USL Championship Matchday 26
Tampa Bay Rowdies at San Antonio FC
Saturday, September 26, 8:30 p.m. ET
Toyota Field, San Antonio, TX
2026 League Records:
Rowdies: 15W-4L-6D (7-2-2 on the road), 51 pts, 1st in the East
San Antonio: 9W-6L-10D (5-3-4 at home), 37 pts, 6th in the West
Broadcast: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+
The Tampa Bay Rowdies head west this Saturday for a meeting with San Antonio FC in the first of their final five regular season contests. While in the Lone Star State, the Rowdies are aiming to accomplish something the club has not done since 2023. A full three-point victory for the Rowdies in San Antonio would secure a top-four finish in the Eastern Conference and home field advantage for the opening round of the USL Championship Playoffs.
Saturday’s trip to San Antonio will see the Rowdies return to the place where head coach Dominic Casciato’s tenure began. Casciato’s first match in charge was a road fixture at San Antonio’s Toyota Field in July of last year. While San Antonio prevailed 1-0 that night with a late goal, the Rowdies have remained on an upward trajectory ever since. Under Casciato, the Rowdies have a record of 25W-9L-12D in all competitions.
Rowdies Home Playoff Match Clinching Scenarios
The Rowdies clinch a top-four finish in the Eastern Conference and hosting rights in the first round of the playoffs IF…
1. Rowdies win at San Antonio FC, move to 54pts
2. Rowdies draw at San Antonio FC, move to 52pts AND Hartford Athletic draws/loses vs. Louisville City FC, maximum drops to 51/50pts OR Rhode Island FC draws/loses at Charleston Battery maximum drops to 51/50pt
Series History
Saturday marks the fifth competitive meeting between the Rowdies and San Antonio in the USL Championship. The Rowdies are winless in the previous four matchups with three draws and one loss. However, the clubs also have lengthy history from their time as part of the North American Soccer League. The sides met 14 times in the NASL from 2012-2015, with each side claiming seven wins in the series.
Scouting San Antonio
San Antonio enters the weekend sitting sixth in a tightly contested Western Conference. Only one point separates the fourth-place Lexington SC and eighth-place Orange County SC. San Antonio stands between the two, but a positive result over the Rowdies this weekend could lift them into top four of the conference with just a few matches left to play in the regular season. A lack of scoring has hindered San Antonio over the last month. The club has been held scoreless in five of their last seven contests, with just three goals tallied over that stretch.
Player Milestones
Several Rowdies players hit significant career milestones in the club’s win over Birmingham las weekend. With his hat trick, forward MD Myers surpassed 40 regular season goals over his three seasons in the USL Championship. Myers has now tallied 41 regular season goals during his time in the league.
Goalkeeper Jahamli Waite broke his personal record for shutouts in a single season with his 11th clean sheet of the 2026 campaign. Waite established his previous record of 10 shutouts in 2023 while helping Pittsburgh claim the Players’ Shield.
Defender Nate Dossantos also surpassed 10,000 regular season minutes played in the USL Championship. Dossantos, who has missed only one minute of action for the Rowdies in 2026, first joined the league with Pittsburgh ahead of the 2022 season.
Duty Calls for Locadia
Fresh off his first start for the Rowdies, striker Jürgen Locadia has been called up the Curacao Men’s National Team for the Concacaf Nations League group stage. Curacao looks to finish top of their group and book a spot in the tournament’s Quarterfinals in November. The Blue Wave kicked off group play on Thursday with a thrilling comeback win over Costa Rica, erasing a three-goal deficit at halftime to win 4-3.
Milestone Watch
- Rowdies Midfielder Lewis Hilton (37) is nearing 40 USL Championship regular season assists over his career.
- Rowdies Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite (38 shutouts) is nearing 40 USL Championship regular season shutouts over his career.
- With 13 clean sheets in the regular season, the Rowdies are two away from matching the club record for most shutouts in a single season. The Rowdies posted 15 shutouts during the 2021 season on their way to claiming the club’s first USL Championship Players’ Shield.
Rowdies Availability Report
International Duty: Locadia (Curacao)
