Former League 1 Standouts Continue to Lift Top of Table Rowdies

The Rowdies are coming off one of the most captivating matches of soccer Al Lang has ever witnessed. This past Saturday, the Rowdies come from behind twice – first from a 3-0 halftime deficit before trailing again late 4-3 – to beat Louisville in front of a raucous crowd. The comeback allowed the Rowdies to keep rivals like their opponent on the night Louisville, Charleston, Detroit, and Orange County at bay as teams begin to make their playoff pushes.

But in the excitement of a league leading season and a couple of recent goal-fests, it’s easy to forget about some of the uncertainties the Rowdies faced coming into the season. The ownership had changed after the Rays were purchased, the club was coming off of their most disappointing season maybe ever but definitely in the modern era of the Rowdies, and maybe most importantly the roster was turned over significantly. It was clear change was needed but unclear if those roster changes in particular were the right ones to bring success back to Tampa Bay.

As new faces were signed and fans were able to see the team for the first time during the preseason, that roster uncertainty began to focus on one area in particular: how would the 5 players joining the Rowdies from USL League 1 clubs fare?

Players like Max Schneider, Dion Acoff, and Charlie Ostrem seemed set to feature heavily based on the roster construction, injuries heading into the start of the season, and their experience working with Coach Casciato. Sebastian Cruz was a relative unknown to most, if not all, Rowdies fans and while Karsen Henderlong performed well for FC Naples in their debut season there is a jump between League 1 and Championship level defenders that he could struggle with.

But here we are, 22 matches into the season across all competitions and those players who we were maybe most uncertain about have turned into some of the Rowdies greatest strengths.

Max Schneider has been a revelation for a team that could not control games in 2025. He is a do it all type of central midfielder who has controlled so much of the Rowdies play this season. Schneider may not be a stat leader in any one category but he is near the top of the team in most passing and defensive statistics – leading the team in Interceptions per 90 and 3rd on the Rowdies in Minutes Played, Accurate Passes per 90, Tackles per 90, Blocks per 90, and Recoveries per 90.

He hasn’t been effected by player rotation around him with Hilton, Cruz, Dolabella, Mattheus and others all partnering him in the midfield at times and he was even forced to fill in at center back against Louisville following the Leerman injury.

The Rowdies don’t look like the same controlled unit without him on the pitch, see the first half at home against Hartford or the final 15 minutes away to Loudoun across the last few matches. Thankfully, his durability has meant the Rowdies haven’t needed to lineup without him much and his performances have demanded he be a mainstay in the Rowdies spine.

Charlie Ostrem has maybe been the next best of the group making the step up from USL League 1 this season. A player that maybe would have expected to rotate minutes with Nigro, Dossantos (who played a lot of left back at Charleston), or the recently added LeFlore has made the left back position his own. He leads the team with 7 league assists – with 3 of those coming in the last two games – and has scored another meaning he has been directly involved in 24% of the Rowdies league goals in 2026.

Ostrem has shown he is an elite attacking fullback who can play in a menacing cross, but he has also averaged 4.3 defensive contributions as game and has the recovery pace to offer strong cover for his teammates. Ostrem has also been called upon to feature in all 18 USL Championship games this season and has made the jump up from League 1 look nonexistent. The Rowdies will continue to rely on their effective attacking outlet as they race towards the end of the season and the playoffs.

Sebastian Cruz is the Swiss army knife every great team needs. Perhaps my favorite player of the batch, Cruz has been indispensable for the Rowdies in 2026. He has lined up at center midfield, attacking midfield, on the right and left wings of the attacking line, and in both fullback spots at times.

Cruz has the intelligence to play anywhere on the field and if he was blessed with more height likely would have found himself at center back or as a striker at some point this season. You would struggle to find something that Cruz doesn’t do well on the field; he has scored a couple of beautiful goals, provided some perfect assists, leads the Rowdies in Tackles per 90, has pace to burn, and is only behind Dossantos in minutes played this season.

Cruz’s jack of all trades ability sees him with the highest average player rating for the Rowdies this season according to Fotmob. Cruz is a player that should be a fan favorite for the Rowdies this season and hopefully for many years to come.

Dion Acoff is the surprise of the group which has been full of surprises. He is a player who at 34 years old is past what we would typically consider a players prime playing years, so to make the jump from League 1 to Championship at this stage of his career is particularly impressive. Acoff began the season in great form and has shown that at his age he is still one of the fastest players on any field.

There were fears for his durability given how explosive a runner he is and his age, but he has stayed relatively healthy in the first half of the season and has recovered from a recent injury rather quickly to come of the bench against Louisville and provide some speed down the Rowdies right. Acoff has had some true highlight real runs, including a few breathtaking ones against Brooklyn, and his spark has been and will be essential for the Rowdies in the final stretch of the season.

Karsen Henderlong has seen the least game time of any of the Rowdies League 1 newcomers but has shown his ability in his opportunities to wear the Green and Gold. Henderlong has yet to score in the league for the Rowdies but is leading the team in USL Cup goals with 3. And despite the limited minutes of league play he does lead the team in the number of Possessions Won in the Final 3rd per 90 with 1.3 and Successful Dribbles per 90 with 2.2.

Henderlong has shown the ability to press relentlessly and offer strong holdup play and ball retention when called upon. He does not take plays off and puts in the level of effort fans love to see. He is a player that does have areas to develop but with players like MD Myers and Russel Cicerone to learn from he will hopefully take his game to the next level as the season progresses. Henderlong has had a promising start to his Rowdies career and is likely to come up with at least one vital goal before the end of the season or in the playoffs to show he truly belongs at this level.

The Rowdies offseason recruitment in general has proven to be excellent but they have definitely hit on the 5 players they bet on to make the jump up from League 1. This group has made the transition look easy and proven themselves to be vital pieces for the top of the table Rowdies, meaning the League 1 to Championship pipeline is likely a route for future Rowdies recruitment as they inevitably look to reconstruct their roster again in future seasons.