USL Championship Matchday 20
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs Rhode Island FC
Saturday, August 15, 7:30 p.m. ET
AL Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, FL
2026 League Records:
Rowdies: 12W-2L-5D (5-2-2 at home), 41 pts, 1st in the East
Rhode Island: 7W-6L-4D (3-5-0 on the road), 25 pts, 6th in the East
Broadcast: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+
The Tampa Bay Rowdies take the field for their second home match of the week this Saturday, matching up with Eastern Conference foes Rhode Island FC. Both sides will be eager to fight for all three points as the playoff race continues to intensify down the final stretch of the regular season.
For the Rowdies, Saturday’s matchup offers the club the chance to quickly rebound following their heartbreaking Prinx Tires USL Cup exit against Louisville City FC on Wednesday night. After playing a scoreless stalemate through 90 minutes of play, the Rowdies run in the cup came to an end as they fell 5-3 in penalties.
The Rowdies focus now fully shifts to the club’s remaining 11 regular season fixtures. Last week’s statement win over Western Conference leaders Orange County SC gave the Rowdies a little more breathing room at the top of the standings with a seven-point lead in the Players’ Shield race. It’s a nice cushion to have but by no means guarantees the Rowdies are a shoo-in to claim their second Players’ Shield or secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Charleston Battery sit second in the conference, trailing behind the Rowdies by eight points.
Rhode Island heads to Al Lang Stadium this weekend after an impressive win of their own, knocking off Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC 2-0 at home. The victory leaves them sixth in the Eastern Conference standings leading into this Saturday. Another three points could see Rhode Island move closer toward cracking into the top four of the conference, which would put them in contention to open the playoffs at home.
The Rowdies battled Rhode Island to a 1-1 draw when the two sides last met in early May. It was the first point earned in the series for the Rowdies since their first-ever meeting with Rhode Island back in 2024. After winning that first meeting, the Rowdies have gone winless in four straight contests against Rhode Island.
Closing In on Double Digits
Last week’s win in Orange County marked the Rowdies league-leading 9th clean sheet of the regular season. The Rowdies are now one more shutout away from reaching double digit clean sheets in a single season for the sixth time since joining the USL Championship in 2017.
Hilton Climbs the Ranks
Venerated midfielder Lewis Hitlon hit a major Rowdies milestone in Wednesday’s USL Cup. Hilton’s starting nod that night was his 174th appearance for the Rowdies in all competitions, moving him to second on the Rowdies Modern Era appearances leaderboard. The English surpassed club legend Georgi Hristov to take sole possession of second place on the appearances list.
Defensive Reinforcements
The Rowdies picked up two defensive reinforcements over the last week with the addition of defenders Conner Antley and Ethan Bartlow. Antley joins via loan from MLS’ DC United for his second stint with the Rowdies. The Georgia native made over 100 appearances for the club from 2021-2023 before transferring to DC ahead of the 2024 season. Antley has already made two appearances for the Rowdies since returning late last week. Bartlow joined the Rowdies via loan from Sporting KC on Tuesday. The 26-year-old center back has made nearly 100 appearances in MLS from stints with KC and Houston Dynamo. Bartlow was college teammates with Rowdies Defender Charlie Ostrem at the University of Washington.
Milestone Watch
- Rowdies Midfielder Lewis Hilton (173 appearances) will pass club legend Georgi Hristov on the Rowdies Modern Era appearances list with his next appearance. The two are currently tied for second most appearances in the Rowdies Modern Era.
- Rowdies Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite (249 saves) is nearing 250 USL Championship regular season saves.
- Rowdies Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite (9,964 minutes) is nearing 10,000 regular season minutes played.
- Rowdies Forward Russell Cicerone (248 appearances) is nearing 250 USL Championship regular season appearances.
- Rowdies Forward MD Myers (38 goals) is nearing 40 USL Championship regular season goals
- Rowdies Midfielder Lewis Hilton (37) is nearing 40 USL Championship regular season assists.
Rowdies Availability Report
OUT: Archer, Schaefer
