Preview: Rowdies at San Antonio

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USL Tampa Bay Rowdies

Preview: Rowdies at San Antonio

July 11, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release


The Tampa Bay Rowdies entered a new era this week with the announcement that Dominic Casciato has taken over as head coach of the club after two record-setting seasons leading Union Omaha in USL League One. Under Casciato, Omaha captured two Players' Shields, a victory in the 2024 USL League One Final, and set records for most points and goals scored in a single season.

"I think this is a great opportunity for me, and also a great opportunity for the club to have a fresh start, to have fresh ideas, and to move things forward," said Casciato. "I'm not coming in to turn this into Dominic Casciato FC. This is the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and I'm here to help move things forward. That's what we'll starting today and every day I'm here."

Casciato comes to Tampa Bay as the club nears the exact halfway point of the USL Championship regular season. The Rowdies have 16 matches left in the season to right the ship and put themselves in position for playoff soccer in November. The work started immediately for Casciato, who arrived in Tampa Bay late Tuesday evening and led his first training session with Rowdies players on Wednesday.

"This first week is about getting to know the players," said Casciato. "[Assistant Coach] Steve Coleman and the rest of the technical staff have done a great job stabilizing the team and getting the ship heading in the right direction. Results in the last five or six games have been good. I'm not coming in to revolutionize things today. It takes time. So for me it's about getting to know the players and the staff and making sure we're all on the same page for these next two games and behind."

Electrifying New Threads

The Rowdies will be debuting more than just a new coach this Saturday in San Antonio. This weekend, the Rowdies will be suiting up in a new look with the Electrostatic Kit from CHARLY. Taking inspiration from the region's reputation as the Lightning Capital of North America, the Electrostatic Kit embodies energy, power, and the electrifying bonds between the Rowdies and Tampa Bay.

The kit features a dark gray base evoking the daily storm clouds that fill Tampa Bay's horizon in the summer months, with sharp black and electric neon green streaks throughout, representing lightning flashing across the night sky. It's the first time the Rowdies have worn a primarily black kit since the 2013 season.

Fan cans purchase the Electrostatic Kit from The Bay Republic team store at Al Lang Stadium and online at TheBayRepublic.com.

Maintaining Momentum

Last week's 2-0 win over FC Naples in the USL Jägermeister Cup marked two important firsts for the Rowdies this year. Along with it being the first clean sheet recorded by the team this year, it was also the first time the Rowdies have recorded back-to-back victories in 2025. If the Rowdies are going push their way above the playoff line in the second half of the season, they'll need to start stacking positive results together with some consistency just like that.

"Wins are huge for us. Cleans are even more important, in my opinion," said Rowdies Defender Forrest Lasso. "There's still a lot of football to be played. It's not perfect yet, but that's the goal. We're gonna keep working on it one game at a time and keep focusing on this weekend... When you go on the road, it's so important to focus on the details. If we do that, we'll give ourselves a great chance to compete for a result."

Maximizing Opportunities

Saturday's showdown in San Antonio is one of only two USL Championship regular season contests on the calendar for the Rowdies in July. The club's second league fixture will be played a few days later at Hartford Athletic. With the squad sitting outside the playoff picture and second from the bottom in the Eastern Conference, the Rowdies will look to make the most of these next two matches as they aim to grain ground in the league.

Scouting San Antonio

San Antonio is off to strong start through the first half of the season under first-year head coach Carlos Llamosa. The club sits second in the Western Conference standings heading into the weekend, just one point back of the current leaders out west, New Mexico United. Tampa Bay and San Antonio's coaches have similar points of origin. Both served as assistant coaches for the New York Cosmos early in their coaching journeys. Llamosa was a part of New York's technical staff from 2013-2016 when the club competed in the NASL, while Casciato served on the staff in 2020.

Former Rowdies Forward Jake LaCava is a now a member of San Antonio's squad. LaCava has netted two goals for San Antonio this year, one of which was the winning goal against Casciato's Union Omaha in the USL Jägermeister Cup.

Rowdies Availability Report

OUT: Niyongabire

QUESTIONABLE: Castellanos, Hilton

USL Championship Matchday 15

Tampa Bay Rowdies at San Antonio FC

Saturday, July 12, 9 p.m. ET

Toyota Field, San Antonio, TX

2025 League Records:

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

San Antonio: 7W-5L-3D, 24 pts, 2nd West (4-3-1 at home)

Tune In: Tampa Bay 44, ESPN+

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 11, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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