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Preview: Match Day 11

June 12, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Atlanta Silverbacks News Release


ATLANTA - The Atlanta Silverbacks (1-5-3, 8 points) travel to Al Lang Stadium to take on Thomas Rongen's Tampa Bay Rowdies (4-4-1, 16 points) on Saturday (7:30 p.m.).

After an undeserving loss the San Antonio Scorpions, Gary Smith's Atlanta squad will be looking to end the season on a high note against one of the best teams during the Spring Season. The Rowdies only loss came at the hands of the New York Cosmos with a 2-0 defeat.

Tampa Bay, after going through a rebuilding process during the offseason, have been on a roll as of late. The Rowdies have been led by NASL assist leader Georgi Hristov and team goal-scoring leader Maicon Santos. Both will be making their returns after red card suspensions kept them out of their last match.

The Rowdies are undefeated at home, mainly due to the 1.5 goals per game average they've built at Al Lang Stadium. With the league average set at 1.34, Tampa Bay's attack has been lethal in front of their hometown fans.

Defensively, the team has been surprisingly middle of the road. The team only records clean sheets 33 percent of the time and, with the exception of their opener against San Antonio, have won all of their games by only one goal. Essentially, the Rowdies love to get into fast-paced shootouts.

Rongen's group is also fighting their way to a Spring Season title. Though highly unlikely, a ridiculous win over the Silverbacks - to overturn a 6-combined with a Cosmos loss could hand them the first spot in the playoffs.

For Atlanta, Saturday's match is all about spoiling Tampa Bay's party. The team is currently sitting at the bottom of the table. A win over the second place team would not only build confidence, but it would increase the Silverbacks position in the overall standings. With the short NASL Spring Season, there's still plenty of time for Atlanta to make their mark in the combined table and the Championship after the Fall Season.

Atlanta's defense has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of the quickly-put-together squad. The backline, normally made up of Paul Black, Simon Mensing, Rauwshan McKenzie and Kyle Miller has only give up 1.11 goals per game, compared to the league average of 1.25.

Last week, fantastic displays from Dominic Oppong, Hans Denissen and Jonathan Okafor made San Antonio's defense look amatuer in the second half. The Silverbacks will need more of last week's showing on Saturday night.

While the Silverbacks showed their capabilities with a strong second half performance against the San Antonio Scorpions, they were unlucky to get a goal. But they proved they have what it takes to compete with the best teams in the NASL. The team already has one of the best defenses in the league. If the attack can get off and running, the Silverbacks could prove to be a dominant force in the Fall Season.

Be sure to catch the match on Saturday night (7:30 p.m., ESPN3) to watch one of the most important games of the season for both the Rowdies and the Silverbacks.

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