Away to Dallas Trinity Preview
Date: Sunday December 8, 2024
Kickoff Time: 3:30 pm EST at Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX
Records: Tampa Bay Sun (16 pts 4W-4D-3L); Dallas Trinity FC (20 pts 5W-5D-2L)
Standings: The Sun are 4th in the Super League and Trinity are 3rd.
Soccer fans in Tampa Bay had an extended break around Thanksgiving. Now that the temperature has dipped here as well, the Sun will play their last two games of the first half of the season, including one more away trip. A win in Texas would put the club only a point behind their opponent in the standings. That means there’s everything to play for this weekend!
What’s going on around the Super League?
Over the holiday weekend, the USL umbrella continued to play – even if that didn’t include the west coast of Florida. The Sun last played on November 16th, beating Carolina Ascent 2-1. Since then, Carolina lost again, Dallas drew then won then lost, and DC Power beat Fort Lauderdale before firing their manager anyway. Phew, that’s a lot!
Why there was a three-week break for Tampa Bay is anyone’s guess. (It was this writer’s expectation that the postponed match vs. Fort Lauderdale would be moved to the extended Thanksgiving break.) But, with only eight clubs, these gaps can appear. It’s down to the coaching staff and players to make sure they’re good to go when things pick up again.
To return to the middle of November, Tampa Bay had done well up until then. Facing the top team in the league, at least according to the table, they were able to come out on top in a hard fought victory. Tash Flint added to her tally and Carlee Giammona continued her strong start to life in the Super League. A few notable changes took place ahead of the starting whistle, though.
At right back, where fans have become accustomed to seeing Talia Staude, coach Denise Schilte-Brown thought this was a better matchup for Paige Almendariz. Additionally, she switched keepers and brought Ashley Orkus back into the XI. While neither Orkus nor Lauren Kozal has covered themselves in glory in the last two games, the picked up offense offsets that.
DSB has in multiple post-game press conferences talked about how she doesn’t want to play a long-ball game. Instead, she intends to keep the ball on the ground, maintaining possession as much as possible and playing what she envisions as attractive soccer. It’s somewhat ironic, then, that several recent goals were scored by long balls over the opposition defense.
That could be by design, though. Flint and Cecilie Floe have come in and hit the ground running, their ability to stretch people both vertically and horizontally on display. Perhaps Tampa Bay have been attempting their passing game as much as possible, drawing the press from the opposition and creating large pockets, which Tampa Bay’s defenders are then exploiting themselves.
As a team that might otherwise recognize the Sun’s speed up top moves forward, trying to press and win back possession close to Tampa Bay’s goal, Viv Bessette and Brooke Hendrix have seen space open up behind them. This doesn’t negate the generally possession-oriented play of the club the rest of the time. It’s just keeping the opponent honest.
If they leave too much room between the backline and the goalkeeper? Well, Floe and Flint know what to do. Soccer is a game centered around creating and then taking space. While Schilte-Brown and co. continue to work on the patterns they’ve established to that end, they’re not sacrificing any attacking chances along the way.
Is Dallas vulnerable or not?
As stated above, Trinity have recently completed a trifecta of sorts, drawing, winning, and losing in the time since the Sun last played. It might be best for those of us in the Sunshine state to throw up our hands and hope for the best. The Sun, on the other hand, will be looking for certain chances to continue their recent growth.
On November 23rd, Dallas handed Carolina their second defeat in a row, and their second ever after the latter played Tampa Bay the week before. Then, this past Sunday, the Texans lost away from home in south Florida. It was a tight match and FLOOTD needed a late goal to earn their own win. A couple things stood out from one game to the next.
In the loss, regular right wing back Julia Dorsey was not present. Dorsey is an interesting case for Tampa Bay fans, as she is also a defender on loan from North Carolina Courage. She mirrors Talia Staude in all these ways; the two were even drafted at the same time! A two-sport athlete in college – also playing lacrosse – her absence was possibly felt against Fort Lauderdale.
This was the only difference in the starting XI from one game to the next. Otherwise, they largely maintained the same shape and same players, even making two of the same subs over 90 minutes. Captain Amber Brooks sat in front of the backline to act as a shield while the possession allowed for Trinity’s wingbacks to get forward and add to the attack.
It is a testament to the good youth coaching in Texas that so many Dallas players come from the state. Seven of the eleven who took the field are born or raised natives, and their influence covers every part of the field. That even includes two academy players in the high-responsibility positions of striker and center back!
It shouldn’t be too surprising, though, as their coach is a former youth national team manager in Scotland. If Pauline MacDonald feels someone is ready to contribute, she clearly has no qualms about tossing them into the fray. This paid off already when Sealey Strawn, the academy striker mentioned above, scored in an early-November win over Fort Lauderdale.
On the other side of things, the tactical nous of Tampa Bay players should be important here. With the side becoming more familiar with each other and more familiar with DSB’s demands, they should look to take advantage of a defensive unit whose most experienced player was only in the NWSL as a depth piece. But, be wary not to underestimate.
Outside of Julia Dorsey, every one of Dallas’ starting midfielders has scored this season – twice in fact. If the Sun can maintain possession, draw defenders in, and look for that space over their heads, it is sure to open up. Doing that while keeping Trinity at bay will be easier said than done. There is speed and experience higher up the field, and the Texans will have the home advantage.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Sun Podcast:
Lizzie: 2-0 W
Tom: 2-1 W
Yurika: 2-1 L
James: 2-2 D
