USL Championship Matchday 18
Tampa Bay Rowdies at North Carolina FC
Saturday, August 9, 7:30 p.m. ET
WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC
2025 League Records:
Rowdies: 5W-10L-2D, 17 pts, 12th East (3-6-1 on the road)
North Carolina: 8W-7L-2D, 26 pts, 4th East (5-2-1 at home)
Tune In: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+
Watch Party: Join the official Rowdies watch party at Hooters at 4125 4th St. N in St. Petersburg. Fans wearing Rowdies gear receive discounts on food and beverage.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are hoping to maintain their momentum this weekend after consecutive victories in league play for the first time all year. Standing in their way of a third straight win is North Carolina FC, who sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings heading into Saturday.
In addition to the much-needed points, posting back-to-back wins on the road is a nice feather in the cap for the Rowdies, who had not secured two straight road wins over the last two years.
“The intent and the mentality of the guys has been excellent,” said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “Since I’ve come in, the guys have been really open and receptive to new ideas and being coached and pushed a little bit. I think you see the difference i the games, I think our current successes are really down to the guys.”
Tampa Bay occupy the bottom spot at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings at the start of the weekend. However, the playoff still remain within their sights. The sit only three points out from the final playoff spot, with 13 more regular season matches left to climb their away above the playoff line.
The End of the Road
Saturday’s match marks the end of the Rowdies six-match stretch away from home. The Rowdies makes their long-awaited return to Al Lang Stadium next Saturday for a nationally televised matchup against Phoenix Rising FC. After this Saturday, eight of Tampa Bay’s final 12 regular season matches will be played at home. The Rowdies will aim to pick up a positive result over North Carolina this weekend in order to carry some momentum heading in their return to Al Lang.
Series History
The Rowdies went winless in their two regular season encounters with North Carolina last year, earning a 1-1 draw at the start of the season and suffering a 2-0 defeat in the final month of the campaign. Both matches were played at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Rowdies were forced to relocated for the latter match due to the impact from Hurricane Milton at Al Lang Stadium.
Alvarez Makes His Mark
Last week’s win in Indy saw attacking midfielder Luis Alvarez find the back of the net for the first time since joining the Rowdies via transfer in early June. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder was already making an impact even before the goal, with two assist for the club across all competitions.
Adding More Firepower
The Rowdies continue to bolster the squad as they head into the final stretch of the regular season. This week, the club acquired 2023 MLS SuperDraft pick and MAC Herman Trophy finalist Charlie Sharp on loan from Toronto FC. Sharp joins the Rowdies midway through his second season in the professional ranks. He started his pro career with Toronto FC II in MLS Next Pro last year, notching six goals and two assists. The addition of Sharp comes on the heels of the Rowdies signing of veteran attacker Juan Carlos Azocar two weeks ago. Azocar made his debut as a substitute in last week’s win at Indy.
