The Tampa Bay Rowdies are in desperate need of a full three-point result in their final home game of the year. They’ll be facing off against a Carolina RailHawks side that they have drawn 1-1 with twice this season. Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell expects a good match against the RailHawks, who have made roster additions in recent weeks to bolster themselves on both sides of the ball, but he was obviously more focused on his own squad in our chat with him on Thursday afternoon.

“It’s all about us,” said Campbell. “We’re at home in our final league game there of the season, so we won’t to go out on a high. Not just because of our playoff push, but because of the fans. The fans have been great for us all season. We want to go out on a positive win and send them home happy.”

Staying Positive for Final Push

A five-game winless streak in the home stretch of the season when you’re pushing to make the postseason could deflate the most steadfast of squads. Luckily for the Rowdies, their competition for the final playoff spot has struggled to find consistency themselves. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers are in the driver’s seat with a two-point lead on the Rowdies in the playoff race, but have only managed three wins in their last seven matches. As a result, the backdoor to the playoffs has not completely shut on Campbell and the Rowdies.

“Our mood’s good. I know we haven’t won for a few games, but we haven’t lost many. One of the games that we did lose, we were down to 10 men for a considerable amount of time. So it’s not doom and gloom at all. Like I said in Atlanta, that’s normally a good away point. But the situation that we’re in, we needed three points. I thought it was a difficult night for both teams. I think both teams defended very well and I think that was reflected in the lack of creative opportunities in the match.”

Injury Updates

Captain Marcelo Saragosa missed last week’s scoreless draw in Atlanta due to a hamstring strain suffered in the previous match against Ottawa. The central midfielder resumed full training on Thursday and the club is waiting to see how his injury responds on Friday before deciding if he’ll be available for this weekend’s match. Long Tan is, unfortunately, definitely out for the match with Carolina due to a back injury that was also sustained in the Ottawa match. The forward is receiving treatment, though, and has not been ruled out for the final regular season match against New York.

Searching for that Finshing Touch

You don’t have to remind Campbell how badly his squad needs to start scoring goals. He’s well aware that the team has scored only twice in its recent five-game winless streak.

“It’s something we work on in training every day, shooting and repetition. But obviously when it comes down to the game environment it’s slightly different. We recognized it early on and have been working on it, but it just hasn’t worked out for us yet.”

Perhaps, what is even more troubling than the teams’ inability to put the ball into the net is the teams’ failure to produce many actual shots on net. The Rowdies have averaged only two shots on frame over the past month and could not muster a single one in the draw with Atlanta. Campbell says that switching Freddy Adu to a central attacking midfield role to spark more chances is “something we have most definitely considered doing,” but the ultimate hindrance to scoring is the lack of “clinical” finishing. Campbell believes the Rowdies have been unable to overcome the injury-plagued season of leading scorer Maicon Santos thus far.

A Utility Man Emerges

One of the bright spots for the Rowdies over the past month is Justin Chavez. After hardly factoring into the squad earlier in the season, Chavez has quickly become an integral part of the squad. He has filled in at both central midfield and left back when suspension, injuries, and international call ups have left the team with big holes to fill.

“I’m really delighted for [Chavez]. He’s an excellent professional. He hasn’t played as often as he probably should have. When I took over I had a chat with him after a couple of weeks and said, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing. You’ll get your opportunity.’ It’s easy when you’re not in the team to get your head down, start losing interest, start pointing fingers at other people and go, ‘Oh I should be playing, he shouldn’t.’ Justin hasn’t done that. He’s kept his head down and worked hard, and now he’s reaping the reward from that. His performances have been excellent in whatever role he’s playing.”

IMAGE, TAMPA BAY ROWDIES