Rowdies vs. The Miami Preview
Date: Saturday August 24, 2024
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (40 pts 11W-7D-6L); The Miami FC (8 pts 2W-2D-20L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 3rd in the East and The Miami are 12th.
A rough month continues for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Two lackluster draws were followed by two defeats. Both of those coming at home make this a harder pill to swallow. There were signs of improvement in certain areas of the field; however, there were similar movements in the other direction. Injuries are adding to a tenuous situation. The good news is the next opponent is dead last in the league. Cheer the boys on against Florida rivals The Miami this weekend!
Are there bigger issues hanging over this team?
Sometimes it’s “one step forward, two steps back.” This week, though, there didn’t appear to be much of that first one at all. There were definite improvements in play from the Saturday game that preceded it. However, the inability to handle counter punches immediately put Tampa Bay in a hole. As it turned out, this was not one they’d climb out.
Giving up a goal in the first three minutes is certainly rare. A corner kick could inject just enough chaos to allow that kind of chance. (The Rowdies would do similar later on in the half.) While it is a fluke on its own, it creates a ripple effect. Out of nowhere, a team that’s already struggling is up against the wall again. That good will following the comeback victory versus Charleston is gone.
In the post game press conference, manager Robbie Neilson emphasized this, telling RBLR that when a group is not feeling confident, a lack of goals suddenly turns into a heavy mental burden. That is an understandable sentiment for most people. “It hasn’t happened lately. Why would it happen now?” Anyone who played youth sports has had that thought.
Tampa Bay was able to score, of course. But, it was not from open play. This is despite 26 shots and five big chances created, according to Fotmob. In the first half, fans could feel just how close their players were getting to the back of the net. Loanee Ryan Spaulding hit the inside of the post and watched it come right back at him. The team couldn’t buy a goal at times.
Overall, the first half was a good outing. It looked at times like Detroit City was barely hanging on. Hang on they did, though, and adjustments were made at halftime. The visitors swapped both fullbacks and a wide player to allow themselves the room to cover the Rowdies players in their own formation. It neutralized all the positivity around the stadium at halftime.
Suddenly, the good play down the wings was absent and Tampa Bay’s strikers were starved for service again. There were certainly squandered opportunities in the first 45. Now those same nervous voices likely entered their heads. “What if Detroit scores again? Will we be able to respond? When are we gonna get back to the good old days like July?”
The Rowdies were not able to regain control and Le Rouge took advantage of a scramble in the box. It was 2-1 – right back in that hole. Substitutions could not revitalize things. It seemed much like the dying minutes against Loudoun: there were dropped shoulders, sad faces, hands waving as if asking if the ball was serious. The goal to make it 3-1 should’ve been the last of the game.
Will RBLR’s reporters have to jump into the Bay?
One of the good things about playing on Saturday after losing on Wednesday is you don’t really have time to focus on that. A new set of instructions and a new set of game plans is under way immediately. Even more luckily, the next opponent on Saturday is the worst team in the league – and by a good margin. This is not to be disparaging. It’s simply looking at the table.
The Miami currently sit on eight points. Their last win was in April. They have played 16 games since then without a victory. As rivals in the state of Florida, they’re not holding up their end of the bargain. This is truly unfortunate. In an American soccer landscape, any team doing this poorly is a reflection of the whole. They are sometimes a punchline. The sport here cannot afford that.
However, this is not a soapbox for the owners of the club down south to chart a new route. There are both other platforms for these calls and more articulate ones at that. Right now, this is only to look at The Miami in relation to Tampa Bay for their upcoming game. It is a must win for the hosts in Green and Gold. Anything short of that is failing.
The Rowdies came into August looking good. They had just come back to beat second place Charleston, as noted above. They had two games in hand. The Battery didn’t seem out of reach. Even Louisville could be caught if things went the right way. There are any number of phrases inappropriate for this column that would describe how it’s actually gone since.
The two draws away from home that followed were seen as disappointments. Floridian fans didn’t know those would be the only two points they’d have gained afterwards. Two losses at home have changed the narrative on the season: it’s not away games where the Rowdies are stumbling. In fact, it’s a failure to be clinical at Al Lang that has left them reeling.
So the perfect opportunity to banish any demons has shown up at the team’s doorstep. Cal Jennings and Manuel Arteaga are in relative goal droughts right now (despite the latter’s consolation strike against Detroit). What better way to get your confidence back? As sad a state of affairs as Miami is, they can’t decide which of their goalkeepers will give up fewer goals.
To wit, their last game actually started brightly for the south Floridians. Striker Frank Lopez got off the mark in the fifth minute. It was level ten minutes later; but, they were holding on. Cut to the 80th minute of the match. Memphis scored off a Nicolas Cardona own goal. They would go on to add three more, with the final result a 5-1 loss. Don’t forget: the Rowdies also scored 5 in April.
Tampa Bay fans have every right to expect a glut of goals in this fixture. Their side has seemingly been knocking on the door for a while now without finding a way to get through and blow the house down. If this isn’t a win, RBLR hosts have promised to jump into the Bay. Not that professionals need another reason to want to win… but maybe they could keep that in mind.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos: 2-0 W
James: 3-0 W
Yurika: 4-1 W
