Rowdies aiming for better defensive displays

Posted Jun 17, 2010 by Nick Murray

Updated Jun 17, 2010 at 01:13 PM

One of the concerns raised by FC Tampa Bay Rowdies captain Julian Valentin after last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat against Montreal was the way the Rowdies had been performing defensively.

After practice on Thursday, Valentin said the way to fix those issues was by playing a smarter game mentally.

“We need to recognize the areas in games where a lot of goals are scored,” Valentin said. “We’ve just been addressing that and really just having a focus on knowing different situations and knowing when they can come so we don’t get caught off-guard. That’s something we need to get better and that we will get better at.”

Rowdies coach Paul Dalglish said thanks to the schedule this week there hasn’t been much time to put work in on the practice field the ideas that he and the players have been discussing. Their final practice on Friday after the team arrives in Puerto Rico should allow the team a chance to make sure the lapses in concentration that have occurred in recent games don’t reappear on Saturday night.

One of the keys, according to Valentin, is for the team to be more patient, only challenging the ball when they know the challenge is winnable.

“One thing Paul talked about was being more patient defensively,” Valentin said. “We don’t have to win it every time, we don’t have to be so aggressive, just keep the play in front, don’t let them in behind and stay tight, not giving away free kicks around the box and penalties.”

READY FOR ANYTHING: Puerto Rico switched up their formation in a 1-1 draw against Vancouver on Wednesday night, flooding the midfield with a 4-5-1 formation. That was a new wrinkle for the team this season, but whatever system the Islanders use on Saturday, Dalglish was confident his side would be ready.

“There won’t be much space in the middle of the field if they keep that system, but we’ll be prepared for whichever system they throw at us,” Dalglish said.

With the Islanders typically playing a narrow back four, the play of the Rowdies wide players could be particularly important if they get time and space on the flanks to provide quality service into the penalty area. The Islanders conceded such a goal against the Whitecaps, and haven’t looked great in the air at times this season, the Rowdies’ game-winner in the opening meeting coming from an Aaron Wheeler flick-on to Aaron King late on May 29 at Steinbrenner Field.

USTRUCK SOLID: Defender Erik Ustruck was feeling a little fatigue late on against Legends F.C. in his first appearance since coming back from an ankle sprain, but said he felt good after having a day to recover.

He was also enthusiastic about the way the team, mostly made up of players who have been on the fringes of the first team, played.

“I think that’s great, especially for a few of the guys who haven’t been getting a lot of the minutes, it’s good for their confidence,” Ustruck said. “The fact that we can go on the road and pick up a win 3-0, no matter who it is, I think because it’s a positive result it acts as a confidence boost for the team.”