Jägermeister Cup Preview: Rowdies at FC Naples
USL Tampa Bay Rowdies

Jägermeister Cup Preview: Rowdies at FC Naples

Published on July 3, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release


Following a break in action last weekend, the Tampa Bay Rowdies are set for an Independence Day showdown with FC Naples in the final matchup of Round 3 of the USL Jägermeister Cup this Friday. A win for the Rowdies in Naples would lift the club to the top of Group 6 of the tournament with one more round of the group stage to play at the end of the month.

"It was good to get that rest, but after a few days away it just makes you hungry as a player to get back out there," said forward Woobens Pacius. "It's a great opportunity for us this week. We're aiming to get to the top of the group and get the win in Naples. That's the goal."

As the Rowdies already know, Naples are no pushover. Tampa Bay met Naples earlier this year at Paradise Coast Sports Complex in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, advancing past the USL League One side after a ten-round penalty shootout. Shortly after that Open Cup match, Naples took down the Charleston Battery 1-0 in the opening round of the USL Jägermeister Cup.

"We have an understanding what it's like to go there with their partisan crowd behind them," said Rowdies Interim Head Coach Steve Coleman. "They've gotten some good results at home against good opposition. They beat Charleston at home. We're going into the game with an excitement to keep the momentum rolling."

Goals from New Places

Last week's victory over Indy Eleven saw three different Rowdies players nab their first goal of the USL Championship season. Wingbacks Blake Bodily and Nick Moon, and defender Laurence Wyke all found the back of the net in the 3-1 result. Forwards Woobens Pacius (5) and Manuel Arteaga (3) remain the only players on the squad with multiple goals in league play. Finding goals from others with a bit more consistency will be key for the Rowdies in the latter half of the year.

"You have to have contributions from everyone to have success over a long period of time," said Coleman. "A lot of people have spoken about how important those wingbacks are for us, so to have them on the field and contributing is great for us."

Battling Back

Following last Wednesday's comeback win versus Indy, the Rowdies have now earned 11 points from losing position in the USL Championship regular season. Only Loudoun United FC have earned more points from losing positions. On one hand, the Rowdies have shown great resilience to fight back to earn points. On the other hand, conceding first is a trend the Rowdies will hope to remedy. In regular season play, the squad has netted only one goal but allowed eight in the opening 30 minutes of matches this year.

USL Jägermeister Cup Rundown

All USL Championship clubs will compete for the Jägermeister Cup after the tournament's first edition last year was only contested between USL League One teams. The Jägermeister Cup is a World Cup-style tournament with a group stage followed by a knockout phase. The Rowdies have been drawn into Group 6, alongside Miami, the Charleston Battery, FC Naples, Greenville Triumph SC, and South Georgia Tormenta FC.

How to Advance - After four rounds of group stage matches (two home, two away) starting in April and ending in July, the team with the most points in each group will advance to the knockout phase. Two wild card teams from the six groups will be chosen based on goals scored in the group stage round. The two teams with the most goals scored in the four group stage rounds will advance to the knockout phase. If necessary, points earned and then total wins will be used as additional tiebreakers.

Points System - Teams receive the standard three points for a win and one point for a draw in the group stage rounds. However, games that end in a stalemate after 90 minutes will immediately go to a penalty shootout, with the winner receiving an additional point. The addition of a penalty shootout will be familiar to fans of the Rowdies from back in the day. The original NASL also implemented a penalty shootout in 1975 to decide a winner from a tied match.

Discipline Rules - There are no suspensions from caution accumulation in Jägermeister Cup games, and yellow cards in the tournament do not count toward the regular season caution accumulations. Red cards will only result in suspension for the next tournament match unless deemed more severe by the League Disciplinary Committee.

Knockout Phase - Once the group stage concludes, the two wild card teams will be automatically slotted as away teams for the quarterfinals, the opening round of the knockout phase. From there, a draw will determine the rest of the set of matches in the quarterfinals. The tournament will then proceed in a single-elimination format with draws after each completed round to determine the next matchups. The USL Jägermeister Cup Final is set for the weekend of October 4.

Rowdies Availability Report

OUT: Niyongabire

QUESTIONABLE: Fernandes

USL Jägermeister Cup Round 3

Tampa Bay Rowdies at FC Naples

Friday, July 4, 7:30 p.m. ET

Paradise Coast Sports Complex, Naples, FL

2025 League Records:

Rowdies: 3W-9L-2D, 11 pts, 11th East (1-5-1 on the road

Naples: 5W-5L-4D, 19 pts, 4th League (3-1-3 at home)

Last Time Out in the USL Jägermeister Cup

Rowdies: vs South Georgia Tormenta FC, 2-1 Win

Naples: vs Miami FC, 3-2 Loss

Tune In: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+

Watch Party: Join the official Rowdies watch party at Grand Central Brewhouse in Downtown St. Petersburg.

Check out the Tampa Bay Rowdies Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 3, 2025


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