Rowdies Drop First Points Of The Season Against Oakland
Recap:
The Rowdies concede their first goals from open play this season, and draw 2-2 against Oakland Roots SC.
The Rowdies wasted no time, scoring in under five minutes. A Russell Cicerone shot was saved by Oakland goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh. McIntosh bobbled the save, and Marco Micaletto was there to dispatch the rebounded effort, giving the Rowdies the lead.
The Rowdies had another chance a couple minutes later, with MD Myers connecting on a Cicerone cross, which deflected off the woodwork and was promptly collected by McIntosh.
Oakland found an equalizer through a Charlie Ostrem own goal. Oakland’s Wolfgang Prentice played a dangerous ball across the face of the Tampa Bay goal, which deflected off Ostrem and into the Rowdies net.
The Rowdies jumped in the lead again in the first half’s stoppage time through a Russell Cicerone volley. Dion Acoff’s perfect cross found Cicerone midstride, who’s right footed effort put the Rowdies up a goal against Oakland going into the half.
Just after the second half started, Oakland struck through Wolfgang Prentice, who chipped Rowdies goalie Jahmali Waite. Prentice displayed amazing skills to beat fullback Dion Acoff, and then had no issues in the 1v1 vs Waite.
In the 77th minute, Lewis Hilton sent in a free which eventually found substitute Evan Conway. Conway attempted the half volley, but got too on top of it, and was tipped over the bar by McIntosh.
A couple minutes later, Conway got another look at goal, but rushed the shot, which went wide of the goal.
Despite a late attack from Oakland, the score remained even, and the points would be shared between the clubs.
Keeping Up With the (B)east:
Fresh off their last-second loss to Tampa Bay, Sporting Jax traveled to Keyworth Stadium to face Detroit City FC. Detroit wasted no time, as Darren Smith smashed home a close range effort from a rebounded close range effort from a corner kick. Just after the second half started, Detroit got another good look on goal, with Alex Dalou’s right-footed shot saved by the Sporting Jax keeper. Sporting Jax would get a good look on goal, with Detroit’s Devon Amoo-Mensah making a block to deny the Sporting Jax striker. The score would remain the same, and Sporting Jax would drop more points.
After their impressive win against Louisville City FC, Charleston faced Brooklyn FC in New York. Brooklyn struck first through a Jaden Servania outside-of-the-box shot. CJ Onley would score Brooklyn’s second of the night, but the goal was called back after an offside in the buildup. Stefan Stojanovic bagged Brooklyn’s second goal after an amazing through ball from midfielder Markus Anderson. Winger Markus Anderson got his third goal contribution of the night after a CJ Onley through found Anderson in pockets of space, who calmly slotted home the chance. Charleston’s best chance came in the 75th minute from a header by Miguel Berry, which was saved by Brooklyn’s keeper with no issues. Brooklyn would get all the points in an impressive win against the Battery.
El Paso Locomotive has been on fire in the Western Conference, being one of the only few teams undefeated. This would not change as they faced Hartford Athletic away. Hartford themselves have been having a good start to the season, also coming into this match undefeated. They were completely dominated by El Paso. By half time it was 3-0 to the Locomotive. Salt would be added to the wound of Hartford after Gabriel Torres pounced on a rebounded save, giving El Paso their fourth of the night. El Paso would stay undefeated, joining the Rowdies as the only undefeated teams in the USL Championship.
Indy Eleven hosted struggling Monterey Bay FC, and made quick work of the Western Conference team. Bruno Rendón scored early, after a fantastic through ball from Cam Lindley. Just after being subbed on, Wesley Legget made an impact, scoring one for the Seaside team, capitalizing on a mistake from the Indy defense. The game stayed tied for only a couple minutes though, as Jack Blake’s close range effort off a corner put Indy Eleven back into the lead, with a little more than 30 minutes to play. A couple minutes later, Loïc Mesanvi found himself in acres of space, and was able to beat the Union keeper in a one-on-one situation, giving Indy their third and final goal of the night. Monterey Bay FC got a great look on goal from an Eduardo Blancas free kick, but an acrobatic effort from Eric Dick would deny Blancas. The final score was 3-1 in favor of Indy Eleven.
Rhode Island FC has been off to a slow start this season, but displayed an attacking masterclass against Lexington SC. The scoring started 20 minutes in when Aldair Sanchez fired a rocket into the Lexington SC net, giving Rhode Island an early lead. Minutes later Rhode Island FC would double their advantage with a Jojea Kwizera left footed shot, sailing into the keeper’s near post. After the start of the second half, Rhode Island had a great look on goal, with Agustín Rodríguez’s outside-the-box shot being aimed right at the Lexington keeper. Lexington’s Phillip Goodrum had an impressive shot aimed to the top right corner, which required a diving save from Rhode Island’s goalie. Rhode Island FC tripled their lead after a Leo Afonso goal. Jacob Greene’s close range goal provided consolation for Lexington SC, but offered little more, with the final score being 3-1 for the visitors.
Miami FC travelled to the Lone Star State to face San Antonio FC. Despite both teams attacking well, either team was unable to break the deadlock, with the game finishing in a scoreless draw. Mason Tunbrudge saw the red card after a dangerous and unnecessary collision with the Miami FC keeper. This means that Tunbridge will be suspended for multiple games for Miami.
In the Sunday game, Birmingham Legion FC hosted Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Pittsburgh’s Albert Dikwa had the first great chance of the game, which was a header into the side netting. Birmingham took the lead through a close-range effort from Sebastian Tregarthen. Ten minutes later, Pittsburgh got a golden chance via Eliot Goldthorp, whose shot deflected off the right post. Towards the end of the game, Pittsburgh got another good look on goal, a header from Brigham Larsen. The effort was aimed directly at the keeper, and was easily collected. Birmingham doubled their lead, however, the goal was called back because of an offside player setting up the goal. Birmingham held onto the advantage, and was victorious over the defending USL Champions.
The most important game for the Rowdies faithful was Loudoun United FC vs Louisville City FC. The six-goal thriller saw Louisville drop points for the second week straight. Despite Louisville leading at halftime, Loudoun United rallied, and scored two second-half goals against Lou City to share the points.
With both Tampa Bay and Louisville dropping points, they share first place in the Eastern Conference table with 13 points. Detroit City FC sits in 3rd place, three points behind Tampa Bay and Lou City. Charleston, Hartford, and Miami all share 9 points. Indy sits in 7th place with 8 points, Pittsburgh has 7 points, and Brooklyn being the first team out of the playoff picture with 6 points. Birmingham and Rhode Island share 5 points, Loudoun now has 3 points, and Sporting Jax sits in last place with just 1 point.
The Bigger Picture:
The Good: It was nice to see Jahmali Waite back in between the sticks. He was on the bench last week against Sporting Jax, but Austin Pack got the nod to start. Waite had a decent showing with one save with a 89% passing rate.
My player of the match by far was Russell Cicerone. Not only did he have a phenomenal goal, but he should have had an incredible assist. Cicerone’s pass to MD Myers was a great ball, and MD was very unlucky to not score there. Finally, it was Cicerone who had the initial shot that led to Micaletto’s rebounded goal.
I knew that Cicerone was going to be a game-changer when he came to the Rowdies. He has shown how important he is to this Tampa Bay team already in the first five games. I am really looking forward to seeing what he can do this season.
I thought Max Schneider had a good game too. Schneider had two tackles, two clearances, and nine recoveries.
The Bad: The biggest thing I have noticed with the Rowdies is their refusal to take a shot. This was an issue against Sporting Jax, and it has seemed to carry into this week.
It was an issue last year. Passing around in the box, looking for that perfect pass. Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn’t. My biggest issue is we need to understand taking a shot on target is ok. Cicerone did it, the Oakland keeper bobbled, and we got a goal out of it.
Final Thoughts: Oakland is a good team. Wolfgang Prentice is a baller. I knew he was going to cause problems for the Tampa Bay backline.
That said, I think that the Rowdies handled the Oakland attack well. We all knew the open play goalless run wasn’t going to last forever, and I think it is impressive what the defense did.
I am happy with where we are right now. The attack looks on the same page (mostly), the midfield is a unit, and the defense plays well together.
I would like to see Evan Conway more. He is a lethal finisher, and seems to add a creative spark when he is on the field. I don’t know if there is an underlying medical problem, but I would like to see him start.
Coming Up/Match Preview:
This Saturday, Tampa Bay travels up north to Charleston, South Carolina for the first rendition of the No Quarter derby in the 2026 season.
Now, Charleston is not the same team they were last year. Leland Archer, MD Myers, Nathan Dossantos, Cal Jennings, Juan David Torres, and Aaron Molloy have left the club. While they have talent filling in those spots, like Sean Suber, Maalique Foster, and Nate Messer, I do not think they are at the levels they have been in the past.
However, playing away at Patriot’s Point is always a difficult place to play. In recent memory, the Rowdies have struggled in all their games there, including their season-ending 2024 Eastern Conference Semi-final. Also, Charleston is coming off a brutal 3-0 showing against Brooklyn, so they will be hoping to get back onto the right track with a home win.
With that said, I think Tampa Bay will get the job done against the Battery. I am going with a 2-0 win, and a great attacking display from the boys in Green and Gold.
