Rowdies vs. Charleston Battery Preview
Date: Saturday July 27, 2024
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (35 pts 10W-5D-4L); Charleston Battery (40 pts 11W-7D-2L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 3rd in the East and the Battery are 2nd.
The Rowdies have just shown they have the chops to go and win on the road against direct rivals for the top of the Eastern Conference. In a crucial game, under unfavorable conditions, Tampa Bay proved they have what it takes. Now back at home, they will face an even tougher team. Can they keep up the good form and take another three points from an even bigger encounter? Get to Al Lang this weekend to cheer them on to victory!
Just how did the Rowdies win this game?
All the talk here at RBLR Sports in the lead-up to this game was about how the Rowdies were up against the wall going into Indianapolis. It wasn’t necessarily that this game was do or die for playoff places. It wasn’t that Tampa Bay had been playing poorly. It was simply the conditions. Going away has been an issue – and especially going away to play on turf.
Come to find out in the days before the game, there were travel issues and the Rowdies did not get to their hotel the night before until 2am. Sleep-deprived players using a surface that impacted their playing style would’ve normally portended a match in which Tampa Bay was hanging on for dear life, clawing for scraps and being happy to escape with a point.
In fact, the exact opposite happened. Despite Indy Eleven getting their chances here and there, it was the visitors from Florida who controlled for large stretches and looked the better squad. Not only that, the Rowdies were able to play the way they have been, setting up triangles on the wings between the defender, wingback, and central midfielder on either side.
The first goal scored in this game came off a corner kick, which was flicked on ever so deftly by Cal Jennings. However, both before and after that, the Green and Gold had gotten the better of their hosts. In particular, the Rowdies had success going down Indy’s left side, where Jordan Doherty was able to run into space so often he even found himself on the opposite touchline.
Ultimately, his involvement on the right and Aaron Guillen’s on the left was never completely answered by the Eleven. While the thorough domination Tampa Bay enjoyed through the first 15 minutes was slowed, it was still never a game in which the Rowdies looked worse off. A couple of poor finishes for the shots Indy did create allowed the Green and Gold to fly forward at times.
The second half was changed when both teams – ten minutes apart – made three-person line changes to switch things up. Indy was looking to match their visitors’ gameplan and the Rowdies were looking to take control back when they followed up by doing the same thing. Blake Bodily, still returning from injury, was able to step into the midfield and Nate Worth played a more advanced role. Damian Rivera was the highest up the field.
It was Rivera who benefitted from a cross Doherty looped into the box. He settled it with enough room to beat a man and then shoot near-post. The more defensive group of players behind him held Indy out for the rest of the game. It was a thoroughly good performance for the Green and Gold, from front to back for all 90 minutes. Perhaps a flight delay isn’t the worst thing?
What has made Charleston so good this year?
In fact, it’s not just in 2024 that the Battery have been doing well. All factors point to this club being a force in the USL in the short term future, if not longer. They shop well and they sell well, too. The front office is helping to turn Charleston into a top team – which means former Rowdies General Manager Lee Cohen is likely responsible for the change in their fortunes.
Cohen moved from the Tampa Bay club in the offseason between 2022 and 2023. He immediately went about making big changes, removing manager Conor Casey and bringing in several new players to his new roster. The biggest addition was finding Casey’s replacement, when he hired former Memphis 901 coach Ben Pirmann.
Since then, they have gone from strength to strength, making the USL Championship Final in 2023. It was only down to some cardiac-kid performances from Phoenix Rising that the Battery were unable to lift the trophy in Cohen’s and Pirmann’s first season. Losing on penalties seemed especially cruel, considering Phoenix needed a 90th minute equalizer just to get that far.
The Battery started out 2024 just where they had left off, not losing a game until the end of May when they went out of the US Open Cup to Atlanta United (again on penalties) and then losing three days later to El Paso. Charleston have re-found their form with another six-game unbeaten streak on the line as they travel to Tampa Bay this weekend.
One thing stands out in particular when watching the Battery this year. Nick Markanich is simply steam-rolling everyone in front of him, racking up 19 goals in USL play this year. This number is astonishing, especially considering it isn’t even August. His nominal position as the right winger is almost unnecessary, as he will be given the freedom to go wherever his shooting foot wants.
Shutting him down when he is on such a good run of form (he scored the winner in Charleston’s last game on Wednesday) is mostly a fool’s errand. It is certainly likely there will be some special dispensation made to try to stop him when the Rowdies announce their lineup Saturday evening. However, the name of the game will be starving him of service.
The best way for Tampa Bay to do this will be to control the game and to control the ball for as much of the 90 minutes as they can. Charleston shouldn’t be allowed a minute’s peace when in possession. Their focal point in the middle, Aaron Molloy should also be given special dispensation from the Rowdies’ defensive setup.
Molloy will sit in front of the Battery back four and plays a very similar game to Lewis Hilton. He will act defensively to try to break up Rowdies attacks. Where he shines the most is settling the ball and pinging it out to wingers in space, those being Markanich and his opposite Juan Torres on the left. Preventing him from doing this is the most crucial aspect of blocking Markanich.
Luckily, the Rowdies are no strangers to playing aggressively when out of possession. Since the days of Neill Collins – not that long ago, of course – Tampa Bay has generally preferred to press opponents and try to force them into errors. Whether the errors in this game are coughing the ball up in bad positions, or simply forcing Molloy into an off-night, that will be key in this match.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos: 3-1 W
James: 1-0 W
Yurika: 2-1 W
