Rowdies Beat Indy Eleven To Stay Unbeaten
Recap:
A Mattheus Oliveira strike keeps the Rowdies unbeaten streak alive as Tampa Bay beats Indy Eleven 1-0.
Indy Eleven’s Jack Blake created a great chance early into the match for Indy. After a free kick, Blake found himself at the edge of the box. The Rowdies were slow to close the space, and Blake fired off a shot which took a slight deflection.
Luckily, the deflection was not major, and the ball was still easily collected by goalkeeper Jahmali Waite. However, it continues to highlight how the Rowdies can struggle to close down shooting lanes, which has been an issue since the game at Charleston.
The Rowdies used slow buildup play to create chances in this game. This is how a great chance came from Karsen Henderlong.
In the 11th minute, Nathan Dossantos found MD Myers in the midfield, who chipped a ball over the Indy line for Dion Acoff to run onto. Acoff whipped in a cross for Henderlong running into the box.
Henderlong made good contact on the ball, and a forearm save is required from Indy goalie Eric Dick. A great save to deny a rebound effort, as striker MD Myers was unmarked in the box ready for the rebounded effort.
The Rowdies got a great look right before halftime. Acoff fielded a ball from Centerback Brian Schaefer near the coach’s technical area.
He dribbled past his man, finding him in great space for a cross. The cross, which ended up back post, found MD Myers who drifted away from his marker. Myers got good connection with the ball, but was unable to go get it down enough.
Despite being inches from hitting the crossbar, the ball carried over the bar and out for an Indy goal kick. Some of us fans actually started celebrating because from our view it looked like a goal.
Despite the chances, the game remained all square after the first 45 minutes.
Indy Eleven got a free kick in dangerous territory against the Rowdies just after play had restarted after halftime. The Rowdies’ frantic defending denied Indy on multiple attempts, with the chance ending after Bruno Rendón sent a header into the side netting, unmarked outside of the back post at the six-yard box.
The Rowdies broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute. The Rowdies won the ball after an Indy throw-in. After both teams played pinball with botched clearances and heavy touches, Mattheus Oliviera emerged just outside the Indy eighteen-yard box with the ball, and played a pass to Sebastian Cruz.
Cruz found Russell Cicerone on a run in the box, and played a perfectly weighted pass for Cicerone to run onto. After taking a touch and using a body faint to get past a defender, Cicerone played a wonderful pullback cross to Mattehus.
Mattheus smashed the ball past Eric Dick giving the Rowdies the lead. The perfectly placed shot went over two sliding Indy Eleven defenders, and into the top bins of the Indy goal.
The Rowdies had another dangerous chance a couple minutes later, with a low-driven Mattheus corner finding Pedro Dolabella in the middle of the box unmarked.
A nice move from Dolabella found him open in the box. The shot was just aimed wide, bouncing off an Indy defender in the process. However, had the shot been on target, it would have been another goal for Tampa Bay.
With 30 minutes to go, Indy found themselves on the attack. An overlap on Indy’s right side led to Josh O’Brien taking a shot that beat goalie Jahmali Waite. While a shot got past three Rowdies defenders, the Rowdies did a great job closing the space.
Nathan Dossantos attempted to close down the space, and was unlucky to not get the block. This shows an improvement on the Rowdies defending from even the start of the game.
Keeping Up With the (B)east:
The most important game for Rowdies fans was by far Louisville and Detroit.
Detroit City FC and Louisville City FC played in Keyworth Stadium. Detroit City has been in great form, and they had the advantage of playing in most difficult place to play in the USL.
Louisville City came into this matchweek a point ahead of 2nd place Tampa Bay.
Detroit City FC thought they found the breakthrough goal in the first half, but was denied by Louisville’s Amadou Dia making a goal-line clearance, and keeping the score even.
Detroit found their goal after a Haruki Yamazaki half-volley deflected off Lou City player Carlos Moguel. While Moguel was charged with the own goal, it was still a very impressive strike from Yamazaki.
Jansen Wilson equalized for Louisville just before halftime off an impressive free-kick which left Detroit’s goalie Carlos Herrera frozen in his tracks. The ball was struck beautifully, and flew into the keeper’s side of the goal. Further credit to Wilson for his celebration, as celebrations that wind up home fans are my favorite.
With 20 minutes to go, substitute Connor Rutz converted a header off an Alassane Diouf corner kick. Rutz was completely unmarked just outside of the six-yard box, and made Lou City pay for their poor marking.
In the 10th minute of added time, Lou City almost found their equalizer after two attempts hit the post, and desperate Les Rouge goalline defending.
The Detroit heroics paid off, as they secured all three points, and are now 4 points behind the Rowdies in 1st. More importantly, it means more dropped points for Lou City, who is very, very good in the Regular Season.
With the Rowdies beating Indy, they moved into 1st place again with 17 points, still unbeaten. Louisville drops into 2nd place with 16 points. Charleston and Detroit are both tied with 13 points in 3rd and 4th.
Miami FC is in 5th with 12 points, and Hartford Athletic and Pittsburgh are tied with 10 points. Birmingham sits at the playoff line with Indy at 9 points. Rhode Island is in 10th place with 8 points. 11th place Brooklyn FC sits at 7 points. Loudoun United is 12th with 5 points, and Sporting Jax continues their impressive league form with a staggering 1 point through eight matches played.
The Bigger Picture:
The Good: Oliveria and Acoff both had great games.
Mattheus showed off what he could do against Sarasota, and he continued to impress against Indy. Mattheus bagged an impressive assist last game, with his one-time assist to Karsen Henderlong to secure his brace.
Mattehus continued his goal contribution run with a lovely goal in this game. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and the team just seems to play better with him on the field. I definitely think he is the best player at the moment for the Green and Gold.
Now, defensively, Acoff struggled a little bit. He got nailed for a couple of fouls, and got a yellow card for breaking up an attacking opportunity.
On the other side of the ball, Acoff was unstoppable. The MD Myers chance and the Karsen Henderlong were both created by Acoff. Acoff was consistently beating his marker, and sending in dangerous crosses that should have resulted in goals. The craziest part? Acoff only played in the first half.
The Bad: I said to RBLR Rowdies writer Parker Arnold at halftime “It feels like the Rowdies are on the back foot the whole time”, and that’s how the first half felt to me.
While the Rowdies did have the better of the chances in the first half, I was honestly unimpressed with how they looked.
They came out with their most offensive-minded lineup yet, and I think the balance was thrown off too much. While I think it is unfair to bench Henderlong after a brace the week before, I have failed to see the chemistry with him and MD Myers.
I definitely think the team looked more balanced with Pedro Dolabella and Charlie Ostrem on the field as the halftime subs, just giving the team just a bit more defensive coverage.
Final Thoughts: A win is a win.
I am starting to get a little concerned that teams have maybe “figured us out” in a way. However, with a roster like this, it really is hard to predict everything that this Rowdies team can do.
The team can play well on the wings with players like Charlie Ostrem, Sebastian Cruz, and Dion Acoff. They can also play well up the middle of the park with Russell Cicerone, Max Schneider, and Mattheus.
Having a versatile attack like that is important, especially when having a break wall in the back with the defence of Nathan Dossantos, Brian Schaefer, and Jahmali Waite.
It was also another game where if it wasn’t for good goalkeeping, the score is much better for Tampa Bay. The Rowdies created chances well, and used subs effectively to change the tempo of the game. Eric Dick made impressive saves, and sometimes you just have to accept there will be games like this.
A 1-0 win gets you as many points as a 7-0 win, and that is the important thing to remember. With Louisville City dropping points, it makes this win feel even sweeter.
Coming Up/Match Prediction:
The Rowdies begin a two and a half week road trip. The Rowdies first travel to Pawtucket, Rhode Island to face Rhode Island FC.
Rhode Island had a rough start to the season, but has gotten into better form recently. They had won back-to-back league games, but recently lost 3-1 to Birmingham Legion FC at home.
Last time the Rowdies travelled to Centreville Bank Stadium, it was a game where both teams were playing for playoffs. The Rowdies got hammered 5-0, in what was the second-worst loss of the year.
Rhode Island FC has lots of talented players that will give the Rowdies trouble.
Goalkeeper Koke Vegas is a top-tier goalkeeper, and I personally think he is one of the best goalies in the league.
Clay Holstead is a midfielder who always seems to play up to the moment, and I think he can give the Rowdies an issue. While he usually plays in a deeper midfield role, he is not afraid to shoot on goal.
Finally, former Rowdie JJ Williams has caused headaches for the Rowdies in the past. He has scored in two games for RIFC against his former team, including a first-half brace in the 5-0 drumming.
If the Rowdies want to have a chance of winning, they will have to be both defensively and offensively at their best.
Centreville Bank Stadium is a hard place to play at in the USL. The RIFC Supporter’s Section is usually filled and making lots of noise.
I personally rate Rhode Island’s supporter groups with the best in the league, so it will be interesting to see how the Rowdies team deals with their first tough away game this season.
I am going with a 2-2 draw as my prediction.
