USL Championship Matchday 19
Tampa Bay Rowdies at Orange County SC
Saturday, August 8, 10:00 p.m. ET
Championship Soccer Stadium, Irvine, CA
2026 League Records:
Rowdies: 11W-2L-5D (6-0-3 on the road), 38 pts, 1st in the East
Orange County: 9W-2L-7D (4-1-2 at home), 34 pts, 1st in the West
Watch Party: Join the Official Rowdies Watch Party at Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill in Downtown in St. Pete.
The stage is set for a clash between the USL Championship’s top two sides this Saturday as the Rowdies travel cross country to take on Orange County SC. With a four-point lead over Orange County heading into this weekend, the Rowdies are aiming to create some breathing room at the top of the standings with a victory. On the flip side, Orange County will be motivated to make the most of their home-field advantage as they try to cut the gap in the race for this year’s USL Championship Players’ Shield.
Saturday’s contest is the first meeting between Tampa Bay and Orange County since the 2024 season and the Rowdies first trip out to Orange County since 2023. The Rowdies hold a slight edge in the all-time series between the clubs with a record of 2W-1L-D. Their lone loss in the series was in the first-ever meeting between the two sides in the 2021 USL Championship Final, which Orange County won 3-1.
Cicerone Steps Up
When the Rowdies needed a spark to begin digging themselves out of their three-goal deficit against Louisville last week, they found their man in Russell Cicerone. The veteran attacker notched the first of five second-half goals for the Rowdies three minutes into the half and came through again with an equalizer as the match neared the 90th minute. The big-time brace earned Cicerone a Player of the Week selection on the USL Championship Team of the Week, making him the first player to earn the honor this regular season. Cicerone is also now tied for eighth most regular season goals in league history with 75 tallies in his career.
Ostrem Climbs the Leaderboard
Perhaps one of the most unsung stories of the season so far has been the consistent performance of Rowdies Defender Charlie Ostrem. After notching two assists in Tampa Bay’s comeback win over Louisville, Ostrem is now tied with San Antonio’s Jorge Hernandez for most assists in the league. Maybe even more impressive is the fact that three of Ostrem’s seven assists in league play have come on match-winning goals.
A Familiar Reinforcement
Former Rowdies Defender Conner Antley returned to Tampa Bay this week via loan from Major League Soccer’s DC United. Antley was with the Rowdies from 2021-2023 before transferring to DC United ahead of the 2024 MLS season. Antley has made 31 appearances for DC, with one goal and two assists in league. The Georgia native earned 102 appearances and notched 14 assists in his first stint with the Rowdies.
Scouting Orange County
Orange County enters the weekend on a nine-match unbeaten streak in league play. Head Coach Danny Stone’s side has largely strung together the consistent run of results on the road. Saturday’s fixture will be just the second league match that Orange County has hosted since the end of April. Last week, the Western Conference frontrunners knocked off El Paso Locomotive in a 2-0 result, posting a season-high 13 blocks to secure the clean sheet. Orange County currently leads the league with 76 defensive blocks on the season, showing a squad that is comfortable with absorbing pressure from an opposing attack.
Rowdies Availability Report
OUT: Archer, Schaefer
QUESTIONABLE: Leerman
