Date: Saturday June 15, 2024
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (22 pts 6W-4D-3L); Louisville City FC (32 pts 10W-2D-1L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 4th in the East and LouCity are first. They also lead the league.
After a trip to California, the Rowdies have experienced the high highs and low lows of life on the road. Now, the boys return to familiar surroundings for a game against the best team in the USL – if the standings are to be believed, that is. Can they find their form again and stun a leading light or will more misery come in the form of a purple jersey? Get to Al Lang this weekend to see!
We beat Sacramento… but lost to Oakland?
Results like this are hard to explain. Is it a case of “playing down to your opponent”? Perhaps yet another weird pitch played a role in the Rowdies having a tough time. Proper plaudits must also be given to Oakland Roots, who have started to turn things around since they fired their old coach. New manager Gavin Glinton has given them some real belief.
The influence of the man originally from Turks and Caicos cannot be denied. After a dismal start to the campaign, with only one win over lowly El Paso, they have since racked up three more in the league, including the victory over the Rowdies. Their defense was strong and it started at the top. This is something Tampa Bay fans would’ve said about their own team a week ago.
Surely, though, the Rowdies’ roster is stronger than the Roots’ own. The most recognizable name they have is probably Dom Dwyer, a former US men’s national team player who went without a club for the entirety of 2023 – and only made his debut last Saturday night. You guessed it: the former USF and Orlando City-man came back to haunt the Green and Gold.
He is not the only player of quality, let alone the only player with international experience. The man who scored, Jeciel Cedeno, doesn’t have any games under his belt for his native Ecuador. However, he and his Roots teammates have laid down a marker. They should be taken seriously like any other team in the USL. You can’t “play down” to them and get a result.
After an injury to Blake Bodily late in the game vs. Sacramento, the Rowdies made a substitution that flew under the radar. No one realized this might keep their star left wingback out of the next match. To fill in for him, Eddie Munjoma displayed more versatility than he already has and stepped up on what should naturally be his weaker side. He still played well throughout.
Unfortunately, in the second half, Munjoma was switched to the right side. This was almost certainly more comfortable for him. However, it meant the Rowdies would switch their shape into a four-at-the-back system. Possibly unused to this setup, the Roots drew left back Aaron Guillen from his deeper spot into the midfield. A hole was created behind him immediately.
With all the time and space in the world, Oakland winger Memo Diaz brought down a ball chipped up to him and lifted his head. Despite Freddy Kleemann making his first start for several months, even his height would not be enough here. Diaz found the aforementioned Cedeno and that was all they needed. The Rowdies didn’t have the offensive output to change things.
Fans are left to bemoan the single goal, then. Guillen likely didn’t need to track as high as he did. A lack of support down the left side was also exposed momentarily. But, what of the high-flying offense? Where did that go? Only four shots on target (according to FotMob) is comparatively low. In fact, it was six fewer than against Sacramento, who were until then undefeated. Blame Oakland’s pitch, blame Oakland’s pressing. But, we must also ask the players.
So this Louisville team is for real, for real?
With that loss, Tampa Bay flies home to a test of epic proportions – at least for the USL Championship. Louisville City comes to town on Saturday looking to dump more rain on the parade in west Florida. (That is, of course, as long as actual rain doesn’t postpone the game with the potential for flooding in downtown St. Pete.)
The Rowdies and Louisville have a lot of history in this league. They’ve met in the playoffs multiple times, trading blows as one who knocks the other out three years in a row. It should also be noted for anyone unaware that LouCity are something of a phoenix club for Orlando City in the USL, taking the place and being partly owned by the latter in their inaugural year in this league.
So that purple? Yeah, it’s not a coincidence. It’s something of a calling card to Rowdies fans and players. Think of it as the red flag waved at a bull in Hanna-Barbera cartoons. There’s a chance this weekend for Tampa Bay to charge forward and land a blow on this foe. Alright, enough of a metaphor based on this practice which somehow hasn’t been outlawed.
To get back to the sport of soccer, Louisville are the team to beat in USL right now. They have only lost once all year, way back in April to then league-leaders Charleston Battery. They’re on a three-game winning streak and only went out in the Open Cup vs. the Seattle Sounders on penalties. What is making this team click?
At the moment, it’s a very similar shape to the one used by the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Louisville will mostly start in a 3-4-3 formation with a lot of fluidity up top. Team scoring leader Wilson Harris has missed the last two games. His status is uncertain for the matchup on Saturday. In his place as the central striker was Spaniard Jorge Gonzalez.
Gonzalez can be thought of more regularly as an attacking midfielder. To his right and left were two other attacking midfielders, Ray Serrano and Adrien Perez. These two players are a large part of why LouCity are league leaders right now. They, along with central midfielder Taylor Davila, have created the most chances and thusly top the assist charts for the Purple Boys.
Serrano and Perez have operated somewhat similarly to how Rowdies fans have seen Danny Crisostomo and Josh Perez play for their own club. They will combine with those players sitting deeper than them as well as the wingbacks on the outside. This can create numerical superiority and allow them to pass around the opposition defense easily. Harris is the frequent benefactor.
Their skill on the ball allows Serrano and Perez to further facilitate moves with left wingback Jake Morris – brother to US Olympic national teamer Aidan – and right wingback Aiden McFadden, who is on loan from Atlanta United in MLS. Davila and homegrown midfielder Elijah Wynder further fill in those gaps, while also being tasked with clogging the middle as opposition attacks get going.
Shutting them down will require extreme focus on the part of the defense. That statement would work in a preview article every single week. What is different is where the plays start with Louisville. Rowdies fans should expect to see the LouCity center backs kickstarting attacks, with balls into spaces where they’ve looked to create that numerical superiority. This is likely a good game to focus on pressing out of possession to prevent them from ever having the chance.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos:1-0 W
James:1-1 D
Yurika:2-1 W
