ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2026) – The Tampa Bay Rowdies kicked off their slate of 2026 preseason matches on Friday afternoon with a 2-2 draw against Major League Soccer’s New York City FC.
Originally set to play on Saturday morning, the preseason contest was rescheduled for Friday at the Rowdies training facility in Tampa. The sides played two 30-minute halves behind closed doors, with the Rowdies fielding separate lineups for each half.
Rowdies newcomer Pedro Dolabella opened the scoring for his new club in the 12th minute, heading home a corner kick sent in by teammate Marco Micaletto. Forward MD Myers doubled Tampa Bay’s advantage only a couple minutes later when he redirected a cross from the right edge of the box on target with a right-footed strike. New York’s goalkeeper managed to get a touch on the attempt, but his parry wasn’t enough to keep the ball from crossing the line.
“It was a tought game against a good opponent,” said Dolabella. “(New York) went deep last year in the playoffs, but we’ve been working hard the first two weeks of preseason and I think it showed today. We had two good halves. It was great to be out there with the guys.”
New York pulled one goal back off their own corner kick opportunity in the 21st minute before equalizing with a shot from outside the box a few minutes into the second half.
“I thought it was a good outing for us,” said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “I thought we were good with the ball and were looking to get forward quickly. Defensively, we were well organized. It’s really pleasing to see some of the things we’ve been working on come to fruition today, especially with the way the guys adapated. We thought the game was going to be Saturday and it ended up being Friday. I think that’s really good preparation for the season because things are going to be thrown at you that you don’t expect and you have to adjust.”
The Rowdies continue their preparations for the upcoming USL Championship on with another closed-door match against MLS’ St. Louis City SC on Wednesday, January 28. Kickoff for the match versus St. Louis is set for 11 a.m. ET. Stay tuned to the Rowdies social media channels for live updates from the match.
Rowdies Scoring Summary
TBR – Dolabella (Micaletto), 12′
TBR – Myers (Trialist), 14′
Rowdies First Half Lineup
Jahmali Waite, Sebastian Cruz, Yanis Leerman, Leland Archer, Alex Rodriguez, Trialist, Pedro Dolabella, Marco Micaletto, Lewis Hilton, Russell Cicerone, MD Myers
Rowdies Second Half Lineup
Ausin Pack, Trialist, Brian Schaefer, Nate Dossantos, Charlie Ostrem, Louis Perez, Laurence Wyke, Luis Alvarez, Max Schneider, Trialist, Karsen Henderlong
