The Tampa Bay Rowdies knocked off the reigning USL Championship Players’ Shield winners Louisville CIty FC at Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday night, netting two unanswered goals in the second half to secure a 2-0 result and extend the club’s unbeaten start to the season to 11 matches.
With the win, the Rowdies sit top of the Eastern Conference standings with 27 points, nine points clear of second place Indy Eleven.
“I think we did a good job keeping our composure tonight,” said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “Obviously Louisville are a very good team, regardless of their recent results. They’re a very good side. I thought we came here and dominated the game. I thought we looked after the ball really well. We were very composed in possession, and I think the first goal is probably a great example of that.”
Forward MD Myers found the back of Louisville’s net in the 60th minute only to see his strike waived off for offside. The Rowdies striker would not be denied in the 76th minute, though. After a lengthy string of possession and buildup for the Rowdies, wingback Dion Acoff looked for Myers at the near post with a cross from the right edge, but Myers couldn’t get a clean touch on the service as he clashed with Louisville’s Captain Sean Tostch. Undeterred, Myers recovered as Totsch fell to the ground, swooping in to poke the ball away from Danny Faundez as the goalkeeper attempted to smother the loose ball and then smashing a shot into the goal.
Myers now leads the Rowdies in scoring with four goals on the season and six goals across all competitions. Four of his six tallies this year have come in Tampa Bay’s last four matches.
“MD is a top player,” said Casciato. “We all know what he can do. That’s why we brought him here. He’s a great player. He’s going to get even better while he’s here. He’s obviously very confident right now because he’s hitting the net regularly, but he also works really hard for the team and helps us to get results week in, week out.”
With the lead in hand, the Rowdies continued to repel Louisville’s attacking efforts in the final stages of the match. Louisville leads the entire USL Championship in shot attempts but only registered six attempts all night, just two of which required a save from Rowdies Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite. The all-around team effort to quell Louisville gave the Rowdies their league-leading seventh shutout of the season.
Midfielder Max Schneider sealed the result three minutes into stoppage time with his first goal of the regular season. Schneider and the Rowdies caught their hosts on the counterattack, with Sebastian Cruz and substitute Marco Micaletto combining to launch the breakaway into Louisville’s defensive half. Curz slipped through the defensive line before centering a pass for an unmarked Schneider to convert past Faundez from the top of the box.
Saturday marked Tampa Bay’s first win in Louisville since October of 2023 and just their third victory in ten total trips to Louisville. The three-point result is also Tampa Bay’s 8th win of the campaign so far. Last year, the Rowdies recorded a total of just nine wins in the regular season.
“It’s obviously a great result to come here and win,” said Casciato. “I think this team still has a long way to go, and I think we can get better and better. It’s a good result tonight. We’re pleased with it. We’ll look back at it and try to get better for next Saturday, because that has to be our mentality regardless of the result and regardless of who we play.”
Next up, the Rowdies remain on the road to face in-state foes Sporting Jax in Round 3 of the Prinx Tires USL Cup on Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m. ET. The Rowdies can clinch a spot in the Quarterfinals of the tournament with a win over Jacksonville.
Scoring Summary
TBR – Myers, 76’
TBR – Schneider (Cruz), 90+3’
Caution Summary
LOU – Duncan (Yellow Card), 28’
TBR – Cruz (Yellow Card), 43’
LOU – Adams (Yellow Card), 52’
TBR – Schneider (Yellow Card), 86’
TBR – Micaletto (Yellow Card), 90+3’
Stats Summary TBR / LOU
Shots: 13 / 6
Shots on Goal: 4 / 2
Saves: 2 / 2
Corner Kicks: 5 / 3
Fouls Conceded: 11 / 9
Offside: 1 / 2
Possession: 63.4 / 46.6
Lineups
TBR: Waite, Acoff, Schaefer, Dossantos, Wyke (Conway, 46’), Ostrem, Perez (Micaletto, 77’), Schneider, Curz, Myers (Henderlong, 90+1’), Dolabella (Leerman, 58’)
TBR Bench: Pack, Leerman, LeFlore, Micaletto, Vivi, Conway, Henderlong
LOU: Faundez, Adams, Jones, Totsch, Dia (Showunmi, 82’), Duncan (Gleadle, 82’), T. Davila, McFadden (Perez, 70’), Akale (Wilson, 70’), Donovan, Serrano (E. Davila, 82’)
LOU Bench: Fauroux, E. Davila, Wilson, Perez, Gleadle, Huerman, Showunmi
