Puerto Rico Islanders 1 vs. Rowdies 0One goal was enough for the Puerto Rico Islanders (4-5-1) on Saturday night as they shut out the Rowdies (5-4-3). The loss was the third straight league loss for the Rowdies after previous losses to the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact.
The field itself played a major role in the match. Parts of the field were waterlogged, with the players making large splashes as they ran through the puddles. Large patches of the field were muddy also. Some players’ uniforms had turned brown by the time the final whistle blew.
Each team had a chance to score before halftime, but neither could take advantage of their opportunities. A Rowdies corner kick taken by Gordon Kljestan found its target and looked to be a good chance at scoring, but the shot went wide.
The offenses seemed to be struggling with the field conditions – the ball was getting stuck in mud instead of having a true roll, making the passing game difficult for everyone on the field.
David Foley scored on a volley in the 65th minute for the Islanders, giving the home team a slim lead. The Rowdies defense was caught out of position and could not close down on Foley.
The Rowdies seemed to have scored just minutes later, but it was called back due to offsides. Gordon Kljestan sent in a long ball that found its way to Rob Valentino who found the back of the net but the linesman raised his flag and waved off the goal.
Nine yellow cards were issued in the match, four of which were given to Rowdies. Tensions ran high for the frustrated with quite a few pushing and jawing contests going on throughout the ninety minutes. Aaron Wheeler was booked in the 24th minute, his fifth yellow card of the season. That card will trigger an automatic one-game suspension for Wheeler, which will be served next weekend when the Rowdies travel to Portland.
Notably, the Rowdies made a switch to a 4-4-2 formation against Puerto Rico, a departure from their usual 4-2-3-1. Aaron King started alongside Wheeler, only King’s second start of the season. Head Coach Paul Dalglish had hinted at the change after the loss to Montreal, hoping it would create more goals. Those hopes were partially thwarted by the sloppy field on Saturday night.
The Rowdies can erase the loss from their minds with a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against Miami FC in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday night. The winner of this second round match will earn the right to travel to Houston to take on MLS’s Houston Dynamo in the third round of the knockout competition.
Lineups:
Rowdies Lineup: Sattler, Ustruck, Valentino, Valentin, Kljestan, Buete (81’ – Tatters), Yamada, Tan (62’ – Millien), Nyazamba (46’ – Donoho), Wheeler, King (51’ – Adjeman-Pamboe).
Islanders Lineup: Gaudette, Martinez, Velez, Horst, Jones, Telesford, Salem (81’ – Emory), Gbandi, Hansen (90+ – Alexi Rivera), Foley (87’ – Bangura), Jagdeosingh.
Scoring Summary:
Islanders - David Foley - 65'
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