Home vs. Birmingham Legion Preview
Date: Saturday May 11, 2024
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (13 pts 3W-4D-1L); Birmingham Legion (11 pts 3W-2D-3L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 4th in the East and Birmingham are 6th
Birmingham Legion and the Tampa Bay Rowdies have a budding rivalry. This week will mark a new chapter in the series as the teams face each twice in four days. The first was the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup meeting on Wednesday, a thrilling 6-4 win for the Rowdies. Now back in the league, each club’s recent fortune leaves a couple of question marks hanging over their heads. Get to Al Lang to cheer the Green and Gold on for a second win over their rivals!
How much will those two games in five days impact this one?
A crowded schedule leaves a lot of room for narrative-building. A club can go from the highest highs to the lowest lows and everywhere in between. And yet, the two matches which preceded that to come on Saturday also contained surprisingly few lessons. The first was something of a fluke in many ways; the second one of the craziest games this columnist has seen in person.
To revisit Tampa Bay’s trip to Memphis, one must consider the pivotal moment of the game, namely a red card to Forrest Lasso in the eleventh minute. This columnist would argue the merits of the referee’s decision. The referee thought otherwise, and that was that. There was still another 80 minutes to play.
Despite the obvious controversy, this can’t just be an article focused on refereeing decisions. (Who am I? The owner of Nottingham Forest?) Suffice it to say that this moment changed the game dramatically and allowed Memphis a lot more room in many more places than they might have seen it otherwise. The Rowdies did not adapt anywhere near well enough to handle it.
Freddy Kleemann, making only his second appearance of the season, was slow to react on 901 FC’s second goal, mere minutes after a true scramble at the top of the box was finished off by Marlon Santos. His wonderful strike to open the scoring was almost matched by his pass to former Rowdie Luiz Fernando to double it. The game almost seemed out of hand already.
A goal late into stoppage time of the first half was not enough to stem the tide and Memphis answered almost immediately after the halftime break. All the preparation in the world can be insufficient if there is no plan for an early sending off, especially to a player as important as Lasso. He has been playing at another level so far in 2024.
That takes us to the Open Cup game on Wednesday. While the Rowdies joined the tournament in the Round of 32, closer to the final than they have started the competition in years, their opponents also saw an opportunity for major headlines in this game. Thus, it was always going to be hard-fought. As it turns out, Tampa Bay will be hosting MLS’ FC Dallas in the Round of 16.
How they got there was anything but linearly. The tight schedule seemed to suggest rotation and that is indeed what manager Robbie Neilson went with. There were no problems from the start, with irregular starter Damian Rivera opening the scoring before Cal Jennings thought he’d killed the game off with a hat trick. Somehow, that would not be the headline from this match.
With roughly ten minutes to go (plus the usual stoppage time), Tampa Bay took their foot off the gas and looked complacent. That led to a goal for the enemy of any Rowdies fan, Enzo Martinez, in the 82nd minute. His shushing gesture toward the crowd riled them up enough to chant, “CHECK THE SCOREBOARD!” until the game had moved on. Well, check it he did.
Seven minutes later it was 4-2. Three minutes after that, Tyler Pasher had made it 4-3. Incredibly, with no time left, the comeback was on. A late penalty was awarded, Pasher scored again, and the end of regulation came. Birmingham had made it 4-4 and forced extra time. In that period, Manuel Arteaga heroically scored twice, including a scissor kick in the 101st minute, to finally win the match.
How will Birmingham react to Wednesday evening?
Ten goals. One-hundred twenty minutes. One hat trick, two doubles, and one red card. The amount of different things that happened in this game was remarkable. It might have impacted a few blood pressure meters and left many people exhausted – and that’s before we even talk about the players! (The rest of my 1960s standup routine will be available on Netflix soon, they assure me.)
Everyone in Green and Gold or Gold and White will need an ice bath and an ibuprofen to get through the two days before they meet again. Cramping was a factor on the field and players were visibly uncomfortable during the extra thirty minutes. The call for some type of rotation will likely ring out again. Forrest Lasso will already be missing due to suspension.
After such an emotional and physically hard-fought game, it’s tempting to say that this one will be more casual, more low-key. What might be even more likely, though, is that some type of spark carried over from Wednesday ignites in those players who see the field again. As this column started, these clubs have some history. That was before a 6-4 win after extra time – and shushing.
Where Rowdies fans will take solace is in the 100 minutes before and after Birmingham’s infamous four-goal comeback. With the aforementioned Rivera starting up top, Charlie Dennis making his first start of the season, Pacifique Niyongabire making his second, and Eddie Munjoma playing as a center back, Tampa Bay still was able to dominate Legion.
In fact, it was only after Robbie Neilson had made all his substitutions that his team began to fall apart, however briefly. On came usual starters Forrest Lasso, Manuel Arteaga, and Danny Crisostomo to see the game out. Although they couldn’t together, only Cristian Ortiz, Nick Moon, and Joey DeZart made the Rowdies’ extra time lineup any different from that which started vs. Memphis the previous Saturday.
That most unlikely of comebacks would not be completed in the end. Following the four goals let in after the 80th minute, the Rowdies recognized they’d just been punched in the face. Tampa Bay settled down again at the end of regulation and took a deep breath. Shifting into their usual shape, they re-established their usual patterns. It was possible to handle Legion all along.
The problem in this game was a period of complacency long enough for Birmingham to fight their way back in. If the Rowdies can stick to their guns, not let up, and continue their recent chance creation, there should seemingly be no reason to fear Legion. Really, they didn’t even need a Manuel Arteaga wonder strike to win this match. They created that situation themselves, which means they can prevent it, too.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos: 2-0 W
James: 0-0
Yurika: 2-1 W
Guest: 2-1 W from Kaylor Hodges (@kaylorhodges of the Hammering Down Podcast)
