Home vs. Detroit City Preview
Date: Wednesday August 21, 2024
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (40 pts 11W-7D-5L); Detroit City FC (34 pts 9W-7D-7L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 3rd in the East and Detroit City are 6th.
The Rowdies are in a spot of bother through August. Two disappointing draws on the road were not the low end of the month sadly. This past weekend included a loss to a team that was barely in the playoff positions – and who now jumped up a place with their victory. It was also the first of three home games in eight days. The second of those will be against a slightly higher caliber opponent, according to the standings. Make sure you’re there Wednesday to cheer them on!
How did we lose this one?
Despite everything that was written in this column last week, it appears the only way to describe it was this: arrogant. I used that word when I said that I expected the Rowdies to be able to win this one. I believe many Tampa Bay fans would’ve thought the same thing ahead of the match. At certain points, it could be said the players themselves probably also had that idea.
The Rowdies were indeed the better team for much of the game. Throughout the first half, they were able to dominate the game, put the ball where they wanted it, and whip in cross after cross from multiple different distributors. Unfortunately, most of those ended up being relatively harmless. Goalkeeper Hugo Faroux for Loudoun United stood out in these moments.
At times, he had pretty simple catching practice following a Tampa Bay cross. Other instances required more effort and more focus from him. He still passed the test with flying colors. Ultimately, he earned a foul that put the Rowdies down a player in the second half. That was where the game seemed well and truly lost from a home-team perspective.
All the domination in the world won’t guarantee a win. In the end, Loudoun did exactly what they had to do. They absorbed pressure and didn’t bend beneath it. They took advantage of counter attacking opportunities and created the most Big Chances (according to Fotmob). Two of those, of course, led to goals – and, of course, it is goals that win games.
So where was the disconnect between the good play in the first half and the lack of goals? One stat that is important is Accurate Crosses. Again according to Fotmob, the Rowdies had nine of those. That was good for 31% overall. Nine isn’t necessarily a low number. Watching the game, though, fans will be feeling differently about that same thing.
Many crosses did not find their man and did not present a real opportunity to those waiting in the box. As mentioned above, Faroux was made to look better than he probably is. Beyond the lack of quality to these balls whipped into the box, it seemed to be Plan A, B, C, and D for Tampa Bay. Even when it wasn’t working, it was much of what the team created offensively.
Loudoun played with three defenders deeper than the rest of their team. Each of those has some height as well, so they could handle the defensive duties presented to them. It wasn’t until the red card in the second half, when the Rowdies went down a man, that they brought on Damian Rivera. The super sub has been so labeled because he frequently comes on ro run at tired opponents. He offers something more individual, more improvisational than the usual gameplan.
His endeavor was not enough, though, as Loudoun could consolidate their ten outfield players into a blob of Black and Red that could shut down most anything. Their counter attacks had done the job – and Tampa Bay never seemed to find the urgency needed to take the game back. After that red card, it was more than just Blake Bodily that seemed to leave the field.
How much better than Loudoun is Detroit?
Now the Rowdies find themselves in a hole. They are 13 points back from Eastern Conference and league leaders Louisville City. It would take some massive catastrophe or capitulation for them to give up that spot now. Because it was LouCity who played Charleston this weekend, the latter only sit nine points ahead of Tampa Bay. With games in hand, that is not insurmountable.
However, form is also a factor. It’s not just a matter of playing those games and catching up to the Battery. They’ve taken two points from their three most recent games. The opponents on Wednesday have a history of taking points off the Green and Gold as well. It will be important for Detroit City in their own playoff chase to do the same again at Al Lang Stadium.
With their win, Loudoun United jumped from eighth in the East to seventh. Sitting above them, the Michiganders only have 1 point in their favor. On the other hand, they are only one point back from the fifth place team, Birmingham Legion. It is truly all to play for this week. Everyone is in a pack in those playoff positions where they could win some home games come the postseason.
One favorable for the Rowdies will be the conditions. Both the heat and the field play to their benefit. However, as seen this past weekend, a team willing to bunker and counter can win. Detroit are always known for their defensive capabilities. With striker Ben Morris leading the club in attacking stats and in chance creation, the idea that Le Rouge can’t do the same is silly.
How can the Rowdies successfully draw Detroit City – or other teams in the future – out of this shape that allows for such results as the one fans saw Saturday? The use of Danny Crisostomo and Josh Perez could be effective. Both of them have shown this season they have the ability to drop into the center circle, pick up the ball from deep, and play it to someone higher up the field.
In doing this, they will usually drag a defender out of position, as they will be trying to win the ball away from Crisostomo or Perez and start one of those counters. Both midfielders demonstrated good strength to hold off that defender and control the ball at the same time. When the space opens up behind them, another attacker should be able to run into it.
There have to be options beyond “get the ball wide and cross it in.” While Detroit City doesn’t have the same height as Loudoun, they are certainly capable of repelling these attacks. Jordan Doherty has displayed an ability to run at players and beat one or two of them. He and Rivera must do this to move defenders out of position. A patented Cal Jennings-does-it-himself run would have a similar effect.
If the Rowdies don’t find a way to break down teams from these positions, the playoff hunt will suffer. There is a distance between Tampa Bay in third place and Indy in fourth. It is not big enough that it can’t be undone. If the season ended today, the Green and Gold would have to play Louisville City, Charleston Battery, or New Mexico away in the playoffs if they met. Are fans confident that those are winnable games at this point?
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos: 1-0 W
James: 2-1 W
Yurika: 2-0 W
