Away to Dallas Trinity Preview
Date: Saturday February 15, 2025
Kickoff Time: 6:30 pm EST at Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX
Records: Tampa Bay Sun (20 pts 5W-5D-4L); Dallas Trinity FC (23 pts 6W-5D-3L)
Standings: The Sun are 5th in the Super League and Dallas are 2nd.
Despite a strong start against a local rival, Tampa Bay conceded first – and second – before mounting an impressive comeback. It was still disappointing to not beat Fort Lauderdale, especially at home. The Sun will now have to regroup and travel to Texas, where they take on a strong team in Dallas. Tune into the game on Peacock this Saturday evening!
How did we not score first?!
After a long break, it was the home side that started better in the only Super League match this past weekend. Some new faces and a fresh formation helped Tampa Bay break past the FLOOTD defense on the wings many times over. Unfortunately, it never led to anything in the first half. Ultimately, the Sun would rue their missed opportunities, as so many teams do.
Tampa Bay-native Kaylan Marckese was the first new face, making her Sun debut. It was particularly sad for her that the injury which likely kept her out for so long reappeared and forced her off before halftime. The shot-stopper looked to be in tears as she left the field and was wrapped in an ice pack walking on a crutch to rejoin her teammates on the bench.
In front of her, a back three with out-and-out wingbacks took shape. This column last week foresaw a makeshift backline that did not materialize. Instead, new signing Victoria Haugen (not announced before writing) joined Brooke Hendrix and Paige Almendariz behind Sydny Nasello on the left and Jordan Zade on the right, who joined Tampa Bay from the college ranks.
Zade had almost complete freedom to get up the wing and try to find the opposition byline. It was mostly the responsibility of Cecilie Floe on the left to whip in crosses, while Nasello sat deeper than fans have seen her previously. Floe, frequently battered by her marking defender, was able to get in almost as many pullbacks across the box as Zade had on the other side.
As stated, though, these ultimately didn’t amount to much. Fort Lauderdale have a particularly tall goalkeeper (Cosette Morche stands over 6 feet), and she was able to get her paws on damn near everything. After the first 30 or so minutes, the visitors added another player up top. This formational shift allowed them to cut down on Tampa Bay’s momentum and control of the game.
Into the second half, they started better and subsequently did take advantage, scoring twice within ten minutes. It can’t be said that United didn’t earn these goals; but, the match at times looked more physical than rugby. In particular, Sydny Nasello will feel aggrieved over her treatment, receiving a strong elbow while somehow conceding a foul in the eyes of the referee.
The Sun kept at it, though, and worked their way back in. Both penalties called were duly earned – maybe not surprising considering the above injury to Nasello. Tampa Bay and their Floridian rivals have already developed some level of hatred, it seems. Words were exchanged on more than one occasion, and the elbow was only the most obvious for the fans in the stands.
Getting a late equalizer was surely sweet for the players on the field. Assumedly, though, the staff will have words about how to better capitalize during their dominant periods in games. That would have set the Sun up well to handle what Fort Lauderdale had to offer the rest of the 90 minutes. Getting a win against this team, whenever it comes, will be cause for celebration in the locker room.
What will Dallas look like after two months off?
The good thing about playing the first game back from winter break is shaking rust off before most other clubs. The bad thing is they will have a little bit more footage to review ahead of time. That will be the situation for Tampa Bay when they travel out west like so many others, in search of gold (three points) and a better life (level with Dallas in the standings).
Already a strong team going into the break, Trinity have added and subtracted but continue to look very good ahead of their first match of 2025. Only one glaring absence is there: Samantha Meza has returned to her parent club, Seattle. The Reign will determine if they keep her or sell her before their season starts – at which point, Dallas might pounce again.
On the other side of the ledger, they have done well to recruit for the new year. Julia Dorsey’s loan was made permanent, shoring up the right side of their defense. Youngsters Deborah Abiodun and Tamara Bolt have joined on loan from Washington Spirit. And, finally, Trinity may have made the biggest splash of the inaugural USL Super League campaign so far.
Lexi Missimo is a name familiar to anyone who reads about US youth national teams. She represented every age level up to the under-23s, with a senior team call up surely a matter of when and not if. Originally from a suburb of Dallas, she has spurned the NWSL and joined her local USL club instead. Following her years at the University of Texas at Austin, it’s clear she’s dedicated to her home state.
Missimo might not have the international pedigree of someone like Jade Moore (not yet anyway); but, make no mistake: this is a major coup for Trinity and for the Super League as a whole. She will offer an instant boost to her team and give the league a cache it did not previously have for prospective players searching for a new club.
How she fits into a Dallas lineup is another question. With Meza gone but Bolt and Abiodun in, that hole is seemingly filled. It’s more likely that Missimo will become a partner to team captain Amber Brooks in midfield, with players placed around that duo to maximize their ability to create chances. Previous formations may not offer a guide when preparing a game plan.
Sun manager Denise Schilte-Brown has a lot on her hands right now. Jade Moore was not on the bench vs. Fort Lauderdale. Marckese will likely be out and Nasello is up in the air, too. The three-at-the-back formation had a lot of potential last weekend. Anyone who was there could see the promise. Delivering on it is the next step, and that’s something they’ll focus on in training.
The other major focus will be shutting down Dallas. Perhaps the three at the back will be insufficient; perhaps they’ll be more than necessary. Putting extra bodies in the midfield does seem important, with the danger lurking from Missimo and Brooks. DSB’s plans to overrun them will require the near-perfect execution of the players, too. If they win, the only thing between the Sun and Trinity will be goal differential.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Sun Podcast:
Liz: 3-2 W
Tom: 1-1 D
Yurika: 2-1 L
James: 2-1 L
