Preview: Hounds at Tampa Bay Rowdies
USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Preview: Hounds at Tampa Bay Rowdies

Published on March 19, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


With an unexpected full week of training under their belt, the Hounds are set to go on the road for the third straight match to open the season with a visit to the Gulf Coast to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The weather-induced postponement of the Hounds' First Round U.S. Open Cup match shuffled the team's training schedule slightly, but it means the Hounds will at least come in with a full week between matches to face a Rowdies team that has not played since Opening Day on March 7.

That rest could be important for the Hounds, who will probably need to show off their depth in the days to come. With the potential for cup matches in consecutive weeks, the Hounds could play five matches in 14 days beginning with their Florida visit. Fortunately, the injury report is clearing up, as well, with Robbie Mertz making his season debut off the bench in last weekend's win at Loudoun and Eliot Goldthorp back in training with the full squad this week.

The Hounds' attack looked potent in that win over Loudoun with Albert Dikwa, Bradley Sample and Sam Bassett serving as the finishers, but some of the match's underlying numbers were even more convincing. The team held 64 percent of possession, its 2.82 expected goals (xG) number would have been among the team's top three a season ago and the team's eight shots on goal (on 14 total shots) was the highest since they posted the same number in a 4-0 win at Miami FC on Oct. 5, 2024.

But on the flip side of the ball, the Hounds have conceded two goals in consecutive matches, something that also had not occurred since May 25 and June 1 of the 2024 season, and eliminating critical mistakes in the back third has been a topic in training and film study to start the year.

The Rowdies are a very different team to the squad that finished 10th in the East and missed the playoffs a season ago, and they were 1-0 winners at Birmingham Legion FC to begin their season. Among the moves made by Dom Casciato, who was hired as the coach at Tampa Bay midway through last season, was the signing of four veterans who are former Riverhounds and appeared in the opener: forward Russell Cicerone (2021-22), midfielder Louis Pérez (2021), defender Nate Dossantos (2022-23) and goalkeeper Jahmali Waite (2022-23). Add in backup goalkeeper Austin Pack (2019), and the Rowdies have a very Pittsburgh South look for 2026.

Saturday night's match will be the first of the year to be televised on SportsNet Pittsburgh, and ESPN+ will stream the match live. Replays of the contest will air throughout the weekend on both SportsNet Pittsburgh and its sister channel, SNP+.

Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2, the official Spanish-language radio partner of the Hounds, will also carry a live broadcast of the 7:30 p.m. matchup.

Match Info

Riverhounds (1-1-0) vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies (1-0-0)

Date: Saturday, March 21

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Odds: Hounds +240 / Draw +210 / Tampa Bay +105 at Fan Duel

TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh

Streaming: ESPN+

Radio: Radio Las Palmas, 92.9 FM HD2 (Spanish)

Live statistics: USL Championship Match Center

Live updates: @RiverhoundsSC on X/Twitter

Match hashtag: #TBRvPIT

Check out the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 19, 2026


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