Trial(ist) by Fire: breaking down Tampa Bay's preseason loss to Atlanta
What to expect from Robbie Nielson in the Rowdies in the wake of a warm-up game defined by trialists
Another week, another occasion to react to an Atlanta United preseason match. What were the big takeaways as the Tampa Bay Rowdies fell 2-0 in a game defined by trialist performances?
Lineup-wise, Robbie Nielson defaulted to a 5-2-3 in the early stages. That shape lines up with his managerial tendencies in Scotland and wasn’t too far from Neill Collins territory. The back line sat at a middle-ish height, but it was marked by an aggression that didn’t always turn out for Tampa Bay. In build, the Rowdies struggled to access the center of the pitch, but other patterns emerged that could give this team necessary variation in the season to come.
Let’s dig deeper on a few trends of note.
#23 and Me
The Rowdies’ central defenders were allowed to step up quite aggressively when Atlanta broke through the press, with the intent of quick closing down before a move could get too dangerous. Many teams only let their wider backs step up in those scenarios, but Forrest Lasso (the centermost defender) was just as active as Aaron Guillen and Trialist #23 at stepping up to put out fires early on.
The problem? Rustiness and a lack of communication often created holes when someone got too brave.
In the play shown here, the right wing back (Trialist #18) is played past, forcing#23 to step up in cover. However, Atlanta wisely reads the situation and pushes two runners against #23, thereby creating an edge before the rest of the Rowdies’ defense can recover. Mistimed runs and cutbacks doom the visitor’s break, but Tampa Bay was beaten like this on at least half a dozen occasions.
There were wins, too. The aforementioned #23 was more successful than not on balance, and one interception in the 40th minute saw him prance into the left half space in the final third to link play. I’m not sure who the player was - sandy blonde hair and a matching mustache weren’t helping me - but I liked his ranginess quite a bit. Forrest Lasso also ate up on aerial duels; water is wet.
Tampa Bay’s second concession came in another moment of disharmony like that clipped earlier. Here, you see Jordan Doherty caught upfield from the right-side defensive spot. Atlanta bears down with a runner on the shoulder of the two remaining center backs.
Meanwhile, Trialist #27 (the left-sider) is caught narrow. He didn’t look to be the most athletic defender in the world, and here that prevents him from scrambling back against a centering pass. Still you’re seeing another body tracking the farthese Atlanta runner: Blake Bodily, streaking in from his baseline wing back spot.
The ex-Loyal man started on the left in the second period and rarely missed his spots out of possession. It didn’t stop the goal that’s developing in the picture, but it’s the sort of sign you want to see in the preseason from a ballyhooed addition. Bodily is a wonderful creator who got nine assists last year, but these plays will make him undroppable for Nielson.
Doherty catches some shade in my description above, but he was quite sharp on balance. When Atlanta bunkered down with a lead, he was resplendent pushing upfield and turning the Rowdies into a more 4-3-3-ish attacking side. A notable give-and-go sequence with a trialist wing back in the 74th encapsulated the solid contributions from the Irishman.
Building with a Back Five
Last season, the Rowdies’ goalies went long about half the time they attempted a pass, which ranked 6th-highest amongst all USL goalkeeping units. They also ranked 8th in their overall long passing rate. While the Atlanta game wasn’t exactly a possessive dream of an outing, Tampa Bay seemed likelier to try and play out with intention by utilizing their whole back five.
You see two passages above to that end, illustrating the way that the wing backs were used as cogs in build. Tampa Bay tended to sit their midfield pivot very low, so the use of wide players was all the more important throughout the match.
In the first play, two center backs hedge to the left side, joined by Trialist #2 out of the central midfield. In doing so, they form a triangle and encourage Atlanta to narrow out. Much of the time in 2023, Lasso or Guillen would’ve simply gone long here, aiming for JJ Williams’ head. This time, the low-seated wing back - Trialist #34 - becomes a cog to keep the play going.
#34 moves quickly when he gets a touch, immediately engaging in interplay with the left winger on the drop. This was the basic format for the Rowdies when they kept the ball on the ground: drive from your wider defenders toward the sidelines, then try and hit a forward to work back to the center and enter the attacking zone.
The second clip illustrates variation within that philosophy. The left wing back and #2 make runs upfield, drawing Atlanta up instead of simply narrowing them out. The action leaves one presser to deal with Tampa Bay’s #23 on the ball. Thus, the trialist defender is able to dribble wide and right-foot a pass into a showing forward, who turns nicely and sends the guests into a tailspin.
Tampa Bay mostly worked around the defense rather than through or over it during their best sequences. That’s not what you want on a week-to-week basis, where controlling the center of the pitch is the surest route to consistent success. Still, in a game where Charlie Dennis and Leo Fernandes - this team’s two best receivers and carriers in the middle - didn’t feature, the ability to find any pathway was a positive sign.
Quick note on that showing forward in the second play, Trialist #77: he’s good! Very neat ball control, and he took a couple of set pieces too. My identifier was that he looked vaguely like Lonzo Ball.
Manuel Labor
Beyond a deft little backheel, it was a good first showing for Manuel Arteaga in a Rowdies kit. Selling JJ Williams after a 12-goal, nine-assist season was bold, but Arteaga - who got 15 goals and six apples in Phoenix, mind you - looked every bit the solid replacement. Williams is plainly better in the air, but everything else that Arteaga showed in this match will make the difference in a holistic sense.
In the first half, Arteaga played as the No. 9, and a lack of spark in the box was a by-product of team-wide struggles rather than individual failings. When the opportunities arose, Arteaga proved very deft at stepping into the half spaces to hold the ball up and quickly link play, as can be seen above. Rising didn’t expect Arteaga to do much as a passer, but his time in Indy is evidence of a player with ample gifts for maintaining territory and flicking the ball on in attack - we saw that role reprised against Atlanta.
I loved Arteaga’s defensive contributions in the second half, when he was charged with moving to the left wing to accommodate Cal Jennings up top. The Venezuelan was a fiend jumping into passing lanes, and he used his 6’1” frame splendidly to seal out opponents. He manufactured two or three breaks for Jennings by way of those gritty moments.
Will we see much of Arteaga on the wing in 2024? It’s likelier than I anticipated. Leo Fernandes ought to win that leftward spot from the jump, but Arteaga can fill time ably on either flank if needed. Tampa Bay generally looked quite narrow at the front, which would make alternatives like Pacifique Nyongabire or Nick Moon less likely to displace Arteaga and more likely to serve as wing backs. I don’t want to read too much into the preseason, but this was a big plus of a day for Manuel Arteaga.
Other Notes
Trialist #7, the right wing back in the second half, was solid, but he had a horrid turnover shortly after halftime that nearly turned into an Atlanta goal. Afterwards, he was very sharp as a passer, and he’s got a broad-shouldered build worth admiring. At the same time, are we really letting someone take Yann Ekra’s number already?
If I’m signing a defender, the mustachioed right-sider from the first half (#23) is the pick of the litter. With Kleemann, Lasso, Guillen, and apparently Doherty in tow, I can’t imagine there’s more than a single opening out there.
Trialist #8 grew into the game from his No. 8 spot throughout the second half, especially when the Rowdies started dominating the ball. He showed good instinct roving to find the ball, hit a nice cross or two from the right channel, and spaced nicely when Jordan Doherty started pushing up.
Lewis Hilton still has a mean diagonal in his boots.
I’m horrendously bad at player identification.