Even Maestros Eventually Need A Successor

This is a Lewis Hilton appreciation post. A post (at least partially) dedicated to waxing lyrical about a player who has been a vital cog for the Tampa Bay Rowdies since he joined the organization in 2020. 

A player who in my time as a Rowdies fan he has by far been my favorite. Not only because he has been a constant on the roster or because I often find myself drawn to central midfield players, but because of his performances and ability.

Hilton is the player who sets the tempo. 

He distributes and provides.

He screens and protects.

He covers the ground.

He is gritty.

In summary, he leads and leads by example. 

But, Hilton is 32 this season and has had injury struggles in the past. 2025 is the prime example of those injury struggles and how much the Rowdies missed his presence in midfield. He led the team in assists (tied with Paul Marie) which helped push the Rowdies close to a playoff berth down the stretch despite only featuring in 14 of 30 league matches. 

And, despite his strong record to start 2026, featuring in all 6 matches and starting 5, Hilton has only completed the full 90 minutes twice, both of which were in dominant or comfortable victories over Pittsburgh and Loudon. In his remaining starts, when the games have been close or require the Rowdies need to push for a goal, Hilton has been sacrificed for more attacking players. As a result we have seen Dolabella, Cruz, Micaletto, and Oliveira all play in a deeper lying midfield position alongside Schneider. This could be in an effort to help sustain Hilton’s fitness across the entirety of the season and make sure he is healthy enough to make an impact for a late season and playoffs push. But, regardless of reason the Rowdies do seem to miss out on control without him on the pitch. 

And while Hilton has remained important for the Rowdies, his Overall Ratings – a composite of per 90 Attacking, Defending, and Reliability ratings I created from FBREF match data – have dropped off from his overall peak in 2018 and peak with the Rowdies in 2021. 

This leads to the second purpose of this post. Figuring out how the Rowdies can plan for the post Lewis Hilton future that they will inevitably have to face. The Rowdies have done amazingly to bring in Max Schneider who looks to be an immense presence in central midfield. But, other members of the 2026 roster that could be long term staples of the Rowdies organization to partner Schneider are by no means the same type of player that Hilton is. 

So, let’s take a look around the USL Championship at other players who may be able to eventually fill a Lewis Hilton sized void.

So far, of the 98 USL Championship players to primarily lineup in central midfield roles, 40 have a stronger Overall Rating than Hilton. One of those is Max Schneider, so we have 39 players to consider. To narrow that list down further, we will focus only on players who currently have a rating over 71.6 – Hilton’s ratings peak with the Rowdies. That leaves us with just 5 players in 2026. Clay Holstad from Rhode Island, Cameron Lindley from Indy Eleven, Taylor Davila from Louisville, Bobosi Byaruhanga from Oakland, and Blaine Ferri from Lexington.

Holstad at 26 has had a stellar start to the 2026 season with an Overall Rating of 79.7 so far. He has played 100% of Rhode Island’s league minutes, is putting up elite defensive numbers (averaging a combined 4 interceptions and tackles per game compared to Hilton’s 2), and has even popped up with a goal. Rowdies fans will also be familiar with his goal scoring ability after hitting a long range attempt into the top corner at Al Lang in 2025. Holstad may not be as elite of a passer as Hilton (at least not at 25) but does have strong accuracy and chance creation numbers. He is a player who is currently in or will be entering his peak years soon and could be a strong compliment to Schneider in the midfield.

Lindley is a slightly older, yet still in peak performance years, option at 28 (turning 29 in July). He too has had a great start to the season sporting a 78.2 Overall Rating. He is a player with a long USL Championship history dating back to 2019 and has been a reliable player in that time but his excellent defensive performances are what is setting him apart in 2026. Compared to Hilton though, he is less of a tempo setter and at only a couple of years younger will not be that long term of an option. 

Davila, 25, is another who is approaching peak years and his 74.5 Overall Rating is right in line with where his performances have been since the 2023 Championship season. He may be a more difficult option to recruit to Tampa Bay given Louisville would likely not want him going to an in conference rival and the fact that his younger brother is also on the Louisville roster. Nonetheless, Davila is an interesting option because he is relatively balanced across his game compared to some of our other candidates. Where Holstad and Lindley excel defensively and are strong or serviceable in other parts of their game, Davila rates consistently above 70 across Attacking, Defensive, and Reliability Ratings. Like Hilton, he is also very central to setting the tempo in Louisville’s games and is effective at distributing the ball. He may offer the best balance alongside Schneider of any of the options so far.

Byaruhanga is the youngest player on the list at 24, but his 72.9 Overall Rating offers some promise in just his second season of USL Championship action. Byaruhanga recently featured against the Rowdies in their 2-2 draw with Oakland and he played well without excelling. He plays a bit less of a role in buildup play due to how Oakland is set up to allow Tommy McCabe to control their tempo. But, Byaruhanga does still play an important role in progressing the ball and has contributed an assist this season while also offering good defensive cover for the backline. He is a player that likely needs a bit more development than some of the others but would certainly be a long term addition to the roster and is a player with good potential.

Ferri, 25, has also maintained a 72.9 Overall Rating in the 2026 season. His ratings have been carried by strong defensive and disciplinary numbers while he has also served as a reliable mainstay in the Lexington midfield. Ferri, who has already contributed a goal this season, also has the opportunity to play next to one of the league’s long term standout midfielders in Aaron Malloy which will likely help him continue to improve over the course of the season. If Ferri can continue on his strong start to the season he may end up being a great long term option for the Rowdies in central midfield.

There are many strong midfield options in the league and these are just a few that would be interesting options for the long term succession plan of Lewis Hilton. In an ideal world, I would love to see Hilton stick around for a couple more seasons and continue to be the leader on and off the pitch for the squad that he so clearly is. But, that may not be possible or even effective for the Rowdies long term. I am looking forward to seeing how Hilton gets on for the remainder of the 2026 season and hope that he can find himself on the field for the Rowdies more often than not because he is such an important player for the team.