Rowdies Get Knocked Out of USL Cup After Penalty Heartbreak
After a scoreless draw in 90 minutes, Tampa Bay Rowdies get knocked out of the USL Cup on penalties to rivals Louisville City FC.
The Rowdies rolled out in a more defensive formation than we usually see. The Rowdies used a five in the back system, instead of their usual four. Conner Antley got the start at right wingback, with Laurence Wyke starting as that extra centerback.
The game itself was quite slow, as both teams played not to lose.
By far the best chance of the game came from the Rowdies in the first half. Russell Cicerone back-heeled the ball to a mid-stride Sebastian Cruz. Louisville keeper Hugo Fauroux rushed off his line and made a strong forearm save, keeping the score even.
Both defenses played extremely well, and did not offer many chances to score. A much different story than the league match in the beginning of August.
A standout player to me was Laurence Wyke. When I saw him in the lineup, I was worried but he has done a good job recently. I am really happy to say Wyke had a really good game. Wyke was good going up the wing, delivering crosses, and was a brick wall in the backline. He had three tackles, four clearances, and was not dribbled past.
While Wyke had a good game, the whole defense played a great game. They held Louisville to zero shots on target through regular time. Max Schneider had another impressive outing at centerback, and Nathan Dossantos was his usual class.
The strength of this defense was really shown in the last ten minutes of the match. After all of the subs were used for Tampa Bay, Sebastian Cruz went down injured. In what looked like a hamstring injury, he was too injured to continue, meaning the team had to play a man down.
Louisville pressed, and with eight minutes of added time, the team defended very well. They stopped lots of Lou City corners, and had a few counter-attacks.
Jahmali Waite really shined in stoppage time, making catches in the air and controlling the tempo of the game.
As the score was 0-0 at the full-time whistle, the USL Cup goes directly to penalties.
Louisville City scored all of their penalties, with Rowdie defender Gennaro Nigro having his penalty saved by Fauroux.
Taylor Davila scored Louisville’s fifth consecutive penalty, and won placement in the USL Cup Semi-finals.
With the draw completed, Louisville City will play San Antonio FC, and Hartford Athletic will play against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.
Coming Up:
The Rowdies have short time to rest before their next game. The squad now must focus their attention to USL Championship play again, and host Rhode Island FC.
Rhode Island FC have been a thorn in the Rowdies’ side. Tampa Bay has only beaten them once, and that was the first-ever meeting between the sides.
Since then, the Rowdies have struggled to get points against them.
In the most recent game between the two, Tampa Bay led for majority of the match. They went 1-0 up through a Pedro Dolabella header in the 30th minute.
They led until the 84th minute, when the former Rowdie JJ Williams scored an impressive header to even the tie.
Since leaving Tampa Bay for Rhode Island FC, JJ Williams has terrorized the Rowdies. He has scored 4 goals against the Green and Gold, two of which were a brace in the 5-0 loss at Centreville Bank Stadium late in the 2025 season.
Rhode Island FC are currently in 6th place in the Eastern Conference standings, but only have a four-point buffer against 9th-place Hartford, who are outside the playoffs.
Rhode Island will be very aggressive in looking for points, and the Rowdies will have played three games in seven days.
I am predicting a 1-1 draw as a final. The same result from earlier in the season in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
