USL Jägermeister Cup Round 4
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Charleston Battery
Saturday, July 26, 7:30 p.m. ET
Patriots Point Soccer Complex, Charleston, SC
2025 League Records:
Rowdies: 4W-10L-2D, 14 pts, 11th East (2-6-1 on the road)
Charleston: 13W-3L-2D, 41 pts, 1st East (8-1-0 at home)
Last Time Out in the USL Jägermeister Cup
Rowdies: 2-0 win at FC Naples
Charleston: 3-3 (5-4) penalty shootout win vs South Georgia Tormenta FC
Tune In: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+
Watch Party: Join the official Rowdies watch party at Colony Grill in Downtown St. Petersburg. Fans wearing Rowdies gear receive discounts on food and beverage.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies hit the road again this Saturday for the final round of group play in the USL Jägermeister Cup with a matchup against the Charleston Battery. As the current leaders of Group 6, the Rowdies path to the knockout phase of the tournament is clear. A win in Charleston would see them through to the Quarterfinals round in August.
While Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato is still new to the club, he’s no stranger to the USL Jägermeister Cup. Casciato led his former team Union Omaha to the Semifinals of last year’s tournament when it was exclusively USL League One teams.
“I’ve wanted a cup competition between USL teams for a while now, so having USL Championship teams involved in this year’s tournament is great,” said Casciato. “We’ve gotten off to a great start in the first three rounds and we’re looking to continue that this weekend. It’s going to be a great test for us and we’re looking forward to going there and showing what we can do.”
Advancing Scenarios
While winning in Charleston is simplest and clearest road to the Quarterfinals, the Rowdies could also advance through a few different scenarios on Saturday night.
ROWDIES WIN GROUP 6 IF:
1. Rowdies win in regulation at Charleston Battery
– Tampa Bay wins group on 10 points
2. Rowdies win in penalty shootout at Charleston Battery AND Greenville Triumph SC wins in penalty shootout vs. FC Naples
– Tampa Bay wins group on nine points
3. Rowdies lose in penalty shootout at Charleston Battery AND Greenville Triumph SC wins in penalty shootout vs. FC Naples scoring fewer than 3 goals AND Miami FC fails to take regulation victory vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC
– Tampa Bay advances on Goals Scored in Group Play tiebreaker over Greenville
4. Rowdies lose in regulation at Charleston Battery AND Greenville Triumph SC loses in penalty shootout vs. FC Naples scoring fewer than 3 goals AND South Georgia Tormenta FC wins in penalty shootout at Miami FC
– Tampa Bay advances on Goals Scored in Group Play tiebreaker over Greenville
The Rowdies could also advance to the Quarterfinals as one of the two wild card teams.Two wild card teams from the six groups will be chosen based on goals scored in the group stage round. The two teams with the most goals scored in the four group stage rounds will advance to the knockout phase. If necessary, points earned, and then total wins will be used as additional tiebreakers.
Hitting the Reset Button
Saturday marks the third meeting between the Rowdies and Charleston this year. Charleston got the better of the Rowdies in the first two bouts, defeating the Rowdies 2-1 on their home turf and then 3-1 at Tampa Bay’s Al Lang Stadium. While some lessons will obviously be taken from those first encounters, the Rowdies are approaching this weekend’s matchup as a fresh start in the season series.
“[Both teams] know each other very well at this point, but we have a new coach” said Rowdies Midfielder Danny Crisostomo. “It’s a different style for us, different personality, a different vibe. Charleston are a very good team. They’ve shown that in the past year, so we need to come prepared to execute the game plan. We’re focused on implementing what we’ve learned in the last few weeks from the new coach.”
Defensive Form
Tampa Bay’s defensive efforts have been trending in the right direction in recent weeks, with the squad picking up clean sheets in two of their last three matches. In the match in which they did concede, the Rowdies only gave up one goal despite playing down a man for nearly 30 minutes. It’s an encouraging sign for the Rowdies, who have given up 25 goals through 16 league matches this year. This weekend’s opponent offers a great challenge for the Rowdies. Charleston ranks first in the league with 38 goals so far.
Adding to the Arsenal
This week, the Rowdies added a new weapon in the attack with the signing of forward and attacking midfielder Juan Carlos Azocar, pending international clearance. Azocar offers valuable experience with over 100 appearances across various stops in the USL Championship and nearly 200 appearances in the top division of his home country of Venzuela.
USL Jägermeister Cup Rundown
How to Advance – After four rounds of group stage matches (two home, two away) starting in April and ending in July, the team with the most points in each group will advance to the knockout phase. Two wild card teams from the six groups will be chosen based on goals scored in the group stage round. The two teams with the most goals scored in the four group stage rounds will advance to the knockout phase. If necessary, points earned, and then total wins will be used as additional tiebreakers.
Points System – Teams receive the standard three points for a win and one point for a draw in the group stage rounds. However, games that end in a stalemate after 90 minutes will immediately go to a penalty shootout, with the winner receiving an additional point. The addition of a penalty shootout will be familiar to fans of the Rowdies from back in the day. The original NASL also implemented a penalty shootout in 1975 to decide a winner from a tied match.
Discipline Rules – There are no suspensions from caution accumulation in Jägermeister Cup games, and yellow cards in the tournament do not count toward the regular season caution accumulations. Red cards will only result in suspension for the next tournament match unless deemed more severe by the League Disciplinary Committee.
Knockout Phase – Once the group stage concludes, the two wild card teams will be automatically slotted as away teams for the quarterfinals, the opening round of the knockout phase. From there, a draw will determine the rest of the set of matches in the quarterfinals. The tournament will then proceed in a single-elimination format with draws after each completed round to determine the next matchups. The USL Jägermeister Cup Final is set for the weekend of October 4.
Rowdies Availability Report
OUT: Niyongabire
