What to watch for: Rowdies vs. Portland Timbers

Posted Jul 31, 2010 by Nick Murray

Updated Jul 31, 2010 at 08:45 AM

What to watch for when the FC Tampa Bay Rowdies host the Portland Timbers at Steinbrenner Field at 7:30 p.m. tonight.

1. FAST START: With a 4 p.m. kickoff in their last outing, the heat played a role in the slow start by both Tampa Bay and Miami in last Sunday’s game. Don’t expect to see a similar start tonight, especially considering the manner in which the Timbers opened the first game between the two teams earlier this season.

After seeing the Timbers suffer a 3-0 defeat to St. Louis on Wednesday, the Rowdies are expecting Portland to try and play with a lot of high pressure to start the game. It will be critical the side match Portland’s intensity and not make any early mistakes that could see them concede a goal. Safety first should be the order of the day in the Rowdies half.

2. SHINING BRIGHT: Former Notre Dame standout Bright Dike was a constant menace when the two teams met earlier this season, not only scoring the only goal in the Timbers’ 1-0 victory but also hitting the post twice.

The Rowdies believe they have a better plan to try and contain Dike, but Rob Valentino in particular will need to be at his best tonight. The 6-foot-3 defender has played very well throughout the current homestand, doing well to play as a spoiler against attackers like Puerto Rico’s Nicolas Addlery and Miami’s Paulo Araujo Jr. A similar performance from Valentino and the rest of the Rowdies defense as they put in last Sunday would go a long way towards a Rowdies victory.

3. HOME FIELD HEAT: Portland’s home field of PGE Park appeared to play an important role when the Timbers defeated the Rowdies earlier this season. With the youth of the team, the atmosphere was an intense one and the bounce off the artificial surface proved to be something the Rowdies never really got adjusted to.

The Rowdies have been trying to establish a similar home field advantage at Steinbrenner Field, and with the infield dirt and heat expected tonight, kickoff temperature should be close to 85 degrees, the Rowdies conditioning should play a role. As Portland’s Ian Joy noted on Twitter on Friday, he has lost nine pounds in the last three days, indicating how much the heat can take out of a player whether they’re used to it or not.

With Portland having played on Wednesday and in conditions they won’t be used to, the Rowdies should be the stronger side late in the game. It will be important they take advantage.