The Tampa Bay Rowdies rallied for three goals in the final 20 minutes of Saturday’s contest versus Indy Eleven, securing a 3-1 road at Michael A. Carroll Stadium to move one step closer toward clinching the 2026 USL Championship Players’ Shield.
“A lot of heart and a lot of character shown by the guys tonight to come away with three points,” said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “Obviously we had a little bit of setback early on going one goal behind, but the way the guys played after that and the control we had with the chances we created, I think we were the deserved winners tonight.”
For the second straight week, the Rowdies found themselves trailing five minutes into a match. Indy’s Edward Kizza opened the scoring in the early stages, winning an aerial duel in Tampa Bay’s defensive half to slip behind the back line and deposit a shot past Rowdies Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite.
Waite prevented the hosts from doubling their lead 20 minutes later. Indy’s captain Aodhan Quinn played teammate Bruno Rendón into space behind the Rowdies back line to create the chance. Rendón drove into the box and delivered a strike from nearly the exact same spot as Kizza’s go-ahead goal, but Waite managed to deny the attempt this time with a kick-save the keep the Rowdies within one.
After heading into the halftime break down a goal, the Rowdies steadily gained a foothold in the match in the second half with consistent possession and sustained pressure.
“The message at halftime was basically about getting a few more numbers in the box,” said Casciato. “On top of that, we also talked about staying patient. We knew the goals would come if we kept doing our thing. Obviously, Indy are also dangerous on the counterattack, so making sure we controlled those situations was important. I thought we did a really good job of that as well in the second half.”
The Rowdies efforts were finally rewarded in the 73rd minute. With space on the left edge of Indy’s box, Rowdies attacker Russell Cicerone lifted a cross to the back post for teammate MD Myers to nod home for his team-leading 13th goal of the regular season.
“It was a great ball from Russell for MD to head home,” said Casciato. “Russell had a great performance tonight and got the assist there. He’s a top player in this league and he proved why in that moment and throughout the 90 minutes.”
Back on level terms, the Rowdies pushed for a second tally to take the lead and found it through a strike from midfielder Sebastian Cruz. Substitute Marco Micaletto offered the assist, biding his time near the endline before centering a pass for Cruz at the top of the box. Cruz controlled the service and blasted a shot on target that took a deflection on its way into the back of the net.
“The mentality from the entire group was excellent,” said Casciato. “We talk about playing to win instead of playing not to lose, and I think you saw that tonight in the second half when we really went for it. It was a great response from going down early. I’m delighted for the lads and that they were rewarded for the way they played tonight.”
Micaletto added a third goal in the second minute of added time to put the match out of reach for the hosts. Forward Karsen Henderlong cut a pass back toward the top for the box for Micaletto to smash past goalkeeper Eric Dick for his sixth goal of the season.
“When (Marco) comes into the game late, we know he can have a spark and make a real impact,” said Casciato. “You saw that tonight, not just with the goal and the assist, but also with the way that he works without the ball…. Laurence (Wyke), Karsen, and Leland (Archer) also came off the bench and had a real impact. Karsen got an assist as well. It’s great to see Leland coming back in and getting back to his best. Laurence has got so much bite and tenacity. He really gives us a lift when he comes into the game. I’m delighted for all of those guys. It’s proof of concept in terms of when we talk about everyone being responsible for the team’s success. You saw that from the guys who came off the bench tonight.”
Tonight’s victory over Indy sets the stage for the Rowdies to potentially clinch the USL Championship Players’ Shield as they host Detroit City FC in the penultimate match of the regular season next Saturday, October 17 at Al Lang Stadium. A win versus Detroit would accomplish the task and see the Rowdies lift their second Players’ Shield in club history on home turf.
“When (our fans) fill Al Lang, there’s nothing quite like it, said Casciato. “We look forward to seeing everyone next week at home and putting on a good performance against a strong Detroit team and trying to take three points and lift the shield.”
Scoring Summary
IND – Kizza, 5’
TBR – Myers (Cicerone), 73’
TBR – Cruz (Micaletto), 85’
TBR – Micaletto (Henderlong), 90+2’
Caution Summary
IND – Rendon (Yellow Card), 50’
TBR – Ostrem (Yellow Card), 67’
TBR – Myers (Yellow Card), 75’
Stats Summary: TBR / IND
Shots: 8 / 10
Shots on Goal: 4 / 4
Saves: 3 / 1
Corner Kicks: 10 / 5
Fouls Conceded: 17 / 12
Offside: 1 / 3
Possession: 71.5 / 28.5
Lineups
TBR: Waite, Acoff (Archer, 83’), Schaefer (Wyke, 62’), Dossantos, Ostrem, Schneider, Dolabella (Henderlong, 83’), Perez (Micaletto, 72’), Cicerone, Cruz, Myers
TBR Bench: Pack, Archer, Rodriguez, Wyke, Hilton, Micaletto, Henderlong, Vivi
IND: Dick, Hafferty, Herbet, Kibunguchy, Rasheed, O’Brien, Lindley (Mitrano, 76’), Omar (Sing, 81’), Quinn, Rendon, Kizza (Mesanvi, 81’)
IND Bench: Charles-Cook, Mitrano, Barry, Craig, Sing, Mesanvi, Henry-Scott
