Away vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds Preview
Date: Saturday April 6, 2024
Kickoff Time: 7:00 pm EST at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (5 pts 1W-2D-0L); Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (0 pts 0W-0D-3L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 5th in the East and Pittsburgh are 12th
Nothing feels better than a win! Well, maybe an emphatic comeback win might. The Rowdies took a tough first half and turned it into the first W in 2024. In doing so, they put Rhode Island to the sword. This weekend provides the team a great opportunity to take that momentum and build upon it; but, they’ll have to avoid a potential trap door in Pennsylvania.
Where was this team all my life?
The question might be better phrased, “where was this team in the first half?” The Rowdies have only played 270 minutes of competitive soccer this year; yet, we have seen a team that has many faces in that period. Which one appears seems to depend on multiple factors.
To start the game vs. Rhode Island, Tampa Bay were determined to play the way fans have seen them before: possession-based, starting out of the back, and building from one side to another. The passing stats of central defenders in this game plan are almost as important as those of the central midfielders. Ideally, chances are created first from the feet of goalkeeper Jordan Farr.
The way it turned out, that would still be true – just not in the manner supporters saw from minute 1 to (roughly) minute 50. No, our passing out of the back was disjointed, to quote the RBLR Rowdies podcast, and “erratic,” to quote head coach Robbie Neilson. This was not wholly unexpected: it was much of the same we saw when the team played North Carolina.
For one reason or another, the Green and Gold have not sorted out their communication or positioning when playing out of the back. That’s fair enough in March, as the season has really only just started. Anyone who follows the USL Championship would likely agree the talent exists to eventually put it all together and figure out how to execute those patterns.
In the meantime, any opponent should know that if the Rowdies try to play out of the back, they will leave themselves vulnerable. It took Leo Fernandes switching his starting position when in possession for Tampa Bay to start stringing some things together. He moved more centrally and provided a sure foot on the ball, one that would not give it up so easily.
By then, of course, Rhode Island were up 1-0. The other facet of the Rowdies’ game plan that didn’t help them over the course of the first 45 minutes was defensive positioning. Likely trying to counter the visitors’ energy, Tampa Bay looked to compress the field out of possession and win the ball back in an advantageous spot for themselves.
This led to the Blue and Gold being able to hoof the ball over the top of the Rowdies’ defense and getting good knock-downs, keeping it in a good place from which to create chances. Only one of those actually went in; but, Albert Dikwa could’ve scored more than his one on the night. Traveling fans from the northeast surely rue those lost opportunities now that the final score is set on paper and digital ink.
What’s going on with the Riverhounds?
It was in the second half that the Rowdies took control of the game and offered any future opponents something to fear. That opposition moves from Blue and Gold to Black and Gold this week; but, the lessons from Al Lang Stadium should apply on the road at Highmark Stadium in Pennsylvania just the same.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds have the unenviable position of being the only team in the Eastern Conference without a point (one of only two in the USL Championship, in fact). The recent offseason could not have gone worse for them, it seems. After a stellar 2023 campaign that was ended surprisingly early, many of their leading figures found better pastures elsewhere. That exodus has left the club in much worse shape than in any recent season.
Their backline for the first three games includes at least two players who are not defenders by trade: former central midfielder Danny Griffin, in the second year of his second stint with the club, and former Rowdies central midfielder Junior Etou, who’s lined up so far as a left wing back in their more defensive system. This should be troubling on its own.
Beyond that, the team has one goal so far, coming from Ugandan Edward Kizza. True club legend Kenardo Forbes remains in the central midfield. However, with the cast around him of a lower quality, his age may finally be starting to catch up with things. USL League One terror Kazaiah Sterling hasn’t shown himself to be a difference maker yet
Experiencing an offseason without many splashy signings is not uncommon for Riverhounds fans. It’s something of an M. O. for coach Bob Lilley to bring in several overlooked college players and put together a roster capable of competing at the last minute. That second part of the equation never took place in 2024. All of this suggests the Pennsylvanians will be much more defensive within their home confines as they look to buck the trends so far.
In the second half against Rhode Island, the Rowdies used their opponents’ positioning against them. Whereas in the first 45 it was Tampa Bay who compressed the field and saw the ball pumped over their heads, that was reversed in the second period – so much so that Jordan Farr played a role in creating chances.
Cal Jennings and Manuel Arteaga had a field day getting good knock-downs for the second ball after a Rhode Island player tried to clear it. The space to do that won’t exist in Pittsburgh on Saturday night. There’s no reason to think the Riverhounds will trust themselves enough to push up on Rowdies players in a high press and leave those same gaps at the back.
What does that mean for Tampa Bay fans? More than likely, a lot of stifling play. The Rowdies will have to draw out their opponents if they want to create the space they found over and over against Rhode Island. Unfortunately, bait-taking is not in the Pittsburgh DNA. Playing it out of the back will again be necessary.
This is a game that the Rowdies essentially need to win, though. How could that be true so early on? Consider how tight the table usually is at the end of the season. Taking three points off a team seemingly so willing to give them up is absolutely necessary to stay in the title race. Perhaps the slower pressure will allow Tampa Bay to build out of the back effectively and create chances the way they’d intended in their last two games.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos Rueda: 2-0 W
James Knowles: 3-1 W
Yurika Wheeler: 2-0 W
