Home vs. The Miami Preview
Date: Saturday April 8, 2023
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (2pt 0W-2D-2L); The Miami (3pts 0W-3D-1L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 11th in the East and The Miami are 9th in the East
Full Preview Show: RBLR YouTube
Seven goals conceded. That amount marks the worst defensive start in the USL era for the Rowdies. Tampa Bay are dropping down the Eastern Conference table and currently sit second from bottom with only Memphis 901 beneath them. The Miami, two spots above, haven’t fared much better so far. Three draws, however, leaves them with one more point than their Floridian rivals to the north on I75. Will this derby game kick start either team or continue to take them down the Aisle of Abject Affairs?
What’s even going on at this club?
The last season the Rowdies competed in the North American Soccer League (second iteration from 2011-17) was 2016. This was the last time Tampa Bay conceded seven goals in their first four games. Things might not be all doom and gloom if there were a similar number of goals scored at the other end. Unfortunately, two goals-for amounts to a record the club will not be proud of, either.
Going into their game last Saturday, Tampa Bay needed to switch things up and started by moving into a formation the team might be more familiar with. Three-at-the-back has been a staple of success in this part of Florida since 2020 during Covid. The match started off poorly, however, with a great chance for Legion coming in just the second minute. That batted away, the Rowdies did settle down a bit and started to work their way into the game. The next big chance would also come for Legion, this time from a bad back pass by Forrest Lasso. Defensive lapses were starting to rear their head again.
Going forward, the Rowdies actually looked much improved from prior games. In the 22nd minute, the Rowdies created a great chance from open play, disorganizing the opposition with the ball and their movement before Yann Ekra severely misplaced his shot. Roughly ten minutes later, the Rowdies had another chance, this time off a well-worked set piece – something fans hadn’t seen so far in 2023.
Despite very good work on the ball, and a particularly strong performance from Cuban veteran Ariel Martinez, Tampa Bay continued to falter on the defensive side of things. Right winger Collin Smith, on loan to Legion from FC Dallas, was eating people alive, while more than one defender was simply caught out of position or ball watching. One of those instances, in first half stoppage time, eventually did result in a goal. You never want to give up a goal right before half; but, here the Rowdies were in that exact spot.
In the second half, both teams continued to create chances with and without the ball. Lewis Hilton returning for Tampa Bay looked wonderful; although, he was off his game when taking set pieces. Ekra and Martinez were crucial in their advanced positions, while substitutions for teenager Tate Johnson and two midfielders led to an injection of energy.
The lack of good finishing from the Rowdies also came back to bite them, though, as Legion capitalized on yet another mistake. With roughly ten minutes left, a clearance from the goalkeeper was ignored by practically everyone on the field except Legion’s 17-year-old, Matthew Corcoran. Possibly the best player on the whole night, he latched onto it, ran into space, and crossed for a wide open Neco Brett. Game, set, match.
What turns out to have been our best game of the season so far still wound up a dispiriting loss. An Open Cup win against fourth-division Nona FC on Tuesday will likely serve to boost morale, while not really impacting the team’s USL form. Getting your first W of the season is nice; but, it was also expected and anything less than that would’ve been a lot more costly than just demoralizing.
What will The Miami hope to get out of this?
Off the back of their own US Open Cup win, The Miami are still looking for a first USL victory of the season as well. The two clubs have had a similar, if unwanted, start to 2023. Where The Miami will want to try to catch the Tampa Bay this Saturday is on set pieces. Momentary lapses in concentration and errors of judgment have doomed nearly every Rowdies game this season – the lone exception might be against Orange County when they were fighting to get back into it.
Rowdies head coach Neill Collins said in the post-game press conference that, despite a good game plan, the players did not execute what he wanted. In particular, he highlighted defensive issues plaguing the team: “When you concede the goals that we conceded, you’ve got no chance of winning a game of football. Two goals that are schoolboy errors on our part.” The Miami’s bread and butter so far has been free kicks, and a set piece is the perfect time to catch a team napping. One has to imagine a focus for the team during training will literally be that: focus. Execute at a high level even when there are breaks in play.
Maintaining that concentration is doubly important because the only other times The Miami tend to look dangerous are in transition. They have been perfectly happy to sit back and absorb pressure for large portions of a game. Then, when the moment to break appears, one of Bolu Akinyode or Florian Valot will get the attack started, finding fast attackers who will try to do much of the work on their own. In particular, Valot has shown a good ability to create dangerous chances and stay involved as his team moves up the field.
The key for the Rowdies will be both shutting these two down and avoiding them with the ball. Tampa Bay generally likes to attack with its fullbacks, dribbling down the wing and toward the endline looking to cross. This should come in handy when trying to play against The Miami – unless they switch up from their most frequent 4-3-3 formation. The boys from down south have shown some tactical flexibility when missing important players like during the recent international window.
If Tampa Bay wants to improve their season further, now seems like the perfect chance. Not only does it allow the Rowdies to play in their preferred manner, it offers one hell of a test for the defenders who’ve been dipping in and out of games recently. One false step and The Miami have proven themselves adept punishers. Keep your nerve and stick to the plan – it might just be that coveted first three points on the year.
Behind Enemy Lines with Special Guest
Maybe next week, nobody wanted to submit one for The Miami FC.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos Rueda: 1-0 Rowdies
James Knowles: 0-0
Yurika Wheeler: 2-1 Rowdies
Special Guest: JD @MomSaysImUltra 2-1 Rowdies
