Tampa Bay Sun vs. FLOOTD Preview
Date: Saturday February 8, 2025
Kickoff Time: 7:00 pm EST at Riverfront Stadium in Tampa, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Sun (19 pts 5W-4D-4L); Fort Lauderdale United FC (20 pts 6W-2D-5L)
Standings: The Sun are 5th in the Super League and FLOOTD are 4th.
With the winter break in the inaugural Super League season out of the way, the Sun finally get a chance to host in-state rivals Fort Lauderdale at home! This match was postponed due to more than one hurricane and anticipation has been building all along. There’s a lot on the line with the teams so close in the standings, so make sure you have your tickets to cheer the team on in the newest iteration of a decades-old derby in south Florida!
We’re back! How are we looking?!
For anyone keeping track, the last Super League match for Tampa Bay was nearly two months ago. It was a fun 3-2 win over Spokane that probably wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggests. However, returning to that date for a review wouldn’t help fans understand the state of the club. There have been so many changes since then that it’s not as relevant.
In addition to the fun things such as Sole, the new mascot, and the less eye-catching items such as a new jersey sponsor, the club has made roster moves that are worth recapping.
Four players with starting experience have left the team in one fashion or another alongside depth piece Jazmin Enrigue. The latter has returned to Mexico.
Meanwhile, forward Riley Parker moved to Carolina Ascent. While she was unable to crack the scoring charts for Tampa Bay, no one should mistake her for a bad player. It’s unfortunately true that sometimes selling a player means boosting a direct rival. That is certainly a concern in this case. Fans here will always wish her well – at least when she’s not playing us.
Two players have also gone back to their parent clubs in NWSL. As reported by RBLR Sports after that last game against the Velocity, keeper Lauren Kozal and defender Talia Staude were recalled by the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage, respectively. The former has moved to Switzerland now, while the latter should be in preseason training.
Kozal has an immediate successor in Ashley Orkus, who had originally been the starting keeper for Tampa Bay. She was replaced in that role; although neither Orkus nor Kozal laid a strong claim to the position as the first half of the season ended. In eight games, Orkus gave up nine goals; Kozal conceded five in her five appearances. Due to hard-won shut outs early on, Orkus developed a personal fan base at games.
Staude is another case entirely. She came in after the first game had already been played and became the Sun’s starting right back immediately. Additionally, in a tweet earlier this week, Tampa Bay thanked Kristen Edmonds as they announced her departure from the team. This means the team begins 2025 with none of its first choice fullbacks from 2024. That’s huge.
Paige Almendariz played good minutes at right back, and the club has signed Jordan Zade out of college. Depending on the latter’s ability to impress in training, and the possible return of others from injury, manager Denise Schilte-Brown may have to revert to playing Jordyn Listro as a more recognized right back. Almendariz lining up on the left is not impossible; but, fans won’t know yet if it’s ideal for success.
How do we beat Fort Lauderdale?
The upcoming opponents have not made as many moves over break as the Sun. This could be viewed as either good or bad, of course, depending on how you look at it. While it’s likely their manager would’ve wanted to strengthen his side – who wouldn’t? – they were already in a better position than Tampa Bay at the end of December. It could be as simple as making small tweaks.
One player signed was Lipscomb University forward Kiara Pralle. If this name doesn’t stand out already, it should: she made her Super League debut in a 2-1 win over Spokane before scoring a double in a 2-0 win over Carolina Ascent. Those two wins assured Fort Lauderdale were one point ahead of their fellow Floridians coming into this week’s matchup.
Her two goals will complement very nicely the offensive achievements of her new teammates. Wingers Sh’Nia Gordon and Jasmine Hamid have two assists each, while the latter scored three goals as well. Up top, though, Addie McCain reigns supreme with a whopping eight goals. This is an incredibly potent attack at times, capitalizing when space opens up on the counter.
With the aforementioned chopping and changing at the back for Tampa Bay, fans (or this one at least) will be left scratching their heads. Almendariz seems like the right fit to handle the skill and guile of the wingers she’s likely to face. If she lines up on the right, who should be the left back? If she fills in there, does Listro move to right back again?
These are critical questions. Listro had in the last two months before the break developed more chemistry with Jade Moore, and the two were working extremely well with Carlee Giammona in front of them. Giammona was able to leverage her own skill while overloading one side or the other to help Sydny Nasello or Cecilie Floe create good chances to score.
The Tampa Bay attack had certainly improved. The defensive unit still looked vulnerable at times. This is natural, of course; it’s nearly impossible to stop every potential attack. However, the new constraints placed by a new roster complicate things a little more. Brooke Hendrix and Vivianne Bessette are still the only senior level center backs listed, with the rest being academy signings.
Hendrix didn’t start the last game in 2024 with a facial injury. (In fact, it was Staude who played centrally that night.) Assuming she is back from her knock, the team is alright. If not – or if either she or Bessette get hurt in the game – this has the potential to get real makeshift really fast. Fort Lauderdale manager Tyrone Mears will be telling McCain and co. to put the home defense under as much pressure as humanly possible – to test Tampa every chance they get.
The best defense may truly be a good offense here. In addition to Floe, Giammona, and Nasello, the Sun still have Tash Flint up front with her four goals from nine games so far. Additionally, the club signed Parker Goins from Racing Louisville in NWSL. Goins is a tall forward, who should naturally be able to get on the end of crosses. Whether or not she can supplant Flint and start is up to DSB.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Sun Podcast:
Lizzie: 3-1 W
Tom: 2-1 W
Yurika: 1-0 W
James: 2-2 D
