Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Preview: Tampa Bay Rowdies Host Miami FC At Al Lang Stadium
The Tampa Bay Rowdies will host Miami FC in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal of the 2026 playoffs.
The Rowdies played their last regular season game, a solid 2-0 win over Sporting JAX. The team that was put out by Coach Casciato was very heavily rotated. Goalkeeper Austin Pack got the start, instead of usual starter Jahmali Waite.
In defense, Leland Archer and Alex Rodriguez got the start, with a rehabbing Schaefer and Charlie Ostrem filling out the defense. Lewis Hilton and Laurence Wyke held up the defensive midfield, with MLS loanee Gino Vivi and Marco Micaletto getting the starts in midfield too. Finally, Karsen Henderlong and Evan Conway started the attack. The subs made were Pedro Dolabella, Gennaro Nigro, and Louis Perez.
That left five players on the bench, all of whom I am guessing will start on Friday against Miami. Those on the bench were Jahmali Waite, Nathan Dossantos, Sebastian Cruz, MD Myers, and Russell Cicerone. Max Schneider was suspended for this game due to yellow card accumulation, and I expect him to start this game too after his strong season.
The game against Sporting JAX went about as expected for the Rowdies. Tampa Bay controlled the whole game, and did not give Jacksonville anytime to breathe.
Karsen Henderlong put the Rowdies into the lead just shy of a half hour. A pass from Lewis Hilton found Henderlong, who turned and fired far post. The shot took a deflection, but the ball was going to find the net regardless.
The lead was doubled late into the second half. Lewis Hilton collected his second assist of the night, with Marco Micaletto getting the end of his cross. Initially, it looked like the ball hadn’t fully crossed the line, but the assistant referee signaled the goal, and Al Lang erupted into celebration again.
This game went as well as possible from a Green and Gold perspective. The team collected another clean sheet, getting the new club record with a total of 16 clean sheets. Also, players who don’t get much time got to play, making sure everyone is ready to go for playoffs.
Around The League:
The most important game was Charleston vs Indy Eleven. Charleston were playing for 2nd place, and Indy were playing for playoff soccer. If Indy got all three points, they would leapfrog over Miami FC, and finish in 8th place.
Charleston took the lead in the 78th minute through Colton Swan. Indy was unable to find the two needed goals, and had their season ended in South Carolina.
With the final game of the season over, the USL Championship playoff bracket is set. In the east, Tampa Bay will host Miami, Louisville will host Pittsburgh, Charleston hosts Rhode Island, and Detroit hosts Hartford.
The winner of Tampa Bay and Miami will play the winner of Louisville City and Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the Eastern Conference Semifinal.
Coming Up/Match Prediction:
Miami FC travels to Al Lang to face the Rowdies. This is the 4th time these teams will meet in 2026, with the Rowdies leading the series 2-1.
Miami FC took the most recent game winning 2-1 in the beginning of October.
The Rowdies won their two games in Miami. The first was back in May, and the Rowdies won 4-1, dismantling the Miami defense the entire game. This is was in the USL Championship.
The Green and Gold traveled down to Miami-Dade again, this time in the USL Cup. While this game was more challenging since the Rowdies were sent down to 10-men after a first-half red card. While the Rowdies escaped with a win, it required a goal from the center circle to claim all three points.
Finally, in early October the two teams met in Al Lang Stadium for the first time. Miami outplayed the Rowdies all game and got their first win against Tampa Bay in the league since
April 2022. Miami FC won 2-1, through goals from Arney Rocha and Rodrigo Da Costa.
Both teams had a full strength line up October, and I expect mostly the same lineups. The only thing that might change is Sebastian Cruz coming in for Lewis Hilton. Sebastian Cruz provides that long-range goal threat, and against a defensive team like Miami, that could be a big advantage. On the contrary, it feels harsh to bench Hilton after securing two assists against Jacksonville.
Miami FC has a strong attack with Rodrigo Da Costa, Arney Rocha, and Mason Tunbridge. The defense will need to be at the top of their game in order to stop this attack.
I think the Rowdies team we see against Miami will look very similar to the team we saw clinch the Players’ Shield against Detroit City FC. The only change I can see Coach Casciato making one change, which is Pedro Dolabella being swapped out for Marco Micaletto. Pedro Dolabella is very good in the air, but has struggled to live up to the form he had earlier in the year. Micaletto has been quite good recently, including getting a goal Sporting JAX.
I am going with a 1-0 win. I think this will be a very difficult game. The Rowdies have looked great in their last two games, while Miami FC were off last weekend. Hopefully, the Rowdies can take advantage of the fact that Miami FC had the week off.
