Rowdies Match Review: 1-0 L at Las Vegas Lights
Date: Saturday March 8, 2025
Result: Las Vegas 1-0 Tampa Bay
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (0 pts 0W-0D-1L); Las Vegas Lights FC (3 pts 1W-0D-0L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 9th in the East and the Lights are 5th in the West.
Statistics in soccer are not the end-all be-all. If they were, the Rowdies would surely have beat Las Vegas this past weekend away in Nevada. As it happened, Tampa Bay started this year the way they finished a good portion of the last: with great numbers and no goals to show for it. This was only the first game, so the sky isn’t falling. But, fans in Florida will look on frustrated as they see an early three points go begging in 2025 at the beginning of a month-long road trip.
How did Las Vegas pull this one out?
Very much like an act of magic, the Lights pulled a rabbit out of a hat to beat Tampa Bay this past weekend. The Rowdies huffed and puffed; but, the closest they came was hitting the woodwork. Meanwhile, Las Vegas created some good chances of their own. None were as good as the chance Nico Campisi, in his first USL Championship match, created for them, though.
A new signing out of Argentina, Campisi seemed to be a very good move by the Rowdies front office. No doubt he will become one in time. However, it was a debut to forget for the new #1. Making a routine decision to come and clear a long ball, Campisi blasted it into the back of Rowdies captain Aaron Guillen. The deflection gave Lights attacker Christian Pinzon what was probably the easiest goal of his career.
Sadly, that was all that would separate the two sides. On paper, there was much more to it. Tampa Bay had over 60% of the possession, controlling much of the game throughout all 90 minutes. They took 21 shots to Las Vegas’ five – although, only three of those 21 were on target. That bad accuracy definitely played a role in the loss. It wasn’t all down to Campisi after all.
The commentators noted during the game the multiple injury issues that Las Vegas is dealing with. Additionally, their own match preview noted that Daouda Peeters, touted in this article’s counterpart preview last week, is unavailable as he waits for a visa. Maliek Howell was out, as was former Rowdie Raiko Arozarena.
Ultimately, Tampa Bay didn’t do enough to test his replacement.
Nicholas Ammeter saw several good attempts go wide, scrambling to make sure he at least had the space between his posts covered. Pacifique Niyongabire, starting on the right, had a couple good runs. Ollie Bassett, in a role that could have him listed many different ways, was a bright spot all night. He was able to take people on and beat them on multiple occasions.
Niyongabire’s best shot went just wide of Ammeter’s right post, while Bassett often tried to find people in the box waiting for their own chance to shoot. Stats again here paint an interesting picture. According to FotMob, the Rowdies tried to cross the ball over 30 times in this match. Just ten of those found someone in Green and Gold, and none in much space obviously.
The coaching staff are left with a similar conundrum from 2024: how do we turn good numbers into good chances – and turn good chances into real goals?
It should all even out in the wash with a long enough sample period, as I’m sure someone has once said. But, it’s not evening out yet, and last year showed more than enough of this trend for Rowdies fans’ liking.
Bassett and striker Woobens Pacius will have some in-game embedding to do. That’s inevitable (which is not to say either looked bad). Niyongabire, Blake Bodily, and Manuel Arteaga already should have a good lay of the land, while Danny Crisostomo looked good at times connecting back to front. So when will they all click together? Trends, from one game and longer, suggest soon – keep the faith.
RBLR Man of the Match:
James: Danny Crisostomo
Carlos: Ollie Bassett
RBLR Sports Predictions Standings:
Carlos: 0
James: 0
Yurika: 0
