Tampa Bay Sun Week 17 Preview vs Spokane

Date: Saturday January 31, 2026  

Records: Tampa Bay Sun (10 pts 1W-7D-6L); Spokane Zephyr FC (18 pts 4W-6D-6L)

Standings: The Sun sit 9th in the USL Super League and Zephyr are 5th.  

The winter break seemed like it would be a positive moment for the Sun. After winning the Super League Championship in their and the competition’s inaugural year, the club has really hit the skids so far in their sophomore campaign. Fans hoping to see that turn around may need to temper expectations. Very little progress has been made on the transfer front, and with a match coming up this weekend, there isn’t much time to change things before the restart. 

How is the roster looking right now?

While there are 25 players listed on the Sun website, this does not tell the whole story. Many players on loan have left, at least one has gone off to college, and the “additions” side of the list is small. Effectively, coach Denise Schilte-Brown appears comfortable with what she already had during the first half of this second season. 

Those who left include Charlotte McLean, Emma Gaines-Ramos, Emerson Elgin, Olga Massombo, Ava Tankersly, Mackenzie Pluck, and Alyssa Parsons. The majority of these were in Florida on loan and have returned to their parent clubs. Massombo was transferred out, Tankersly and Pluck retired, while Parsons is the player leaving for NCAA soccer. 

That’s a long list. However, it should be noted that only Pluck had double digits in starts. She was also used in multiple positions, which is not to say she never nailed anything down with the Sun. It may well be the case that her versatility allowed DSB to fill in holes that would’ve been problems otherwise. We at RBLR wish Pluck all the best in the next chapter.

The truth for Tampa Bay so far in the 2025-26 season is that few players have locked down positions. Only seven players (who are not keepers) hit double digits in starts, including Pluck. The squad dealt with a lot of injuries – something that has affected the team ever since the first players on the inaugural roster were named. But, that’s not everything. 

The Blue and Gold have also lagged behind in a lot of stats across the league. Without listing all of them, it isn’t shocking to see that they are also lagging behind everyone in points on the table. They have both the fewest goals for and the most goals against as well as, naturally, the worst goal differential in the league. A deserved 9th place, one could say. 

How do they turn things around? The vast majority of fans seemed to have expected not only that players would leave, but also that others would arrive. Discounting Jordan Fusco, who came in very late in 2025, only three new players have signed on: midfielder Maddie Pokorny, defender Taylor Chism, and Liz Beardsley in net. (This brings the keeper corps to five in total.)

Assuming there are no late surprises – which is not necessarily a good assumption – the coaching staff are either satisfied or stuck with what they have. Professional roster spots are not so easy to find that we should assume it’s the latter. This is especially true for a team in the United States, where women’s soccer has a longer and stronger tradition than most places. 

If they are able to make do with what they have, it will require some other kind of changes. That would obviously mean a change in tactics or formation. But, what would that mean? To be honest, that’s just up in the air right now. This writer doesn’t know, and it’s unlikely fans will get any hints until Saturday. Despite the name, the Sun have kept us in the dark. 

To make the playoffs and possibly challenge to retain the title, Tampa Bay need to do a ton of work. They need to get as many points as possible, which isn’t very precise, but is something everyone can still understand. That includes everyone on the team. Effectively, even though it’s January, it’s urgent. Avoiding going from a title to a wooden spoon should be all the motivation.

RBLR Score Predictions: 

Lizzie: 1-1 D

JD: 2-1 W

Yurika: 1-1 D

James: 2-1 L

RBLR Score Predictions Standings:

Lizzie: 6

JD: 0

Yurika: 1

James: 8