Date: Saturday July 6, 2024

Kickoff Time: 7:00 pm EST at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, MI

Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (28 pts 8W-4D-4L); Detroit City FC (26 pts 8W-2D-4L)

Standings: The Rowdies are 4th in the East and Detroit City are fifth.     

Last week turned out to be another trap game that the Rowdies fell right into. Against a beatable Loudoun United, Tampa Bay was shut out – and failed to do the same to their opponents. This week, the final part of a three-game road trip presents one more test on a lesser turf field for a team that struggles to play on those. Tune in to Paramount+ and their Golazo Network to watch the game this weekend!

So, again: Are the Rowdies playing down to teams beneath them in the table?

Getting into the month of July, the Rowdies have one problem that looms large over their season: playing away from home on turf fields. After losing to the Oakland Roots 1-0, the team scraped out a win in similar conditions vs. Hartford Athletic. That one was also very nearly a loss – only a complete miscue from Marcus Epps allowed Tampa Bay to go and win the game very late on. 

One up, one down. Last week again, the Rowdies were on the road against a club whose stadium features a turf pitch. This time again, they came up short. The Roots have shown their win vs. Tampa Bay was not a one off, winning tough games since then. Hartford continues to be a mixed bag. Loudoun United, though, are not a good side to drop points against. 

Those three points put them deeper into playoff positions and, in 2024, they have certainly stepped up their game. But, Loudoun United had only ever won one prior match against the Rowdies. That was in ten meetings before last Saturday. To say there is a disparity would still be an understatement, despite the progress made by DC United’s de facto reserve team. 

Manager Robbie Neilson acknowledged the dismal display from his side on Saturday, saying, “We were very poor. I thought that we didn’t get into the flow of the game at all. The first couple of minutes we did alright and then they started picking up a lot of the second balls, and we were just a half a yard off it. When you’re half a yard off it in these games and on that surface, it’s always going to be difficult.”

Fans should also acknowledge the difficulty of playing on a different surface with smaller dimensions than the players are used to. The fact of the matter, though, is maybe half the league in the USL uses a stadium like this. (You wouldn’t even escape the turf monster in MLS or the NWSL for that matter.) It’s not one of the “unknown unknowns” lurking beyond the bay. 

Really, it shouldn’t be this difficult to get results away from home – at least not for a club with the level of talent Tampa Bay has. There will be dropped games without a doubt. The number of invincible seasons any team has accomplished at any level is so small it makes constant headlines when that does happen. But, this seems more like a 50-50 shot at a loss lately. 

So why were the Rowdies “just a half yard off it” vs. Loudoun? Focusing on winning those second balls is paramount in most games. Yet again, fans are forced to ask: is there a mentality issue when the Green and Gold aren’t playing the traditional USL powers? If there is a mentality issue, how does that get fixed? Tampa Bay desperately needs some consistency to climb the standings and earn some potential playoff home matches. Why is that so hard to come by?

How do we avoid this result up in Michigan?

Rounding out this road trip is one more turf-surface stadium. In Hamtramck, Michigan, Detroit City have been quietly creeping up the same table upon which the Rowdies seem stuck. In fact, they are only two points behind Tampa Bay – and they have two games in hand. With trap game after trap game lately, can this team summon the focus to beat some sturdy Michiganders?

Luckily, the question posed above doesn’t seem like it should be an issue. If complacency is playing a role in the losses and even the questionable wins against some of the USL’s “lesser” teams, Detroit City should offer every incentive to play with extreme focus, to dial in, and infuse a steady game plan with some game-changing intensity. 

As stated, they are way too close for comfort in the standings. Oakland Roots, while in the Western Conference, did not look like the challenging opponents they have become since firing their manager around the time they hosted Tampa Bay. Hartford still sit beneath the playoff line, while Loudoun United were the last team above it before this past weekend. 

Another factor to take into consideration is the atmosphere to be found at Keyworth Stadium. Known for its smoke, sounds, and surface, the home of Detroit City is also the home to the Northern Guard supporters group. They seem like they could intimidate Real Madrid for the ferocity they bring as well as their proximity to the field of play. 

If these impacts don’t get Green and Gold blood flowing fast in the veins, nothing can. If the Rowdies can find that missing intensity, it should provide the boost needed to complete their usual passing patterns with speed. They should be dialed in, but not going crazy and playing too quickly. The best recent example of this was at Al Lang against Louisville City. 

Still, Tampa Bay will have to be cautious on the plastic pitch. Forward Cal Jennings, in an interview with RBLR, said that the team has been using their own turf field more often at the training complex where they prepare for weekly matchups. This will hopefully give them a better feel of how the ball will – or won’t – bounce on Saturday. 

If building out of the back is a tougher task in these environs, perhaps some old fashioned muscle and grit will work better. Detroit City seem to love just playing it over the top for their speedy forward to do the job on his own. While the Rowdies may not have similar speed in all places, they do have skillful players abundance. Isolating them with room to run at defenders will eventually work out if you do it enough. 

Even if it’s not the way the Green and Gold are used to playing, getting a result here is extremely important. That distance between Tampa Bay and Detroit City is just as crucial as the distance between Tampa Bay and Indy Eleven, only one point ahead in third place of the Eastern Conference. Save the Beautiful Game for your own fans when you return to play in front of them. 

Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:

Carlos: 2-1 W

James: 2-2 

Yurika: 2-1 L