Home vs. Phoenix Rising Preview

Date: Saturday August 16, 2025

Kickoff Time: 9:00 pm EST at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL 

Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (17 pts 5W-2D-11L); Phoenix Rising FC (24 pts 6W-6D-7L)

Standings: The Rowdies are 12th in the East and the Rising are 8th in the West. 

This weekend, the Rowdies will be playing for more than three points. As this is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the club, there is an extra weight to the match. The front office has scheduled a number of events that pushed the usual start time back – and allows the game to be shown on national primetime television. Will the current team rise to the occasion? Make sure you have your tickets to be there this Saturday night and cheer them on!

Can we get back on track this weekend?

Already halfway through August, the Rowdies are facing a couple of do or die games in their bid to make the playoffs. Due to prior poor results, starting from the very first month of the season, it is crunch time very early on for the players and their fans. With extra spotlight on the club for their 50th anniversary celebrations this weekend, it would be an excellent time to get a big win. 

Standing in their way is a team that formerly held rival status for Tampa Bay: Phoenix Rising. They have gone through a couple tumultuous years as a club despite their having won the USL Championship Final in 2023. Like the Rowdies, they were previously a perennial contender for the top of the conference – out west for them – but have not been in a similar position lately. 

The Rising need to collect points as well, as they currently sit in the very last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The positions there are so tight, it was just recently the case that the last placed team had 18 points, with every team above them in the standings ahead by one further point. From 18 to 19 to 20 all the way past Phoenix’s 24, things could not have been closer. 

The visitors this weekend will want to get things back on track for themselves. They have had to move a few pieces around on the chessboard lately, with regular starter and youth product Braxton Montgomery headed off to college soccer at Rutgers. The versatile defender has left a hole to fill on the backline, with a few midfielders taking up deeper roles in recent games. 

Whoever lines up in the fullback spots, they will be important in getting the ball forward for Phoenix. With wingers who often like to come inside, including former Rowdie Charlie Dennis, the Phoenicians will utilize the width of the pitch at Al Lang to help create chances. This is not unfamiliar for the Rowdies, who often include their own wingbacks in similar attacking plays. 

Where Tampa Bay needs to create more success, though, is in the final third. After a few matches under new manager Dominic Casciato, the team has taken on a slightly different look. They will play it out of the back now – and even a lot more fluidly. In last week’s game against North Carolina, the midfield trio in front of the defenders really helped maintain possession under pressure. 

There were some brilliant moments in terms of getting the ball from back to front, most notably on the play that turned into the opening goal of the game. A ball from around the halfway line found Woobens Pacius, whose first touch pass to Lewis Hilton was touched on four more times before a first-time strike from the midfielder. It was spectacular to watch. 

Unfortunately, when the Rowdies went down a goal before halftime, they were unable to muster many similar moments in the second half. This is obviously the great conundrum in soccer. But, that’s Casciato’s role: find ways to break down opposition with the guys you have. NCFC shored up their defense such that that same type of play was harder to do. Phoenix will have that tape.

Separating the Rising’s defense from their higher lines could be easier, though. They will not have as many players sitting deep as North Carolina does in any given moment. Phoenix also has a pretty poor defensive record recently. That doesn’t mean it’ll be simple; but, it should give players and fans alike more hope. Hope can breed confidence, which can – hopefully – lead to success. 

Score Predictions from the RBLR Rowdies Podcast:

Carlos: 2-0 W

James: 3-1 W

Yurika: 2-1 W