USL Championship Matchday 1
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Birmingham Legion FC
Saturday, March 7, 8:00 p.m. ET
Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
Tune In: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+
Watch Party: Kick off the season at the Official Rowdies Wach Party this Saturday at Grand Central Brewhouse in downtown St. Petersburg. Arrive before kickoff to enter a raffle for a special prize and don’t forget to wear your favorite Rowdies gear to enjoy discounts on food and drinks.
After a long and very active offseason, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are ready to kick off their tenth season in the USL Championship. The bitter disappointment of missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2018 on the last matchday of the 2025 season has fueled a complete roster overhaul under head coach Dominic Casciato.
In total, 19 new players have signed up with the Rowdies. The group of newcomers includes prolific scorers such as forwards MD Myers and Evan Conway, emerging talents like forward Karsen Henderlong and midfielder Max Schneider, and veteran defenders Leland Archer and Nate Dossantos. Casciato has also tapped into connections to recruit players who helped him win trophies during his tenure at Union Omaha – players like veteran Dion Acoff, 2025 USL League One Golden Playmaker Charlie Ostrem, and versatile attacking midfielder Pedro Dolabella.
The club’s offseason moves have placed the Rowdies among the favorites to lift trophies this year. Following a disastrous campaign last year, though, the Rowdies aren’t getting carried away with preseason predictions.
“I think it’s important for us to just focus on the present moment,” said Casciato. “A lot people can get carried away with the offseason and speculation about who will still be in it when the playoffs come. I think that if you get distracted by the stuff and start worrying too much about the playoffs, you can end up missing out on the playoffs entirely. For me, it’s about coming out on the training ground every day and having a great session and putting all our efforts into beating Birmingham and coming away with three points.”
The Holdovers
Two stalwarts of Rowdies past seasons remain among the cast of new faces this year. Midfielder Lewis Hilton and defender Laurence Wyke are the only veteran holdovers for the club in 2026. Hilton enters his seventh season in Tampa Bay as the longest tenured player on the squad following the retirement of Leo Fernandes at the end of last year. His 157 appearances rank fourth in the club’s Modern Era. Meanwhile, Wyke has a significant milestone within his grasp. Wyke is just three appearances shy of his 100th for the club.
Milestone Watch
One of the Rowdies marquee signings of the offseason was forward Russell Cicerone, who made his way to Tampa Bay following three stellar seasons at Sacramento Republic FC. A veteran of the USL, Cicerone is already eyeing a major individual achievement heading into the first match of the season. Cicerone is one goal away from reaching 70 career regular season goals. Cicerone’s 69 goals currently ranks second among active players in the USL Championship.
Scouting Birmingham
Birmingham find themselves in a similar spot as the Rowdies after finishing at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings last year. Head coach Mark Briggs departed the club in December to join the coaching staff at FC Dallas, leaving Legion FC President Jay Heaps to take over and overhaul the roster. Heaps is not new to coaching. Prior to joining Birmingham’s front office, Heaps led Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution from 2011-2017. Under Heaps, Birmingham has retained last year’s leading scorer Ronaldo Damus, captain Phanuel Kavita, and talented winger Tyler Pasher. Kavita will miss out on Saturday’s match, though, as he serves his red card suspension from last year’s regular season finale.
