Tampa Bay Rowdies Collect First W of the Season against Birmingham Legion FC

Recap:

In a game that had a high chance of being delayed due to lightning and rain, Tampa Bay collected their first three points of the 2026 USL Championship campaign. 

The new Rowdies defense would be tested quickly, as goalie Jahmali Waite would be forced to make an acrobatic save in the first five minutes. 

A couple minutes later, Tampa Bay had a good look on goal, with left back Charlie Ostrem shooting just wide of the Birmingham Legion net. 

Both sides would have more looks on goal, but nothing would break the deadlock before halftime. 

After being substituted in at halftime, Marco Micaletto scored the Rowdies first goal of the season. Brian Schaefer would throw the ball into the box where it would bounce around, eventually falling to Micaletto, who buried it past the Birmingham keeper. 

Birmingham Legion FC would have one more look at goal, but it would too wide for the Rowdies’ Jamaican keeper to worry about. 

Tampa Bay would hold onto the 1-0 advantage, and would collect the first three points of the season. 

Keeping up with the (B)east:

Since it is Matchweek One, it is very hard to tell who will be in the running for the Supporter’s Shield and who will be fighting for playoffs.

The first game of the 2026 USL Season kicked off in Lexington, Kentucky, as the reigning Supporter’s Shield holders Louisville City FC went to face in-state rivals Lexington SC. On paper, both teams have two of the strongest rosters in the league, and this was shown in the match. Despite Lou City falling behind first, they would get the comeback win in a 2-1 total. 

Charleston Battery would host the reigning champions Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Patriot’s Point. Pittsburgh would start their title defense with a loss, as their former player Sean Suber would put Charleston ahead. After a Wilmer Cabrera goal would double the hosts lead, the champions would pull one back through a Nathan Messer own goal. Charleston would claim the three points. 

Sporting Jax would host their first-ever USL Championship game, making the jump from USL League Two. They would face reigning USL Cup winners Hartford Athletic, who make light work of the debutants. Goals from Augi Williams, Samuel Careaga, and Adewale Obalola would spoil the party in Duval, and give Hartford their first three points of the season. 

The final match including Eastern Conference teams was Brooklyn FC and Indy Eleven on the Sunday afternoon kickoff. League newcomers Brooklyn FC would take the lead in the first half through a Juan Obregón penalty. Brooklyn would claim all three points against the Indianapolis-based team. 

The Eastern Conference now has five teams with three points, those teams being Hartford Athletic, Brooklyn FC, Louisville City FC, Charleston Battery, and Tampa Bay Rowdies. 

Sporting Jax, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Indy Eleven, and Birmingham Legion FC are the only Eastern Conference clubs with a loss. 

Finally, Detroit City FC, Miami FC, Rhode Island FC, and Loudoun United FC all did not play in the opening weekend. 

The Bigger Picture:

The Good: Two words: Dion. Acoff. When Dion was picked up, it was fair to say some concerns were raised about how he would do in the USL Championship. Based on his age and career being in more unknown leagues and at Union Omaha, people didn’t know if he would be able to keep up with the USL Championship pace. He didn’t meet the pace, he exploded past it. Acoff was first to every ball near him, and delivered high-quality crosses into the box. He was a pillar in Coach Dom’s Omaha teams, and it’s easy to see why. It is very easy to see that Dion will be a cornerstone of this new Tampa Bay team. 

Max Schneider also had a good game in the midfield having three tackles, two clearances, one interception, and six recoveries. The German also completed 87% of his passes. 

Expected to be one of the best players on the pitch at all times, Jamaican keeper Jahmali Waite did exactly that. Waite made multiple acrobatic saves to keep the clean sheet for the Rowdies. 

The Bad: This has been an issue for as long as I can remember watching the Rowdies, but they struggled to break down a low block. 

It was nice to see we had a bit more creativity when addressing a low block, which is an immediate improvement from the Cochol Cup game against Sarasota Paradise. However, while we were creating chances, we struggled to convert.

This problem does have a solution, as the goal scoring should come a bit easier for the Rowdies when Evan Conway and MD Myers are featured in the lineup. 

Final Thoughts: I am not one to complain at the fact we got three points. The team is still new playing together, so it’s important to remember that. 

However, the Rowdies have their first win of the season, and I am looking forward to watching this team play all season. 

Looking Forward/Match Prediction: 

The Rowdies will host defending USL Championship winners Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Al Lang Stadium next Saturday on March 21st. It will be the Rowdies’ home opener, and I am expecting the stadium to be packed with a rocking atmosphere. 

I have the Rowdies winning 3-0 against Pittsburgh. I think this will be the game that everything clicks.