Away vs. FLOOTD Preview
Date: Saturday March 8, 2025
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Beyond Bancard Field at NSU in Davie, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Sun (22 pts 5W-7D-4L); Fort Lauderdale United FC (27 pts 8W-3D-5L)
Standings: The Sun are 5th in the Super League and FLOOTD are 2nd.
This past weekend, the Sun took a break from league play to have a friendly against NWSL side Gotham FC. It was both impressive and exciting to see the team take one of the best women’s clubs in the world to penalties – even if it ended in a Gotham victory. They will now try to apply those lessons when they travel to take on local rivals in Fort Lauderdale United with points on the line. If you can get there, let’s help make sure everyone’s aware Florida’s soccer colors are Blue and Gold!
How did they get up to second?!
While Tampa Bay fans were watching their side take on the 2023 NWSL champions, it should be noted this was actually the visitors’ second match in four days. When Gotham came to Florida, they started their tour by beating Fort Lauderdale United 2-1. These games, including the Sun’s, are not good points of comparison for any of the teams involved – even if Tampa Bay’s result was nicer on paper.
Much more important is FLOOTD’s recent form, which included a 2-2 draw in Tampa, a 2-0 win at home against Lexington, and a 2-1 win away to Carolina. These added to their pre-break position and have put Fort Lauderdale two points ahead of their last opponent, the Ascent, into second place overall. That’s currently five points ahead of Tampa Bay, with a better goal differential, too
The two sides are relatively close on the defensive front. Despite having more continuity in net, the team from Miami’s suburbs have conceded 17 goals, one fewer than the Sun. Cosette Morche has this year sat behind Delaney Lindahl, Laveni Vaka, Laurel Ansbrow, and, recently, Julia Grosso. The latter of these joined in January, signing on after she left Utah Royals of the NWSL.
Attacking is where Fort Lauderdale thrive, though. They lead the league in goals with 23. An extremely potent front three has recently been augmented with two additions which, it could be said, have made the side even more deadly. Sun fans should already be familiar with wingers Sh’Nia Gordon and Jasmine Hamid. The former has two assists and one goal while the latter has two and six, respectively.
In 2024, it was largely Addie McCain who ran the show up top for United. She scored eight goals before winter, adding another in their recent win over Lexington. However, she was frequently listed as a midfielder. She has played the last couple games there, in what may be a more normal position for her, as new signing Kiara Locklear took over the #9 duties for the club.
Locklear scored the winner away against Carolina last weekend. For those keeping track, that’s winning-goal Locklear, nine-goal Addie McCain, and six-goal Jasmine Hamid to worry about. The latter’s recent play has seen her named USL Player of the Month for December and February (no one named in January), while McCain joined rookie defender Ansbrow on the most recent USL Team of the Month.
All of this means that the key to beating FLOOTD is firstly a solid defensive performance. The Sun backline has been tested recently – not always passing. Ashley Orkus, with new competition in the form of Jamaican international Sydney Schneider, will need to marshal her unit as well as possible. Ensuring the best combination is out there is also key for the coaching staff ahead of time.
After starting on the backline, Paige Almendariz was moved to wingback for the recent home draw vs. Brooklyn. She stayed there in the friendly against Gotham, with Victoria Haugen, Brooke Hendrix, Viv Bessette sitting deepest, and Sydny Nasello the wingback on the other side. Sort that out and continue to build as they have been in attack, and three points could await at the end of 90 minutes.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Sun Podcast:
Lizzie: 3-2 W
Tom: 2-0 W
Yurika: 2-2 D
James: 2-1 L
