Away to Colorado Springs Preview
Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
Kickoff Time: 9:00 pm EST at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs, CO
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (43 pts 12W-7D-6L); Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (38 pts 11W-5D-10L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 3rd in the East and the Switchbacks are 6th in the West.
There are nine games left in the Rowdies’ season before the USL Championship playoffs start. After an up and down season, the team had a mostly down month of August, with only one win versus The Miami. They will need to improve on that record if they are to finish the season well. This week, they travel west to the state of Colorado to take on the Switchbacks!
Did we ever need a bye week!
After the aforementioned win, Tampa Bay took a grand total of five points from five games last month. While that isn’t terrible (others took fewer), it stings for a couple of reasons. Two draws came against clubs in the bottom half of the Western Conference. Phoenix Rising had fired their manager right before that game, while Monterey Bay finished August losing to The Miami.
The club then followed that with two straight losses at home. Any loss at home is a disappointing night for the Rowdies. Al Lang has been a fortress in years past. For whatever reason, it seems to be less daunting to opponents right now. Detroit City took advantage after another lackadaisical performance against Loudoun United. At least these are two playoff contenders.
Going into the match vs. The Miami, Tampa Bay fans had far more than a rivalry on their minds. The visitors to Al Lang have been dreadful in 2024. (This writer still wishes strong South Florida opposition comes along next season.) Anything other than a win should be unacceptable. That was achieved; although, it took 60 minutes for the first goal to go in.
The Rowdies managed 31 shots in that game, eight of which were on target. According to Fotmob, they created five Big Chances, four of which were missed. This is actually typical for the team lately. At least shooting the ball is not the problem. Rather, it is both where those shots are taken and how likely they are to succeed.
The finishing has certainly hindered them. It is the job of the management to figure out if there’s a more systemic issue than just confidence. Problems with confidence can hopefully be overcome. From the fan’s perspective, it’s hard to figure out when there are so many attacking plays. (The team leads in both Big Chances created and Big Chances missed this year.)
On the other end, there appears to be another shadow looming. Defensively, the Rowdies have looked shaky in these games. The team has only conceded 1.1 goal per game for the season overall. There’s more to that story, though. With several recent changes made to the backline, often due to injury, bad moments piled up – like The Miami hitting the post when it was still 0-0.
Finding the right formula up top – be that formational, lineup, or rousing speeches – is necessary to get the scoring touch back. In defense, more stability is what’s needed for success. Aaron Guillen and Jordan Doherty could be back for the game on Saturday. Fans will certainly hope they can join loanee Ryan Spaulding in the starting XI before kickoff.
Can the Switchbacks win three in a row?
After their own small rough patch, Colorado Springs found their stride the past week. Playing at home on Wednesday, they were able to beat Memphis before going on the road and swatting FC Tulsa to the side. Seven goals for and two against helped them do it in style. This all followed an eyebrow raising transfer the Switchbacks were involved in beforehand.
On August 23, it was announced that Maalique Foster was headed to Indy Eleven to finish out the season. Despite missing those two wins, Foster remains second on the Switchbacks’ scoring chart and first for assists. Four of each tally makes him one of their most potent attackers all year. So how did they seemingly improve afterwards?
Colorado Springs seems to have maintained a nominal 4-2-3-1 formation, while using other players in the spaces Foster would’ve filled. Yosuke Hanya started in both wins last week, while the other wing was occupied first by Jonas Fjeldberg and then Jairo Henriquez. The #10 position was given first to Tyreek Magee and then Zach Zandi.
Fjeldberg scored a double against Memphis – the latter assisted by Magee – while Henriquez notched a goal versus Tulsa. Also of note, each fullback scored in the second game on Sunday. This should partly show their ability to impact the play via pressing when out of possession. The Switchbacks will look to put their visitors under pressure in the tough conditions of high altitude.
The Rowdies have been a team that likes to play out of the back when they can. This is true even before manager Robbie Neilson took over last November. They should be press-resistant under normal conditions, to use a little soccer jargon. There will be less oxygen in the air at Weidner Field this weekend and that could play to a Switchback advantage, especially late on.
The good thing is that Tampa Bay don’t have to play this way. If it’s easier to play over the opposition or to let them have more of the ball, the Green and Gold will do that, too. If they can use Colorado Springs’ aggression to their own advantage, the Rowdies could put themselves in good positions. This would involve them baiting the press from the hosts.
If Tampa Bay’s defenders can keep possession even under pressure, they should try to draw the Switchbacks out. Bring as many players as you can near your own box, create just enough space to hit the long ball to the other side, and look for Ryan Spaulding or Pacifique Niyongabire. Whichever one is on the opposite side of the play should have acres on the wing to exploit.
It’s easier said than done naturally. Colorado Springs may tailor their approach to handle two dangerous wingers in Green and Gold regardless. With two weeks to prepare, Neilson will have given his charges multiple different options to consider when attacking. Starting this month off strong will be important because there will be two games next week. It’s thick and fast now.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos: 2-0 W
James: 1-1 D
Yurika: 2-1 W
