Prinx Tires USL Cup Quarterfinal
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Louisville City FC
Wednesday, August 12, 7:00 p.m. ET
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL
Prinx Tires USL Cup Group Records:
Rowdies: 4W-0L-D (2-0-0 at home),1st in Group 7
Louisville: 3W-0L-1D (1-0-1 on the road), 1st in Group 4
2026 League Records:
Rowdies: 12W-2L-5D (5-2-2 at home), 41 pts, 1st in the East
Louisville: 8W-7L-4D (3-4-2 on the road), 28 pts, 4th in the East
Broadcast: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+
Radio: Florida Alumni Radio, 1010 AM
Knockout soccer returns to Al Lang Stadium this Wednesday as the Tampa Bay Rowdies take on Louisville City FC in the Quarterfinals of the Prinx Tires USL Cup. After a perfect run through four rounds of group play, the Rowdies are three more wins away from being able to add another trophy to their mantle.
The road to lifting the trophy won’t be easy, though. Louisville will be eager to exact a little revenge on the Rowdies after falling in the nine-goal thriller between the two sides at Al Lang less than two weeks ago. The Rowdies rallied from three goals down at halftime to tally five goals in the second half and claim all three points off Louisville in one of greatest comebacks in club history.
However, recent results and league form are all out the window in a cup competition. The beauty, and the anxiety, of tournaments like the USL Cup is that anything can happen. If neither side can finish on top after 90 minutes of play, their cup fate will be decided in a penalty shootout.
Knockout History
From 2019-2022, the Rowdies versus Louisville almost felt like a guaranteed matchup in the USL Championship playoffs. The two sides met in the playoffs every year during that stretch, with three of those memorable matches coming in the Eastern Conference Final. Louisville claimed victory in the last playoff meeting of the series in 2022, but each side has won two knockout matches in the series.
Scoring Streaks
Forward MD Myers and midfielder Marco Micaletto head into Wednesday’s match carrying impressive scoring streaks. Micaletto has recorded a goal for the Rowdies in his last three matches, bringing his total tallies for the season to five. Meanwhile, Myers has recorded four goals and two assists over the last three matches, including a brace in the Rowdies recent comeback win over Louisville. Myers leads the Rowdies in scoring with 12 goals across competitions, including three in the USL Cup group stage.
Keeping it Clean
Last Saturday’s win in Orange Couty SC saw a return to form for the Rowdies defensively. The Rowdies were able to register their league-leading ninth shutout of the season by being the first team to prevent Orange County from recording a single shot on target in league play this year. Along with picking up valuable points in the race for the USL Championship Players’ Shield, getting the shutout was an encouraging achievement for the Rowdies. The club had not posted a clean sheet since June 20 against Brooklyn FC.
Hilton Appearances
Longtime Rowdies midfielder Lewis Hilton is on the verge of marking a significant milestone for the club. With his start in last week’s win at Orange County, Hilton is now tied with club legend Georgi Hristov for the second most appearances in the Rowdies Modern Era. Hilton’s next appearance will be his 174th for the club, giving him sole position of second place on the Rowdies Modern Era appearances list. Hilton has been a mainstay of the lineup throughout his seven seasons in Tampa Bay, helping the club claim two Eastern Conference titles and a Players’ Shield.
Video Replay Comes to the USL
The USL recently announced it will become one of the first professional competitions in the U.S. to implement Football Video Support (FVS) during the final stages of the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup, starting with Wednesday’s four Quarterfinals matches. The FVS system is currently being evaluated by FIFA as a potential alternative to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
With the FVS system, the fourth official will check footage on the monitor at the sideline after a goal is scored and inform the referee if a clear and obvious offense was committed by the attacking team. For all other incidents, only a team’s head coach may request a review, and the request must be made immediately following the incident. Each team will be able to make two requests per match. If the referee overturns the original decision, the team retains its review request.
The FVS system is used only in the event of a possible clear and obvious error or serious missed incidents involving:
- Goal/no goal
- Penalty/no penalty
- Direct red cards
- Mistaken identity (when the referee cautions or sends off the wrong player of the offending team)
Rowdies Availability Report
OUT: Archer, Schaefer
QUESTIONABLE: Leerman
