Tampa Bay Sun Opening Game vs DAL Preview
Date: Saturday August 15 at 8:30 pm at the Cotton Bowl
Upcoming Game: Dallas vs. Tampa Bay
We’re starting a new season. How do we look?!
For the third season of the USL Super League, some big changes are afoot. This goes for the Sun, their opponents, and the league as a whole. While it wasn’t that long ago a game was played – with Lexington beating Carolina to win their first title – time marches on, and so does soccer. There’s a lot to go over before the next first kickoff takes place!
To start, the Super League has decided their calendar was incorrect. This is not to say games were played on the wrong days. Simply, the league will move from a fall-spring alignment to an annual one. The first games of the upcoming season will take place this weekend. The final matches will take place in November, with playoffs occurring in December.
They will then start a new season in 2027. The purpose is to line up with the National Women’s Soccer League, which has for several years operated an annual calendar, and will do so at least until 2030. The powers that be have determined that working alongside the NWSL will allow for better movement of players and coordination of actions. (It also better lines up with college soccer.)
In addition, the league is down one team, with the Spokane club withdrawing from competition. They will still operate on the men’s side, and they have stated they’d like to return to the women’s. However, the travel requirements were likely too much. This seems fair considering their closest opponent was Dallas Trinity all the way over in Texas.
The issue remains, though, that women’s soccer seems to have taken a back seat. At the moment, Spokane’s men’s team, the Velocity, have closer opponents. They face Boise in Idaho and will have another local rival in Oregon if the expansion plans currently listed are accurate. Regardless of feasibility, however, the view is a negative one for the overall landscape.
With one plan for the future established, and one hopeful plan for the future as well, the remaining Super League teams will kick off this weekend. Dallas host the Sun in the latest game, starting at 8:30pm due to their Central Time Zone location. A ton of roster shuffling has occurred on both sides. With preseason games minimal so far, it’s anyone’s guess who is actually better.
The Sun will bring back several returnees in addition to all the new players. Sydny Nasello and Jordyn Listro are the two most prominent; although, Sabrina McNeill, Viv Bessette, Brooke Hendrix, and Taylor Chism show some commitment to the backline from the 2025-26 season. They are not the only players available for manager Denise Schilte-Brown, though.
DSB has brought in Leah Scarpelli and Kelsey Hill from Brooklyn, Alexis Theoret and Dasia Torbert from DC, and Darya Rajaee is in on loan from Lexington. English attackers Eleanor Dale and Millie Ravening bring solid reputations from the lower divisions of soccer in their home country. Keeper Cristina Roque is also here on loan from Racing Louisville of the NWSL.
Dallas, under a new manager, have taken advantage of the loan market as well. While they maintained a few players from last season, including perennial thorn-in-our-side Jasmine Hamid, they have no fewer than six players in on a temporary basis. Onyeka Gamero, with her US youth national team and Barcelona B experience, is likely the most well known of the bunch.
While the first matchday for the Super League isn’t a completely blank slate, it will allow teams a whole new chance to turn things around. Other than Lexington, most sides will be hoping to write an entirely new script and attract new fans who didn’t know anything about the competition overall. The World Cup this past summer as well as the one to come next year should be big boosts.
The Sun have more than most on the line for a turnaround. After winning the inaugural playoff championship, they sunk to second last in the sophomore season. DSB and those she kept around will have their minds firmly set on a reset: resetting expectations, resetting the table, and resetting their standing with local fans. It’s a bright new day, and there’s every reason to be hopeful!
RBLR Score Predictions:
Lizzie: 1-1
JD: 2-1 W
Yurika: 1-1
James: 2-1 L
RBLR Score Predictions Standings:
Lizzie: 0
JD: 0
Yurika: 0
James: 0
