WHO: Tampa Bay Rowdies, 3-2-0, 11 points, 2nd place Eastern Conference

WHAT: A regular season USL Championship match

WHEN: Saturday, April 13, 2019, 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Al Lang Stadium, 230 1st St. S, St Petersburg, FL 33701

WATCH: The club is hosting a watch party at Saints, which, to me, sounds a hell of a lot better than being stuck in a sea of people down at what is sure to be a mudpit disguised as Waterfront Park. It’ll be on TV on WBKI-58, radio on (probably) 790 WKRD, and streaming on ESPN+.

WHO, AGAIN? Tampa was a sad version of itself in 2018. Filled with quite a bit of promise (and talent) going into the season, they quickly nosedived below the playoff line before midseason and never really recovered. They fired manager Stuart Campbell around that same time and promoted centerback Neil Collins from the defense to the sideline. He did about as well as could be expected, I guess.

But this season, the Rowdies have jumped out to a hot start, winning away in their season opener in Memphis, beating the Riverhounds 2-0 at home, drawing an also-hot St. Louis in Fenton, strangely drawing a bad Loudon at Al Lang and then curbstomping Hartford 4-0 last week. This week’s match will be Tampa’s third in a row at home, where they usually are much better than they are on the road, no matter who’s managing.

Tampa’s only given up one goal through five games, and scored eight. They’re passing at an impressive 70% in the opposition half, even though they seem to like to play a little direct so far. They’ve put 21 of their 40 shots on target. That’s, like, really good. Remember when Louisville City used to have stats like that? I digress.

New signing Sebastian Guenzatti has bagged five of TBR’s eight goals, so obviously he’s going to be a point of defensive emphasis. David Najem is still in green and yellow and scoring goals (1), as is new addition and former Baby Bull Andrew Tinari (1). Leo Fernandes is pulling the strings a bit with three assists so far and nine chances created, followed closely by USL journeymen Antoine Hoppenot and Yann Ekra. Dominic Oduro, an MLS lifer before this season, has also been in on the attack and creating chances.

So Tampa is on quite the roll, has quite a bit of attacking talent, and isn’t giving up many goals. Louisville City, on the other hand, seems to be lacking in all of those same areas at the moment. I don’t expect John Hackworth will have Luke Spencer, George Davis IV, Brian Ownby, Sunny Jane, Richard Ballard, or Paolo DelPiccolo at his disposal during this road trip. That means we’ll likely see another new lineup, hopefully one with some answers to what’s been ailing Los Morados lately.

Tampa Bay has been setting up in a 3-5-2 lately, owning a lot of possession but largely keeping their shape, even if it’s pressed higher up the field than would normally be advisable. That could be good for Louisville City, i.e. playing against a team that actually wants to attack could finally give Morados the space they so desperately crave to create attacking chances in. Were LouCity healthy, I’m sure they’d be licking their chops at the channels between the centerbacks, but that’s not quite the situation they find themselves in.

City’s backs are a bit against the wall here, with injuries and recent results being what they are. Here’s hoping this is the start of a gutsy turnaround led by some previously unsung heroes. At this point in the season, that’s just about the only option they have. I think they can do it.

VAMOS MORADOS! VAMOS A GANAR!