ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The USL Championship revealed the Team of Week for the Week 1 of the 2026 regular season on Tuesday, with Tampa Bay Rowdies Midfielder Max Schneider earning a spot for his efforts in the club’s 1-0 victory over Birmingham Legion FC this past Saturday.
Schneider made his club debut along with 11 other newcomers to this year’s Rowdies squad in the first match of the campaign. The German midfielder was a standout in the center of midfield for the Rowdies, winning 5 of 8 duels and completing 21 of 24 passes into the final third. Schneider also made six recoveries and recorded two clearances during his 90-minute shift.
Schneider joined the Rowdies in the offseason via transfer from USL League One’s Union Omaha. Before his stint in Omaha, he played in the USL Championship with Indy Eleven and St. Louis City 2 in MLS Next Pro.
Last Saturday’s win was the first for the Rowdies in a season opener since the 2021 season. Securing the shutout against Birmingham was also a nice feather in the cap for the Rowdies, considering the club didn’t record a clean sheet in league play last year until July 16.
The Rowdies are off from league action this weekend before returning to Al Lang Stadium for their Home Opener on Saturday, March 21 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at 7:30 p.m. ET.
USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 1
GK – Danny Vitiello, Sacramento Republic FC
D – Isaiah Foster, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
D – Alex Crognale, San Antonio FC
D – Freddy Kleemann, Sacramento Republic FC
D – Matt Real, Hartford Athletic
M – Samuel Careaga, Hartford Athletic
M – Max Schneider, Tampa Bay Rowdies
M – Sean Suber, Charleston Battery
F – Juan Carlos Obregón Jr., Brooklyn FC
F – Rubio Rubín, El Paso Locomotive FC
F – Cristian Parano, San Antonio FC
Coach – Brendan Burke, Hartford Athletic
Bench – Antony Siaha (HFD), Mark Fisher (OAK), Ryan Spaulding (SAC), Michee Ngalina (HFD), Christian Pinzón (LV), Jorge Hernández (SA), Mukwelle Akale (LOU)
