The Essentials

Tampa Bay Rowdies host the New York Cosmos, Saturday 7:30 p.m.

It will be humid so be sure to hydrate well or you could up cramping like an Ottawa goalkeeper.

Grab tickets here or by calling 727-222-2000

Watch locally on Great 38 TV

Ralph’s Mob has partnered with Goodwill BookWorks to collect books for children of low income families at Saturday’s tailgate. Help out this worthy cause and you can take home some awesome swag, like a free 2015 Mob scarf for 5 books.

Scouting the Cosmos

New York has had the Fall Season that seemed within the grasp of the Rowdies at the end of the Spring Season when they finished second, one point the Cosmos. Tampa Bay’s heritage rival holds a significant lead in the overall standings and has closed the gap between themselves and Ottawa in the Fall standings to two points. New York has only been on the losing end of a result once this year, a surprising 1-0 result in Jacksonville on July 18.

Part of New York’s consistency this year is due to the emergence of former Rowdies forward Lucky Mkosana. Since leaving Tampa Bay in the offseason, Mkosana has entrenched himself in the starting lineup as the Cosmos lone striker up top, while the high-profile Raul mainly plays as a withdrawn striker. Mkosana has scored 5 goals in 19 appearances this year, compared to only four goals in 34 appearances as a Rowdies player.

Both the Cosmos and Rowdies will lose a midfielder to the Salvadoran national team this weekend. Andres Flores will be out for the Cosmos and Richard Menjivar will be absent from Rowdies camp once again. The difference for the Cosmos, though, is they have the deepest midfield in the league. Seasoned veteran Marcos Senna is expected to make his return to the field for the first time since August 18 after working through fitness issues. Apart from Senna, New York can turn to the talented Sebastian Guenzatti, Adam Moffat and Danny Szetela in central midfield.

The Cosmos defense has allowed the second fewest goals (20) in the league this year. Right back Hunter Freeman sat out last weekend with tightness in his hamstring, but should be ready to go for Saturday evening. Freeman has found a nice attacking form with two goals and two assists in the Fall after sitting out the entire Spring. Ben Sweat and whoever plays on the left wing will need to be cautious of Freeman going forward.

Possible x-factors for the Cosmos are Haji Wright and Gaston Cellerino. Wright is only 17-years-old, but has tremendous upside and provided the assist on the game-winner last week as a substitute. Cellerino, an Argentine forward, could be set for his first appearance if his international clearance has comes through.

What to Watch For

The previously mentioned midfield quality was a huge reason why the Cosmos ran roughshod on the Rowdies in the Spring. Juan Guerra was making his first start as Marcelo Saragosa was out for the first time with an injury and rookie Verneri Välimaa received his only start of the year. Guerra has adjusted well to a starting role, but the spot next to him in central midfield is up for grabs, especially with Menjivar gone again. Saragosa was on the bench last week so he’s in the mix for a start, although Martin Núñez is a solid option if Stuart Campbell wants a like-for-like replacement for Menjivar. Núñez is better on the ball and can move end-to-end in a way that Saragosa cannot.

was making his first start as was out for the first time with an injury and rookie received his only start of the year. Guerra has adjusted well to a starting role, but the spot next to him in central midfield is up for grabs, especially with Menjivar gone again. Saragosa was on the bench last week so he’s in the mix for a start, although is a solid option if Stuart Campbell wants a like-for-like replacement for Menjivar. Núñez is better on the ball and can move end-to-end in a way that Saragosa cannot. Campbell made the expected shift of Darnell King to the right wing last week in Ottawa without much to show for it after the final whistle. Campbell shouldn’t lose faith in the switch just yet, though. King wasn’t a major factor in the fact mostly because of the dependence on playing centrally to Maicon Santos , who struggled maintaining possession and distributing to the wings. King needs to see more of the ball in the final third before the move can be deemed a success or failure.

to the right wing last week in Ottawa without much to show for it after the final whistle. Campbell shouldn’t lose faith in the switch just yet, though. King wasn’t a major factor in the fact mostly because of the dependence on playing centrally to , who struggled maintaining possession and distributing to the wings. King needs to see more of the ball in the final third before the move can be deemed a success or failure. There is a little more doubt when it comes to the left wing. Darwin Espinal rebounded nicely as substitute after a poor start on the left wing in Campbell’s 4-4-2 the previous week. Defensive commitment will be a necessity from the wings against the Cosmos attack and that part of Espinal’s game may not be fully developed yet. A substitute option when you’re in need of an offensive spark late in the match may be the best role for Espinal at this point in his career.

rebounded nicely as substitute after a poor start on the left wing in Campbell’s 4-4-2 the previous week. Defensive commitment will be a necessity from the wings against the Cosmos attack and that part of Espinal’s game may not be fully developed yet. A substitute option when you’re in need of an offensive spark late in the match may be the best role for Espinal at this point in his career. Set pieces will likely play a huge part in this match. Conceding goals on set pieces has been a problem in the Fall Season and Senna always seems to find a way to notch a quality free kick goal against the Rowdies. The Cosmos love to create as many corners and free kicks as possible, so diligent defending when they come will be crucial. Lines need to be cleared on the first attempt because the Cosmos punish teams who cough up second chance opportunities.

IMAGE, PATRICK PATTERSON