USL Championship Matchday 22
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, August 29, 5:00 p.m. ET
FNB Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
2026 League Records:
Rowdies: 13W-3L-5D (7-1-3 on the road), 44 pts, 1st in the East
Pittsburgh: 10W-9L-3D (6-4-1 at home), 33 pts, 4th in the East
Broadcast: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+
The Tampa Bay Rowdies wrap up their slate of August matches this Saturday with a road matchup against the reigning league champions, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Tampa Bay aims to get back in the win column and following the club’s first road loss of the year last week in a narrow 1-0 result at Detroit.
The Rowdies took victory over Pittsburgh in a convincing 3-0 result when the two sides met at Al Lang Stadium back in March. However, Pittsburgh’s home venue, recently renamed FNB Stadium, has traditionally been a difficult road test for the Rowdies. In ten previous trips to Pittsburgh, the Rowdies have come away as victors only once. Their lone win in the Steel City was a 5-2 result back in June of 2022. Since then, the Rowdies have tallied just one goal in three matches (two losses, one draw) at Pittsburgh.
Familiar Territory
Pittsburgh’s FNB Stadium is well-worn territory for a handful of players on this year’s Rowdies roster. Veteran attacker Russell Cicerone, who recently made his 250th regular season appearance in the USL Championship, was a regular fixture in the Riverhounds lineup in 2021 and 2022. Midfiedler Louis Perez began his professional career with Pittsburgh during the 2021 season. Goalkeeper Jahmalie Waite and defender Nate Dossantos were major contributors for Pittsburgh when the club claimed the USL Championship Players’ Shield in 2023.
Playoff Race
The Rowdies are moving closer to securing their place in the 2026 USL Championship playoffs. While a win this weekend in Pittsburgh would not officially clinch their spot, it would put them in prime position to be the first USL Championship club to do so in early September. Locking in their place in the playoffs with over a month left to play in the regular season would be another notable achievement for the Rowdies considering the club missed out on qualifying for last year’s playoffs on the final matchday of the year.
New Mexico United and El Paso Locomotive head into the weekend as the closest challengers to the Rowdies for the USL Championship Players’ Shield. Both sides sit seven points back of the Rowdies in the standings, with New Mexico holding two valuable matches in hand. Meanwhile, the Charleston Battery are currently eight points behind the Rowdies in the Eastern Conference standings. Tampa Bay’s has some room for comfort at the top of the standings, but the gap could begin to close quickly without a consistent run of results in the final nine matches of the campaign.
Closing in on 150
The next Rowdies win will mark a significant milestone for the club in the USL Championship. Tampa Bay is only one victory away from reaching 150 regular season wins since joining the league in 2017. The club has found consistent regular season success over the years in the USL Championship, earning a playoff spot in seven of its nine previous seasons.
Mileston Watch
- Rowdies Forward MD Myers (38 goals) is nearing 40 USL Championship regular season goals
- Rowdies Midfielder Lewis Hilton (37) is nearing 40 USL Championship regular season assists.
- The Rowdies (149 wins) are nearing their 150th regular season win since joining the USL Championship in 2017.
Rowdies Availability Report
OUT: Archer, Schaefer
