RBLR Sun Weekly: All Eyes On Fort Lauderdale
Date: Saturday September 20, 2025
Result: Tampa Bay 1-1 Dallas
Records: Tampa Bay Sun (2 pts 0W-2D-2L); Dallas Trinity FC (10 pts 3W-1D-1L)
Standings: The Sun sit 9th in the USL Super League while Trinity are 1st.
While the Sun did not get the result they wanted, fans should consider the circumstances under which this game was played. A huge list of players was unavailable due to injury. A second keeper change was implemented. They played the top team in the league. All things considered, a draw wasn’t bad. They’ll now have a week off to hopefully convalesce a little and get more players back to full fitness.
Could we have gotten a win out of this?
Ahead of last weekend’s match vs. Dallas, the Sun looked to be in somewhat dire straits. Forget their record ahead of taking on the league leaders, a double digit figure of players was out due to injury. This led to rare starts for two academy players, McKenna Battilla and Siena Bryan, including the former playing on the backline. Generally, that’s where you want the most experienced players on the pitch.
These were the circumstances going into the game. They didn’t improve much after the first whistle. About 350 seconds in, they had already given up a goal. With the aforementioned Bryan in defense alongside usual midfielder Mackenzie Pluck, they could be forgiven for stepping too soon to individuals in the buildup. But, manager Denise Schilte-Brown was likely displeased with the proceedings.
Tampa Bay stuck with it, though, and started to work their way into proceedings. They were mostly able to hold their guests to shots from set piece opportunities. On the other side, there wasn’t as much production up top as Sun fans have seen in the past. Battilla was lively throughout, trying to push play forward for likes of Tash Flint, Sydny Nasello, and Carlee Giammona.
The latter two have started the season brightly. Nasello had an assist to go with her lone goal, while Giammona had two goals despite the Sun’s poor results so far. After riding their luck defensively, the Blue and Gold would turn once again to their dynamic duo in the 68th minute. Tricky dribbling drew players in while Giammona hung out at the top of the box. Her finish was just what they needed.
It’s hard to glean too much from a game like this. While Tampa Bay was able to fight back and earn a much needed point, they only made two substitutions, DSB bringing on two of the three possible attacking options she still had at her disposal. How much more could she have done under these conditions? Or the players? It was a big ask from the get go.
One big positive is that, despite some overzealous early defending, the backline and Siena Bryan in particular were able to settle down. They were playing in front of Emory Wegener, who was also getting her first start for the Sun. The team has now used all three keepers on their roster, and there’s no telling who’s impressed the coaching staff the most at this point.
Despite the injuries, and despite the form, a point against Dallas is nothing to sneeze at. The good news for DSB and her crew is they’ll have a weekend to collect themselves. Although it’s still early, a bye week is truly what they need at the moment. Players can return from those knocks and hopefully get together to reset their focus for the upcoming matches this fall.
Player of the Game:
Liz: Carlee Giammona
Tom: Emory Wegener
Date: Saturday October 4 at 7:30 pm
Upcoming Game: Tampa Bay vs. Fort Lauderdale
How do we get our first win?
While the Sun languish at the bottom of the table, it is our in-state rivals who sit top of the pops. From five games, they have three wins, two draws, and, obviously, no losses. This is not just a good record; it’s actually the reverse of Tampa Bay’s at the moment. Even with some off-field distractions going on, the team itself seems un-phased as they have charged their way through the opposition.
Recently, last season’s manager left his position to take over as the Head of Soccer for the whole Fort Lauderdale club. They’ll be bringing a men’s team into the professional ranks under the USL umbrella, and Tyrone Mears will help shape the search for a head coach for that side as well as the general direction of the club. His former assistant Ali Rogers assumed Mears’ old spot on the touchline.
In the press release for this transition, Rogers was said to “[have] been serving as acting head coach since the start of preseason.” Effectively, any and all good play from FLOOTD this season has been down to the influence of Rogers. For the players, this means that the official move to name her head coach is just the final step in the process they’ve already undergone.
Fort Lauderdale started slowly, with a 3-3 and 2-2 draw, both coming at home. Since then, the team has found their rhythm with three wins on the bounce, two of which came away from home. This last fact is crucial this weekend, as of course, the Sun will host. Knocking United off their tempo and defending an already potent attack will be difficult, but necessary.
They have largely lined up in a similar formation to what they used last season, the 4-2-3-1. Despite losing a very good goalkeeper in Cosette Morche over the offseason, their defense has overall looked good. Laurel Ansbrow, who joined them in December last season, is back on loan from future NWSL side Boston Legacy. She’s played alongside newcomer Ella Simpson in front of Bella Hara.
Fullbacks Julia Grosso and Sh’Nia Gordon reprise their roles from the last campaign, with some big additions to the midfield. Jasmine Hamid, Stella Nyamekye, and Kelli Van Treeck have become the dynamic trio this season after Addie McCain left for presumably more money in Lexington. Despite losing her production, they have picked up the slack admirably.
That group has four goals and three assists between them. Even more impressive is striker Kiara Locklear’s early return of four goals from five games. It’s safe to say the Sun’s defense will have their hands full. What is unsafe to say is who’ll even be in the starting XI for the Blue and Gold. There’s an injury bug going around the team, and it has taken a huge toll.
With a week off in between matches, fans will hope that a good number of players would be able to return against their Floridian rivals. It would be most helpful because Tampa Bay’s defense has been lacking early on. No shut outs, ten goals conceded, and three different keepers are the sad early stats to point to. But, there’s nothing like a derby game to get dialed in for!
RBLR Score Predictions:
Lizzie: 1-1 D
Tom: 2-1 W
Yurika: 1-0 W
James: 1-2 L
RBLR Score Predictions Standings:
Lizzie: 4
Tom: 1
Yurika: 0
James: 3
