Tampa Bay Rowdies Weekly: Loss To Neill & CO, Need a W vs COS
Date: Saturday September 6, 2025
Result: Tampa Bay 0-2 Sacramento
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (21 pts 6W-3D-13L); Sacramento Republic FC (37 pts 10W-7D-5L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 11th in the East and the Republic are 2nd in the West.
Already in the month of September, the Rowdies are on borrowed time in 2025. Needing as many points as possible, they ended up dropping all three against former manager Neill Collins, visiting with his current team, Sacramento. Another home match is coming up now, and the club are going to see this as a must win. Get out this weekend to see them host the Colorado Springs Switchbacks as they chase a playoff berth in 2025!
Neill got the better of us, eh?
There was a good amount of hype and fanfare ahead of the matchup this past Saturday. Sadly, the game itself did not live up to the excitement. The Rowdies went in with their gameplan. The Republic had their own. The latter came out on top by playing patiently and never getting knocked off track. Ultimately, the home team didn’t give them much to contend with anyway.
The Green and Gold have had a problem lately with starting the match when the ref blows the whistle. In the postgame press conference, this was mentioned with manager Dominic Casciato and captain Aaron Guillen. There was no one thing either of them could point to. However, their side has started noticeably slowly in recent times, with Pittsburgh scoring in the third minute two weeks ago.
Frequently, that has meant the Rowdies rely on substitutions throughout a game to up the ante. They have scored in the second half twice in the last four games, failing to score at all in the other two, including against Sacramento. While the first goal scored by the visitors on Saturday definitely was lucky, going in off a deflection, it’s still part of the same overall pattern.
The Republic rode that luck and waited Tampa Bay out. Following a good shot to open the second half, their first on target all night, the Rowdies were mostly unable to generate further chances. Despite taking 11 shots and putting four on target, the Green and Gold only earned one Big Chance created, according to FotMob. John Morrissey of USL Tactics puts it succinctly:
“Since July 11th, the Rowdies have taken the least touches in the box (12.4) in the USL on a per-game basis. For every entry into the final third, this team plays just 1.7 passes in that zone – fifth-from-bottom in the Championship and evidential of that wastefulness.” As a pundit, Mr. Morrissey finds numbers that help to explain issues. This is a stark example of where the team sits.
While fans in the stands – including myself at the weekend – don’t usually have the direct figures to point to, it is palpable watching the Rowdies play that offensively, very little is happening. There are new players involved learning a new system. There is a coach trying to determine his best options for it. But, what we don’t have are many goals. As someone said to me at a pickup, you need goals to win games.
RBLR Man of the Match:
James: Juan Azocar
Carlos: Robert Castellanos
Date: Saturday September 13, at 7:30
Upcoming Game: Tampa Bay vs. Colorado Springs
Can we overcome recent issues and get a W?
Now that we’ve identified a few problems, with the help of ever-present John Morrissey, the question becomes how do we overcome them. The chopping and changing in the lineup suggests that manager Casciato is still figuring that out. Paul Marie joined and started against Pittsburgh at right wingback before moving into the center of the midfield that same game.
This past weekend, free agent signing Juan Azocar was the right wingback, while Marie stayed mostly in the center. Thomas Vancaeyezeele has played in both those spots as well as the central defender position he picked up against Sacramento. Whatever their midfield and attacking line, Colorado Springs usually plays with a flat back four. This could present an intriguing option for us.
If the Rowdies wingbacks have a little more room in front of them because their direct markers are sitting deeper, it might allow for better buildup. On the other side, of course, they need to be wary of the Switchbacks’ wingers, who’ll be looking to take up that space behind Tampa Bay’s wide players. Perhaps the right and left defenders will be tasked with covering those runs.
Regardless, the Green and Gold need to find ways to get into the opposition box more often. With a central midfield of Lewis Hilton, Laurence Wyke, and Marie, there wasn’t a ton of creativity behind the strike partnership of Woobens Pacius and Charlie Sharp. (Hilton came off for Danny Crisostomo, who isn’t really known for his attacking abilities, either.)
The Republic’s back three and wingbacks matched up evenly, or even with a possible man-advantage, facing this attack. Should the Rowdies keep Woobs and Sharp up top against the Switchbacks, there is a higher chance of players being isolated one-on-one. With some help from a sparkplug like Luis Alvarez, Joey Skinner, or possibly Nick Moon, one would hope for some electricity.
Colorado Springs uses their own wingers to good effect, taking up positions with the fullbacks behind them in support. Attacking midfielder Marco Micaletto is the usual beneficiary. He has both the most Goals/Assists and Chances Created numbers in league play. This is likely to mean cutbacks into the box will be crucial for the Rowdies to shut down defensively.
Sorting that out, while difficult, could be reasonable. As stated, the Rowdies lined up with three defensively-minded central midfielders last week. Even just putting two out against Colorado Springs should fill in the spots where Micaletto likes to pop up. It could also free another player to assist in attacking plays, which is what the team needs more than anything in this moment.
RBLR Score Predictions:
Carlos: 0-0 D
James: 2-1 L
Yurika: 1-1 D
RBLR Sports Predictions Standings:
Carlos: 9
James: 18
Yurika: 18
