparent for all observers. Formations change, sure, but mostly in a way that reflects Neill Collins’ most successful periods at the club. When Ryan Spaulding was on loan and lining up on the left, he would drop in to make it a back five out of possession, hurrying up the field once the ball had been won back. Things are more familiar from back to front.
After two performances of lower quality against Loudoun United and Las Vegas, the Green and Gold got back on track with a 3-0 win over Oakland Roots. Although, to be fair to the Roots, it was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. Goalkeeper Connor Sparrow bailed Tampa Bay out on multiple surefire goals for the opposition. It was in attack that the team looked its best.
Aaron Guillen, Forrest Lasso, and Conner Antley lined up as the back three in this one. These are all players who’ve played under Collins for several years and were comfortable with their role whether it be deeper or wider. At wingback were Jake Areman and Seb Dalgaard, one of whom also is very used to the tactics from the past few seasons.
Implementing the game plan to switch players about as needed to plug gaps or to add numbers changes slightly depending on the opposition’s formation and tendencies. However, the guiding principles remain the same. Add to that the steadying partnership of Yann Ekra and Jordan Doherty, two further veterans of Collins’ team, and you have the most solid of bases on which to rest your three attackers, whose ability to roam is now another hallmark of the squad.
Charlie Dennis has taken over the role that Leo Fernandes filled last year. It took him and the staff a while to settle into this, if only because his versatility meant he was used elsewhere first. Dennis has now become the perfect foil for what could be the deadliest strike partnership in the USL: JJ Williams and Cal Jennings. They were originally signed during the offseason with a high billing and plenty of hype. However, they also started slowly, taking a while to get off the mark.
First JJ Williams exploded from around the end of April onward. While he has cooled off somewhat, Jennings has picked up the slack and, in the course of two games, moved from five goals on the season to eight. In so doing, he has become the leading scorer for the Rowdies in 2023, one ahead of JJ. If the two of them can continue to build on the bond they’ve forged in recent weeks, the rest of the league may be up the creek without a paddle on the defense.
What will Birmingham need to do to get a result?
Meanwhile, all of this leaves out the largest piece of news relevant to the Tampa Bay Rowdies as a club: Neill Collins has indeed left for Barnsley. The search for his replacement almost certainly began the second the transfer was finalized on paper. However, Stuart Dobson will take over on an interim basis, having been at the club since 2015 and serving as a goalkeeper coach during Collins’ entire tenure.
Dobson’s background as a keeper coach could leave questions around his ability to lead a whole team through training sessions and into games. However, in the eyes of this columnist, taking in the instructions and philosophies of Neill Collins for five years should be more than enough to take them through the next few games or even the end of the season. Basically, stick to the principles that have worked and adjust players around if their individual performances rise or fall.
This is not what the Birmingham Legion are likely to take away from the proceedings down south of them. Almost assuredly, Alabama’s club will be looking to take advantage of perceived chaos or even confusion during the transition. While that does not appear to be a potential problem upon Neill’s last game, they will want to make it one and force the issue into the game.
As was previously the case for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, there is a target on their backs. Anyone sitting at the top of the standings will deal with that, just as Legion did when they started off the 2023 season so well. However, the last few months have been very disappointing for Legion fans after the club began its descent down the Eastern Conference table. Stopping the skid and reversing their fortunes will be first on their to do list.
All of this suggests the game on Saturday night could be feisty. If any Rowdies players are feeling a little sad or aggrieved, even at the subconscious level, Legion players will want to bring that to the fore. Chippy tackles and smack talk are likely, with Birmginham’s unforgiving turf waiting to welcome Tampa Bay’s players. There is also the factor of a “local” rivalry that was likely to heighten the tension for this game anyway.
On the more tactical side, Legion will probably want to put the Rowdies off their game by playing the press right back at them. Force defenders into coughing the ball up and get the boys biting at each other first. Trying to add another player in their usual 4-2-3-1 into a position higher up the field to even out the numbers is also likely if the press is used. Otherwise, Tampa Bay should be able to simply pass it around the opposition with their superior figures at the back.
Of course, with the Legion, the wingers are going to be paramount. Tyler Pasher and Prosper Kasim are two of the best players in their positions across the USL. Each of them has made a case that they are worthy of being on the best teams in the league and their tandem, linked up with Enzo Martinez arriving into the box for a cross, has become deadly this year.
Martinez has seven goals and five assists on the season, turning in a possible MVP level performance (depending on where the Legion ultimately finish). Playing beneath target man and former US men’s national teamer Juan Agudelo, Enzo has become the thorn in the side of every team up and down the Eastern Conference. Shutting him down will probably have more to do with preventing plays from reaching him, as opposed to reacting to him when he’s already got the ball in a dangerous position. At that point, it’ll likely be too late.
Behind Enemy Lines with Special Guest Kaylor Hodges
The last time Birmingham Legion FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies faced off, the teams were flying in opposite directions. Legion were on top of the world and Coach Collins’ seat was starting to get warm in Tampa Bay. Now Soehn and co. are looking for any semblance of life and Tampa Bay are top of the league.
What happened? Birmingham continue to push a boom-or-bust attacking line up with subpar defense. Is the back line poor? Absolutely not. Phanuel Kavita and Alex Crognale continue to be one of the best center back pairings in the USL, but there is no connection from back line to attacking line. The MVP of the 2-0 Legion win in Tampa Bay was Matthew Corcoran, who has barely seen any playing time since.
In Legion’s 3-3 draw to a pesky Las Vegas Lights squad, they brought out the all-time scoring line up with Neco Brett, Juan Agudelo, Enzo Martinez, Prosper Kasim, and Tyler Pasher. With 210 combined goals between those 5 players, they got 3 goals against the Lights, but defensively fell apart. If they aren’t careful, Legion could see a shootout in the Magic City and find themselves on the wrong side of the score line once again.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos Rueda: 2-1 Rowdies win
James Knowles: 2-2
Yurika Wheeler: 1-1
Special Guest: 4-1 Rowdies win (Jamie Schindewolf @jschindewolf on Twitter)
