Matchday 7 Preview: Rowdies vs FC Tulsa
April 15, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
The Tampa Bay Rowdies meet FC Tulsa at Al Lang Stadium this Saturday night with the goal of securing all three points after going winless in their last three USL Championship matches. Tampa Bay and Tulsa are even at 9 points through their first six matches, though Tulsa sits ahead of the Rowdies thanks to a tiebreaker.
"This week there's been a real focus on more urgency, more intensity, and trying to add a bit more excitement to the way that we're playing. I think that's key, and especially at Al Lang," said Rowdies Assistant Coach Jon Stead, who filled in as acting head coach for last week's match versus Miami while Neill Collins was out of the country continuing his UEFA Pro License course. Collins will return to the sideline this Saturday at Al Lang.
In order to win a team obviously needs to score goals, which is something the Rowdies have failed to do in their last two league matches. Two games might not seem like a long stretch, but it is when you factor in the standard set by the Rowdies over the last few seasons. To find the last time the Rowdies went scoreless in two straight matches you would have to go back to August of 2018, Collins' first year in charge.
There's still no panic for the Rowdies, who are focused on sticking with their style to play their way out their mini-drought.
"A win is a win, but we want to win playing our way," said Stead. "The Rowdies way isn't about sitting back and playing that kind of football. We want to be entertaining and we want to be front foot from minute one. That's been the whole focus this week."
While the Rowdies lost out to Miami, they did outshoot their in-state rivals 15-7, indicating that the chances are there for the Green & Gold. The pressing issue of the last two games is the quality of finishing. The Rowdies managed to put just two of their 15 shots against Miami on frame.
"We're creating chances," said Stead. "We're pinning teams in. Teams are looking to sit in and be as compact as possible and try to hit us on counters. That kind of respect has been earned over the last couple of years. That's what this team has been doing long before I've been here. Any team that comes into Al Lang, they know they're going to be in for a game. It's going to be a difficult evening for them. We can convert some more of our chances. I think that's the key, and try to get ahead in games, especially at home because that creates a different challenge for the opposition. It's not as easy to sit in when you're chasing goals."
With the Rowdies looking to pull themselves out of a scoring drought, having a former player of Stead's pedigree is a decent boon. Stead appeared in over 700 matches and recorded just over 160 goals during his nearly 20-year playing career in England.
"We're very lucky and blessed that someone of (Stead's) caliber and with his career can come to the Rowdies and try to teach us what he's learned throughout his career," said Rowdies midfielder Leo Fernandes. "Whenever he talks, I shut up and listen. With all of his drills, all his videos, I just feel very fortunate to be working with him."
The Rowdies don't have to look too far back to find an example of the attack firing on all cylinders. In their 3-0 win at Atlanta United II, the Rowdies were soaring all over the pitch in one of their most dominant performances in recent memory. For Stead, it's important for the Rowdies to get back to the joy and freedom the players expressed on the field that night.
"I showed the strikers video of a lot of the stuff we did at Atlanta in terms of the linkup, the rotations, the partnerships and understanding between pairings was first class," said Stead. "And they did it with a smile on their face, which is important. We had a good look at that and we thought back to our performances and team performance when we're doing those things."
Injury Report:
OUT: Robert Castellanos
Gameday Info
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs FC Tulsa
Saturday, April 16, 7:30pm ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL
Pre-Game Show: Get set for kickoff with the pre-game show hosted by The Unused Substitutes, featuring analysis, giveaways, and special guests. The show airs live starting at 6:30pm Et on Twitch.tv/RowdiesGG.
Stream: Watch the match on ESPN+.
Follow Along: Live updates on Twitter at @RowdiesGameday
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