Away to Brooklyn FC Review
Date: Saturday March 29, 2025
Result: Brooklyn FC 2-2 Tampa Bay
Records: Tampa Bay Sun (27 pts 6W-9D-5L); Brooklyn FC (33 pts 9W-6D-6L)
Standings: The Sun stayed at 5th in the table.
The Tampa Bay Sun have become the Tampa Bay Draw. After two results that broke with the 2025 trend, the team got back to their prior standard, which is at least better than the loss a week and a half before. The team stayed only three points out of the playoff spots; but, the focus for fans will be the latter half of that sentence: out of the playoff spots. With eight games left, the inability to put up Ws is becoming dire.
Thank God for extra time goals!
On a Saturday evening when the Sun needed every second of stoppage time to stay alive, their hosts took advantage of what was seemingly a wide field with lots of space to move. Baseball stadiums don’t always make for the best settings when left in the original arrangement. Brooklyn’s home never actually looked that bad with turf overlaid on an old diamond.
While their home stadium never looked bad, Brooklyn at times looked like a side that had not just been on its worst ever run of form. They moved the Sun backline into areas that made them uncomfortable and allowed the Brooklyn attackers to get into dangerous positions. It’s one thing to give up the first goal Tampa Bay conceded. However, they did nearly the same thing from the opposite side later on.
In fact, within the first ten minutes, the New Yorkers had created two good chances by looking for space in behind the wingback. In both of those cases it was Sydny Nasello’s side where Brooklyn went hunting. Later on, it would be on the right. They clearly had a gameplan and were able to exploit it, though. Defensive frailties cost the Sun here again.
The first goal Brooklyn scored came off a throw-in, an oft-overlooked set piece that they made deadly. The throw went over Nasello’s head toward the feet of winger Mackenzie George. With much too much ease, she was able to put the ball past Jackie Simpson and round the corner. Her cut back into the box found Grace Philpotts, left open by her marker Paige Almendariz.
The Sun were able to level things before halftime thanks to a good hit from Tash Flint. The striker’s ability to impact games is becoming more and more evident as she both scores and sets up opportunities each week. Her hold up play is invaluable, acting as a wall for others to play off of when needed. Here, she seemingly just decided she’d have a go herself from way out.
Shortly after halftime, the New Yorkers would restore their lead, though, with Philpotts getting the assist this time. A long ball from the defensive line found the head of Brooklyn’s Jessica Garziano. Her flick on found Philpotts wide open in space with no defenders around. She was able to waltz into the Sun’s box before finding the eventual goal scorer, Salma Amani.
There appear to be visible words between the wingback Paige and her backline just as the pass from Brooklyn went in to Garziano. Viv Bessette was with her mark; but, she couldn’t win the header. This left Brooke Hendrix to vacate the space and apply pressure to the winger. It was ultimately a cascade of bad positioning that led to a very easy goal for the home side.
While Flint was there to bail the side out again – almost getting a third goal even later than her second equalizer on the night – the attacking prowess of this team is not being allowed to shine. Instead, it is the constant ties that grab headlines or spark chatter online. If one defensive formation didn’t allow for better results, it may not be that the one currently in use is ideal, either.
Player of the Game:
Liz: Tash Flint
Tom: Tash Flint
RBLR Score Predictions Standings:
Lizzie: 17
Tom: 9
Yurika: 11
James: 8
