The Miami FC have kept their ship afloat in the 2020 USL Championship season. Despite early struggles, the change at the helm has slowly paid off. Miami is coming off a loss in their last match against Charleston a week ago today. Luckily for Miami, their last visit to Tampa resulted in points and the Rowdies are also coming off a loss against the Battery. A Miami victory tonight would be an incredible boost for the club.
Group H Standings as of September 2nd, 2020The Group H standings remain unchanged since the last time these two teams met on the pitch. Tampa is nursing a point lead above Charleston. For the Rowdies, a strong showing tonight lessens the blow from the six point swing on Saturday. Miami currently sits at the bottom of the group trailing Atlanta for the third spot by a single point. Unfortunately for Miami, the USL playoff qualification is unlike the Gold Cup. Third place teams will get their fishing trips scheduled early. Miami must make up points in a hurry if they want any chance at catching Charleston, currently sitting 15 points ahead.
Keys To A Miami Victory
Bryant Gammiero has done an outstanding job since being named the starting goalkeeper. In his most recent outing, Gammiero allowed three goals but made four saves despite being peppered all night. Gammiero surely wants to keep the ball out of the back of his own net but he needs an improved performance from Hassan Ndam. Ndam has shown he is a quality footballer, but his defensive awareness is lacking.
Miami loses quality in the midfield when Lance Rozeboom has to be paired with Brenton Griffiths at the back. Unfortunately, Paul Dalglish cannot afford more gaffes at the back. Dalglish needs Rozeboom to secure the middle of the backline to anchor the Miami defense. Sebastian Velasquez, if fit, needs to man the traditional “10” role. Velasquez should be supported by Vincent Bezecourt, Tomas Granitto, and Harrison Heath to propel the attack forward.
Romario Williams must be a factor in tonight’s contest. Miami supporters have yet to see Williams and Mohamed Thiaw work together as a unit up front. That said, if the duo is not complementary, Miguel Gonzalez should get the start alongside the chosen striker. Gonzalez finally ended his scoring drought against Charleston boosting his confidence in front of goal.
Prediction
Miami’s recent performances have been a mix of inspiring and frustrating. Seven games into the season, we still don’t have the consistency that we are used to seeing out of the Orange and Blue. Picking Miami to win tonight’s game seems rather outlandish. Miami has proven they can take the early lead against the Rowdies, but maintaining it is a different story. For a Miami victory, they will need two early goals and a stellar performance from the back-line. I would be very happy to be proven wrong.
Tampa Bay Rowdies 2 – 1 The Miami FC
The Betting Window
At the time of writing Miami are the betting line underdogs with a win paying +275. Tampa is paying -150 for a regulation win. On the spread, Miami is paying -120 on a split bet of a draw and a one goal loss via the spread. If you are looking for action tonight I think you land a winner on Tampa. Miami’s spread bet will give you a winner if Miami loses by 1 or draws.
