What to watch for: Rowdies vs. Rochester Rhinos

Posted Jul 22, 2010 by Nick Murray

Updated Jul 22, 2010 at 10:33 AM

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

1. CHRISTIE’S RETURN: The news that midfielder Jeremy Christie was cleared to play after suffering a concussion against Miami on July 4th was something the team had been hoping for, but with the New Zealand international still carrying a groin injury, putting him straight back into the starting line-up would seem a bit hasty to me.

Christie showed some good bursts during Wednesday night’s practice, but you got a sense that he was still being protective of his injury as he went through the session. Obviously, even if he’s only at 70 percent his experience would be an invaluable asset the team would love to have on the field, but it makes more sense to have him start on the bench tonight in case he’s needed in the second half and allow him some more time to get close to fully fit for Miami on Sunday.

2. MAN OF STEELE: There has been a lot written and said already about the acquisition of Jonny Steele and Ricardo Sanchez, and while Sanchez won’t play a role in tonight’s game, I would expect to see Steele be part of the Rowdies’ plan.

But it’s going to be a lot to ask of the 24-year-old Northern Irishman to have the immediate impact the side is hoping he will have for the remainder of the season in tonight’s game. While he got 70 minutes a game on average for the Whitecaps in his 12 appearances this season, the fatigue of the cross-country trip he made on Tuesday and Wednesday is going to have to be taken into account when we assess his performance should he play tonight.

Steele can certainly provide the spark the Rowdies’ offense is looking for after scoring only two goals in the last seven games. If he can provide it against a Rochester side that has conceded only 13 goals in 17 games, it would be remarkably impressive.

3. RAGING RHINOS: Rochester made a nice surge up the standings with an eight-game undefeated streak that began in late May and only ended in their last outing on Saturday against Carolina. But the Rhinos have only taken two points from their last three contests, getting shut out in all three.

Two of those performances were poor ones, only forcing one save from Austin’s Miguel Gallardo and none from Crystal Palace Baltimore’s Evan Bush in a pair of scoreless draw. Their last performance, though, was a strong one as Carolina’s Eric Reed had to make seven saves to earn a shutout.

The Rowdies defense will be reshuffled tonight with the absence of Yendry Diaz, but it’s important they play with the same awareness as they did against Puerto Rico last Thursday and limit Anthony Hamilton and Ryan Heins’ clear looks at Daryl Sattler’s net.