With three wins in a row and a nice turn around for Florida Launch so late in the season, it makes you wonder what has changed for the better for the team.
Looking at the Attack
Coach Stan Ross stated that before Florida was able to pick up Miles Thompson and Lyle Thompson, the defense only had to worry about Kieran McArdle and Casey Powell owning the ball. Now that they added a few more power players to the roster it makes the opposing team have to worry more about who is going to gain position of the ball.
Lyle Thompson has scored a total of 13 goals within the past two games. Lyle showed his aggressiveness for the ball and displayed his ability to read the defense well. Question is, is this his overall game or is this just his game against Charlotte? He’s very crafty and shows his ability to dodge around the defense to get himself set up for the score. We will see how he plays when he is up against Denver this weekend.
Protecting the Goal
When teams have an injured player it gives a coach the opportunity to try out a new player and move things around. Sometimes this doesn’t work out the best, but other times this could create the perfect scenario for the win.
With Brett Queener getting injured in the middle of the fourth quarter against the New York Lizards on June 26, it gave Coach Ross the opportunity to see what Austin Kaut could do for the team. Since then, Kaut has definitely proved himself. His save percentage is 56.5; this places him eighth out of the 20 goalies in the league.
Queener was on the edge of full recovery last week. He was fully dressed to play on the sideline as back up. Queener showed his support for the team and high energy even when his wasn’t able to play. Coach Ross isn’t sure yet who will be the starting goalie against Denver. Queener is an amazing goalie and veteran, but Kaut has proved he has been practicing and is wanting to play.
Bring On Game Day
Although the coach isn’t 100 percent sure of the lineup at this time, he is still feeling confident going into the game. Their transition game is building well. Cameron Lao-Gosney is having a solid season, but picking up Jovan Miller was a great choice for Florida. He brings so much energy to the game and the locker room. He fits right in with the guys. Besides the transition game, Powell should also be back this week to play alongside the Thompson brothers, McArdle and the rest of the young team.
I can’t wait to see what the Florida Launch is going to do playing up against the Denver Outlaws.
