All for Naught

Eddies generate chances despite being dominated, but still frustrated by lack of execution in a tight loss to Tampa Bay.

Coming into the match, the Eddies knew things had to change. They had been shut out for 180 minutes, and nothing from their play has indicated much of a scoring threat from anywhere or anybody.

To the surprise of many—and the delight of some—Shamit Shome made his professional debut in place of Cruz. It was a bit of a gamble, but the young Canadian kept his cool with a relatively mistake-free shift. Smith filled in for Zebie who picked up a knock and Eckersley who is still recovering from injury. Keegan’s lively appearance off the bench against Minnesota earned him a start in tandem with Fordyce, meaning Ameobi was relegated to the bench. Corea started for the first time this season, replacing Nyassi.

They were, however, about to face off against a team that plays very well in the middle, and the game certainly developed that way. Tampa Bay ended up with a vast majority of the possession at 66%. Defensively, the Eddies played well, winning many of their duels and making their presence known physically, letting the Rowdies play their game but not allowing much to develop around the 18-yard box and dealing with crosses effectively, save for one moment, but more on that later.