by JAKE NUTTING

The promise has been evident for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in their opening matches of the North American Soccer League’s Spring Season, it has just been that last bit of quality that has eluded them and led to two low-scoring draws.

They came the closest to realizing their potential in the second half of last week’s match in Miami, as they forced keeper Daniel Vega into several stellar saves to keep them from nabbing more than just an equalizer.

“I thought we performed well [in Miami], we put in a good away performance, said Head Coach Stuart Campbell. “The fact that their goalkeeper made it onto the team of the week sort of tells the story in regards to the saves that he made on the chances we created. And then with the Indy game, I was fairly happy with the performance. I was just frustrated to not get the three points I thought we deserved.”

As encouraged as Campbell may be, he believes they still having plenty of room for improvement if they want to start securing full-three point results. He acknowledged that the draw with Indy was more about their inability to be clinical as opposed to anything Indy did.

He’s looking to see the squad get better in that area this weekend as they host FC Edmonton, saying, “Just the way they move the ball. The way the way they combine in the final third. It’s been pretty good so far, but I want them to improve on that and I know the goals will come.”

It’s difficult to see Campbell making massive changes in the starting lineup when the team has seemed on the precipice of finding the breakthrough. Midfielder Georgi Hristov has made a strong case to earn a starting spot after impressing off the bench in both matches, though. On top of grabbing the equalizer last week, Hristov also created a number of serious chances as the Rowdies pushed for goals late in the match.

“I thought all the subs in both games did well, if I’m honest,” said Campbell. “They’ve all come off the bench and impacted the game in a positive manner. I’ve got different types of players at my disposal, which is great. They’ve come on and shown something different from the guys that have started.”

One notable absence from the bench is midfielder Freddy Adu. Always a source of discussion given his high-profile past, Adu has yet to crack the 18-player gameday roster this season. Campbell says it’s a result of the attacker losing out in the competition for spots that is happening across the entire roster.

“No, he’s not injured. It’s just a matter of the competition. We’ve got good competition all over the roster. We’ve got plenty of other talented players not in the 18 and you’re not asking about them. It’s my job to pick what I think is the best 18 available.”

No matter who takes the field on Saturday, they’ll need to be prepared to break down an Edmonton side that has prided itself on defensive organization and counter-attacking play under coach Colin Miller.

“They’re good defensively, but then also in transition they’ve got some players that are quick,” Campbell said of the Eddies. “We have to be on the guard for that. We can’t just think that Edmonton are going to sit there and come for a point. They’ll come to defend, but in transition they’ll have a go at it and commit numbers forward.”

Campbell is hoping his team is ready to take the positive trend established in the preseason to the next next level this weekend.

“I’m happy with the performances we’ve had. We’ve moved the ball well, we’ve created opportunities. We haven’t lost a game since Montreal way back in the preseason, so we’re in the habit of not losing games. Now we just have to go on and get our first home win under our belt on Saturday.”