Away to San Antonio Preview
Date: Friday July 12, 2025
Kickoff Time: 9:00 pm EST at Toyota Field in San Antonio, TX
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (11 pts 3W-2D-9L); San Antonio FC (24 pts 7W-3D-5L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 11th in the East and SAFC are second in the West.
The Rowdies appeared to be trending upwards after the weekend’s Jager Cup win. Since then, the trend has taken a very interesting turn, as the club named a new head coach. Dominic Casciato joins from Union Omaha, who’ve been going through a tough spell in 2025. However, his stellar record prior to this year suggests good things. With his first game in charge coming up Saturday, fans will be hoping for a good start to this new era in Tampa Bay!
What can we expect from Coach Dom out the gate?
In the week since the Rowdies beat FC Naples in the Jager Cup, a lot has happened in the world of soccer. The Gold Cup ended, the women’s Euro continued, and big transfers were announced by several clubs. To bring it a little more local, Tampa Bay decided to get in on the fun with a big transfer of their own: a new head coach taking over.
This preview would have previously been about the ways that San Antonio and Tampa Bay line up on the field, how they might cancel each other out, and which players to keep an eye on. The wrinkle of a brand new manager will complicate things slightly. Dominic Casciato has taken over training sessions at the Waters Complex, and his stamp is likely to be visible on the team this Saturday.
What do we know about coach Dom? For one thing, he is likely to keep with the three-at-the-back system the Green and Gold have played recently. Over the past few years, it became a Rowdies staple to see three defenders with two wingbacks on either side. The players on the flanks would be largely responsible for driving attacking movements up the field.
Casciato joins from Union Omaha in USL League 1, where he mostly employed a similar setup. This should suit the Rowdies for a number of reasons. With a roster largely made up of players who have been around for a while or are returning after prior stints, most of them will be familiar with the formation. Additionally, it has been the most successful of the lineups used this season.
Since seeing out a very rough month of May, interim manager Steve Coleman reverted to this system around June, leading to good growth from the team. While they’re still near the bottom of the table, a lot of progress has come about – and they even lead their group in the Jager Cup. Results have picked up from the dreadful form the team was in early on.
Coleman will now step back to the assistant job he started the year with. Casciato should be able to put in place any tweaks he sees fit while mostly keeping the same formation and lineup in place. With Lewis Hilton and Leo Fernandes possibly both being available, it will also be a strong squad to choose from. Fans will just hope for that new-coach bump along with it.
On the other side of things, San Antonio won’t care what just happened in Florida. They’re doing well in the Western Conference, currently sitting second behind New Mexico. The largest problem they likely face is that one of their most important players could still be out. Playing in a 4-2-3-1 system, the attacking midfielder would often take center stage for the Texans.
Jorge Hernandez, who has played that role for much of the season, missed the last four games for SAFC. Whether or not he’s available could determine how well their attacking patterns play out. In his stead, another Hernandez has stepped in to help with buildup. Nicky Hernandez, though, has a less impressive record of just three assists across all competitions in 2025.
Tampa Bay should be wary of San Antonio still, and especially on set pieces. With center back pairing Mitch Taintor and Alex Crognale, there’s a lot of height at the back. The latter of those is also third overall for goals on the team. It will be a tall task for the Rowdies to travel in their first match under Casciato and get a result. With the team looking reinvigorated, this may just be a good time to get the job done.
Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:
Carlos: 2-2 D
James: 1-1 D
Yurika: 2-1 W
