Home vs. Lexington FC Preview
Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
Kickoff Time: 7:00 pm EST at Riverside Stadium in Tampa, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Sun (9 pts 2W-3D-3L); Lexington FC (8 pts 2W-2D-5L)
Standings: The Sun are 7th in the Super League and Lexington are 8th.
Two games on the road and not a point taken from either one. That was the fate of Tampa Bay this past week. It has left the club in early dire straits. The good thing, of course, is that it is so early there should be more than enough time to turn things around. With the full integration of some of the late arrivals, the club now take on cellar dwellers Lexington at home in Florida. Get to Riverside Stadium this Saturday to help cheer the Sun on to victory!
How did Spokane stop us?
Coming off a disappointing defeat, it looked as though the Sun had a perfect chance to land on their feet. The Zephyr had recently lost two home games and seemed vulnerable. Unfortunately, that perception did not play out on the field on Saturday. With Jade Moore getting her first start for the club, Tampa Bay’s midfield looked slightly different to how it had before.
Usual central midfielder Jordyn Listro took up her position again as a hybrid player, switching between that spot and the right back. At times, it looked like Moore was given the license to lead from the middle and try to dictate play. Listro also took on this responsibility for stretches of the first half. Neither of them was able to connect well with their attacking teammates.
On the other side of halftime, there was a bit of chippyness about the match. Moore got into a few arguments with her midfield counterpart, Marley Canales. This was most notable right before a substitution which saw the former go out, replaced by Andrea Hauksdottir. Before another minute had passed, Canales got the last word in with a fierce strike that put Spokane ahead.
In a game that didn’t have many clear cut chances, a laser from distance was needed to separate the two sides. What’s unfortunate is that the Sun couldn’t follow up Sydny Nasello’s early goal on Wednesday with anything else for nearly another 180 minutes. While there hasn’t been complete continuity in the starting XI each week, that shouldn’t necessarily cause this.
At this stage of the season, it should be expected that players understand the system well enough to create chances out of it. That it has still been lacking could be slightly worrisome. In the central midfield, there has often been a problem with numbers, opposition teams taking charge of that area and controlling it.
Part of that is due to Listro’s role playing in two different positions. This might be in place to allow for one of the league’s best players, Jade Moore, to try to control the midfield. There isn’t enough evidence out of one game to say one way or another on how that will continue to go.
The width on this team is frequently the responsibility of the fullbacks, usually Kristen Edmonds and Talia Staude (with Listro dropping behind them, of course). This would allow for nominal wide players to come inside, which fans have definitely seen from Erika Tymrak and Carlee Giammona. However, and unfortunately, it doesn’t always lead to high chance creation.
Perhaps the complexity of the system requires further playing it for those involved to always understand the best way past their opponents. Riley Parker’s struggles up front are on the stats sheet for all to see. However, after four games, Cecilie Floe has only scored in one, while Tash Flint has yet to get off the mark. These are all things to think about in the next match.
But we can beat Lexington, right?
The good thing about the schedule is that Tampa Bay will have the best possible chance to work out these kinks this upcoming weekend. Without the benefit of a women’s Open Cup or something similar, USL Super League clubs will only play each other for the foreseeable future in competitive fixtures. Thus, the worst team in the league is the one to experiment with.
The bad thing here, then, is that a win for Lexington would take them above the Sun in the standings. One more positive note: Tampa Bay already beat them handily in the away fixture earlier this year. Scoring three in the process, they also conceded two; although, the second of those goals came when the match was already done and dusted.
This is a familiar pattern for the club from Kentucky. They have conceded 20 goals in their nine games of this inaugural season. Only two other teams have conceded double digit figures (each of those has conceded 11). Sun fans should absolutely believe their team should score here. The players will look at this match with similar thoughts in mind.
Putting the above-mentioned patterns of play into practice and creating good chances will be the key here. Expecting Moore and Listro to start in the midfield again is a good bet. The next step is to get them in better contact with the players in front of them. Whoever starts in the higher positions, we still know what they are most likely to do.
The wingers will not stay particularly wide. The fullbacks will be any source of width. The strikers will stay high and look to force the issue for the opposition defense. Now how does all of that work together? This is where Denise Schilte-Brown and co. come into it. It is her job to put this outline of a formation into a workable practice. (That sounds soccer-y, right?)
Lexington have not had a clean sheet yet through 2024. However, they have also only been shut out once in that time span. Brooklyn FC, who nearly held the Sun scoreless, achieved this feat in late September. Tampa Bay need to be wary while they work on nailing down their attacking patterns that they do not neglect any defensive duties.
The three goals given up last week ran the gamut defensively. Brooklyn’s first, for instance, stemmed from a lack of intervention to prevent a shot. Nobody would’ve expected a shot from so far out to trouble the goalkeeper. Sadly, a similar effort was all Spokane needed to take three points a couple days later. The penalty kick in between these thunderbolts was just a fluke.
If goals from distance become a bigger problem, it’s not as though they couldn’t see the warning signs. So there’s a fair bit to work on as the Sun go from week to week in the Super League. There should only be another five games after this Saturday’s before the winter break starts. It would go a long way to helping them start the home stretch to sort everything out before 2025.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Sun Podcast:
Lizzie: 3-1 W
Tom: 2-1 W
Yurika: 2-1 W
James: 3-0 W
