ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies have officially secured their place in the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs, becoming the first team in the league to do so following a 2-0 victory over Brooklyn FC on Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium.
The Rowdies entered Saturday’s contest knowing a victory over Brooklyn would guarantee their place in the postseason. They delivered in front of their home supporters, with midfielder Louis Perez opening the scoring in the 24th minute before forward Evan Conway added another goal in second-half stoppage time to secure all three points.
With the victory, the Rowdies improved to 48 points with a record of 14W-3L-6D in the regular season, guaranteeing their place among the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference with seven regular season matches remaining.
The playoff berth marks the latest achievement in a remarkable 2026 comeback campaign for the Rowdies, who missed out on qualifying for last year’s playoffs first the first time since 2018. Following an offseason that saw more than 20 new players join the roster, the Rowdies have spent the majority of the 2026 season atop the Eastern Conference standings while also establishing themselves as the leading contender for the USL Championship Players’ Shield.
“It’s a great achievement for the group,” said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “To put ourselves in a position where we can clinch this early in the season speaks volumes about the work the players have put in. But we know there is still a lot more that we want to accomplish.”
Now that the Rowdies have locked in their spot for the playoffs, the club’s focus turns toward the seven remaining regular-season matches and the pursuit of the USL Championship Players’ Shield, awarded annually to the club with the league’s best regular-season record. Claiming the Players’ Shield would guarantee the Rowdies home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Rowdies currently hold an eight-point advantage over El Paso Locomotive FC and New Mexico United the Players’ Shield race and lead the Charleston Battery by nine points in the Eastern Conference standings.
“We’ve set bigger goals for ourselves,” said Casciato. “Getting into the playoffs is important, but that’s not where we want to stop. We want to keep pushing, keep improving and put ourselves in the best possible position when the playoffs arrive.”
The 2026 USL Championship Playoffs will feature the top eight teams from each conference in a single-elimination format, with the first round of the playoffs taking place on the weekend of October 30-November 1.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets for potential Rowdies home playoff matches at Al Lang Stadium can guarantee priority access to the best seats by filling out the playoff interest form below.
The Rowdies will now turn their attention back to the regular season, beginning with a September 12 road matchup against Hartford Athletic before returning home on Saturday, September 19 to host Birmingham Legion FC.
