The Basics
Palm Beach Suns FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies U23
Saturday, July 1, 5:00 p.m. ET.
Central Broward Regional Park, Lauderhill, Fla.
Follow us for live updates on Twitter @RowdiesU23
Records
Palm Beach Suns FC: 1-6-0 (W-L-T), 3 points, 8th place
Rowdies U23: 3-5-0 (W-L-T), 9 points, 6th place
Rowdies Notes
Though the Miami game wasn’t yet another stoppage time let down, it still was another tough loss for the Rowdies U23’s to swallow.
Though it was clear from the opening whistle that FC Miami City was likely the most talented team Tampa Bay would take on all season, that didn’t stop the U23’s from making it a close game.
With that being said, more slip ups during the clutch final moments of the game cost the Rowdies at least the chance to come away from the home match with points.
All of this wasn’t lost on the Rowdies during a short week of practice in which the U23’s only were able to get on the practice fields in Tampa once before game day.
While playing attacking soccer and making the most of opportunities has truly been the emphasis to this point in the PDL season, it really came down to valuing the ball and working well under pressure in this week’s practice.
The U23’s keyed in on mistakes that cost them points against SIMA and Miami such as clearing the ball effectively, maintaining possession, and avoiding costly turnovers.
From a personnel standpoint, Preston Kilwien will return to the active roster Saturday as Kamar Marriott and Arion Sobers continue to rehab heading into the final few weeks of PDL action.
Look for updates on Saturday’s starting XI and substitutes at our official Twitter page.
Scouting Palm Beach
Thus far this season, the Suns have had an incredibly tough run through their PDL schedule.
To say that it was brutal is possibly an understatement as the team failed to win a single game through their first six, not even scoring a goal until their fifth game of the season. In those matches, the Suns were outscored a combined 23-2 by their opponents.
To be fair, the Suns played division leaders SIMA Aguilas, FC Miami City, and the Lakeland Tropics five of the six matches over that stretch, yet the domination is hard to justify.
Since then, the Suns have had a moderate change of fate after defeating IMG Academy 3-2 in Bradenton to move Palm Beach out of the Southeast Division gutter. This leaves Weston FC as one of only two winless teams left in the entire PDL.
Saturday’s game marks the beginning of the backstretch of the Suns schedule in which they play at least six matches in 14 day with four of those matches played on home turf. A potentially rescheduled match against Weston FC may be included over that time frame.
After the game Saturday, the Suns have their longest remaining break of the season (four days) until they rematch the Lakeland Tropics at home.
Coming Up Next
Your U23’s will hit the road to take on The Villages SC on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. ET. Come make the drive or follow along with match commentary at twitter.com/rowdiesu23!
