Away vs. Pittsburgh Preview
Date: Saturday August 5, 2023
Kickoff Time: 7:00 pm EST at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (38 pts 11W-5D-5L); Pittsburgh Riverhounds (41 pts 11W-8D-4L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 3rd in the East and Pittsburgh are 1st (tied for 1st overall)
The Rowdies appointed a new manager and got three points in his first game. It simply could not have gone better for Nicky Law on his return to Al Lang. Pittsburgh, however, do not care. They are a freight train in the USL plugging down the tracks that cross right next to their stadium. Will that engine roll over Tampa Bay as they visit the Keystone State?
You really don’t have a Law-related pun here?
No, I left that to every other headline available last week. We’ll have to trudge on with the rest of the article despite that. Luckily, there was a very good result for Rowdies fans to break down in the paragraphs below. Order was restored at Al Lang and three points followed.
How did they go about it? There wasn’t that much of a difference between this week and the week before. A better analysis might say that there wasn’t much difference between the week before and the first half. In that 45 minutes, it was FC Tulsa who seemed to come closest on several occasions. Each of these could be put down to a lapse in concentration from someone.
The first two occurred off a Cal Jennings lapse when he was unable to control a ball with his back to the opposing team’s goal, while inside his own half. Tulsa won the ball and had a clear run straight to the Rowdies’ box. Luckily, Aaron Guillen and Connor Sparrow were there to mop up these early attempts.
The final big chance for them came when Guillen himself coughed up the ball in Tampa Bay’s 18 and Sparrow was again on hand to prevent it from going in. If one removes these chances, either by better concentration or for the sake of analysis, the Rowdies would have had the better half from top to bottom. They dominated possession and only looked to be in danger during these moments. Even in the shots category the home team came out on top.
Two of those shots were from the head of Forrest Lasso, who rose above Tulsa’s defenders on a corner kick and a free kick afterwards. These were clear chances to put the team ahead that would have changed the course of the game. Ultimately, he still did change it when Lasso finally made it count in the second half.
Lasso’s header off another corner kick went in right in front of the Ralph’s Mob section and also in front of his family. It was touching to see him celebrate with his mother, who was there only for her second game of the year while fighting breast cancer. It was a good reminder after the game just how much other things matter more than soccer. Of course, we do have to get back to the rest of the game for our purposes here.
That goal opened the floodgates as the Rowdies scored again and again to finish out the game. It was mostly the case that intensity and tactics were spot on; the only thing missing was that execution. As that fell in line with Tampa Bay’s desire to win, everything started to flow. It was a stunning first game for Nicky Law in charge. It’s too early to say how much of it can be down to him. Fans will know, though, that the boys can perform like this even without Neill Collins.
Does the ball roll for thee, Nicky?
(Does a bad rhyme make up for the lack of a pun?) Pittsburgh are simply dominating the USL in 2023. After what was an emphatic win to start the new era, the Rowdies may find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to playing the Riverhounds away from home. How can they carry this momentum into their match at Highmark Stadium?
Based on the Riverhounds’ form, it’s likely that just cutting out the lapses won’t be enough; although, that will certainly be necessary. Pittsburgh likes to line up in a formation Rowdies fans will know well, with three to five at the back depending on the situation. Making sure pressing triggers are adequate and coordinated will be important. Whether it’s Cal Jennings or JJ Wiliams up top – or both – they can’t be getting stranded alone and leaving space in behind themselves.
It will be likely to see Jake LaCava start again on the left simply because he has been recently. If that continues, sorting out who takes the center and who’ll be popping up on the right against their more central defenders is needed. If one player steps towards the ball and the other outlets are not also marked, those outlets will be able to create more space in between the Rowdies’ lines, which causes further disruption deeper down the field.
One thing that I might advocate for, in my limited role as the writer for this column, would be to go with the usual three at the back for the Rowdies, flanked by two wingbacks. This could potentially be difficult, depending on who’s available. Seb Dalgaard has been out at least two games and the timeframe for his return is unknown. If Dayonn Harris and Jake Areman can keep manning those positions, hopefully we’ll have adequate subs behind them in the meantime.
Ahead of our back three, Yann Ekra and Jordan Doherty should start, just as they have for the majority of the year. But, it’s in front of them that things could get interesting. Rowdies fans saw a potential for partnership blossom ever so slightly when Jennings and Williams were each in scintillating form through May and June. They should be given a chance up top together.
With those nine spots filled, I would like to see Charlie Dennis continue in his spot at the #10 role in front of the more defensive Ekra and Doherty. This way, Dennis can step to the more central of the Pittsburgh defenders, JJ and Cal can take the wider of the defenders, and each of the remaining Riverhounds players will be covered down the field. The Rowdies have been known for their ability to press in unison for the past five years. Now is not the week to lose it.
Behind Enemy Lines with Special Guest: Steve Mattiace, EdD from @mongoals on twitter & YouTube!
Pittsburgh currently sits atop of the eastern conference with 41 points. The Riverhounds’ 11 wins has set the pace for the eastern conference, and their four losses tie them for 2nd best throughout the Championship. Both Charleston and Tampa Bay are nipping at their heels, at 39 and 38 points, albeit with fewer matches played. Few teams have found a way to take points off of the Riverhounds, and even few have found ways to win. The team has recently seen their goals against skyrocket, having conceded eight times in the past three games (1-3 loss at Charleston, 3-1 loss hosting Indy, and a 4-2 win against Memphis). This stretch has marked the most challenging part of the 2023 season for the Hounds, as they went into the middle of July on a 8-0-4 unbeaten run starting at the beginning of May. The strong run by the Hounds began with the return of midfielder Danny Griffin. Griffin signed a contract with Nashville FC’s MLSnext pro team (Huntsville City FC – where he played alongside new Rowdies coach Nicky Law) during the off season, but quickly returned to Highmark stadium via a transfer.
Griffin is certainly a player to watch. As an excellent and adaptable midfielder he has demonstrated flexibility as a DM, CM and AM since his return. Griffin was a key player in the Hounds first US Open Cupset of the New England Revolution where he scored the lone goal. He has continued to impress in his 4th professional season and is integral to the high energy, high pressing tactics that Coach Bob Lilley has employed throughout much of the season. Other key players for the Hounds include team captain Kenardo (Kenny) Forbes, who any fan of the USL would be familiar with. For those that are new to the league, Kenny is the all time team (and it’s not even close!) and league assists leader, and has seen a resurgence to form this season. Forbes currently sits second on the league assists chart with 6, and has been one of the main creative sources for Pittsburgh. Forbes has connected with many of the Hounds ten different goal scorers, led by team leader Albert Dikwa (10). First year Pro Tola Showunmi may be hitting his form, as he has three league goals, finding the back of the net in each of the past two games. The attack seems to also benefit from the flexibility that recent signing J.C. Obregon adds. J.C. excelled in his time in Hartford as flexible forward, able to play in front of goal, or out wide, and netted his first Hounds goal with the go-ahead strike during the 55’ last week against 5th place Memphis. The Hounds may rank near the bottom of the league in terms of shots taken (216, 19/24 teams), but their 17 % conversion rate has resulted in a decent haul of 31 goals since March.
Only three teams in the Championship boast a better goal differential (11 for Pit) including TBR (15). This is on the back of another strong defensive season for the Riverhounds. Their 20 conceded goals ties them with TBR for second lowest in the league, but it is important to remember that just three weeks ago the boys in yellow had only concede 12 goals. With a core of experienced defenders including team minutes leader Arturo Ordoñez, Pittsburgh will look to get back to their locked down defending and hope to stay atop the clean sheet board (10). While Tampa is a strong team who can score goals, the Hounds were buoyed last week with the return of preferred CB Nate Dossantos and WB Luke Biasi from injuries. Look to see the Hounds play with the option of journeyman Joseph Ferrell (CB), who opened the scoring against Memphis with a gritty goal to write his name in Pittsburgh sports history. His effort to pick up the loose ball notched the 1,000 goal in team USL history.
As a long time Hounds supporter it is odd to write and not mention the name of home town player Robbie Mertz. He gets an honorable mention, in a season where he has not reached his best, but has demonstrated at times that he can change a game with a moments notice. The Jamaican NT #2 also deserves a mention, as he has cemented his spot as the go to starter, only missing a hand full of games, mainly while on international duty for the quarterfinalist Reggae Boys.Look for Pittsburgh to have a strong lineup, having nearly all players healthy. Competition throughout this season has been unrivalled during the Lilley era, as 26 different players have made their way into the starting 11. The biggest question in a formation that will include 5 defenders is if there are two starting forwards and three midfielders or if coach Bob opts for a single striker and clogs the middle of the pitch with four in the middle.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos Rueda: 3-1 Rowdies
James Knowles: 1-1
Yurika Wheeler: 0-0
Special Guest: Musaab Tariq (@RBLRBucs) 2-0 Rowdies
