Rowdies Battle for a Point in Charleston
Published on April 18, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
The Tampa Bay Rowdies picked up a point in a hard-fought 1-1 draw with their No Quarter Derby rivals, the Charleston Battery, on Saturday afternoon at Patriots Point Soccer Complex.
With the draw, the Rowdies remain unbeaten through their first six matches of the season and still stand as the only Eastern Conference side without a loss.
"I think it was a good game against a good team," said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. "In the first half, (Charleston) we're probably on top of us and we made a couple of adjustments to settle down a little bit with the ball and get a bit more pressure on them. I think when we did that it was really difficult for them in the second half."
Charleston held the advantage in possession through most of Saturday's match, but the Rowdies managed to limit their hosts to few clear-cut scoring chances.
Rowdies Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite - making his 100th career USL Championship regular season appearance - came up with a crucial diving save to deny Charleston's first attempt on target of the afternoon when Emilio Ycaza sent a long-range effort toward the bottom left corner in the 43rd minute.
The Rowdies gained more of a foothold in the match in the second half and finaly found a breakthrough thanks to substitute Mattheus Oliveira in the 79th minute. After combing with teammate Russell Cicerone in the attacking half, the Brazilian found a open space in the middle of the field to drive toward the final third before playing a pass into space for Sebastian Cruz inside the box. Cruz beat Charleston's Luiz Zamudio to the service and deftly chipped the ball over the goalkeeper to put the Rowdies out in front.
Tampa Bay's opening tally was Cruz's second goal on the year and Oliveira's first assist for the club.
"Mattheus has got great quality, and we know he's going to have a big impact this season, whether that be starting games or coming off the bench like he did today," said Casciato. "We're excited to get him into the fold and see him continue to grow as a Rowdies player."
Charleston answered Cruz's strike with an equalizer only two minutes later when Douglas Martinez rose to meet a corner kick sent the near post, heading it straight into the back of the net.
"It's really disappointing to give away the goal just after scoring," said Casciato. "We've got to be a little bit more resilient in that moment, but it's something we'll learn from as we move forward."
With Saturday's draw, the Rowdies remain unbeaten through their first six matches of the regular season for the first time since the club's 2024 campaign.
"We're still learning," said Casciato. "Obviously, we haven't been together very long and to come through a test like this one today, because most teams would've been beaten coming here to Charleston, to come through that test is a testament to the character of the group... I think we still have a long way to go, everybody knows that. No one is under any illusions in terms of where we're at and what we've done so far. We're just going to get better and better, so I'm happy with the group. I think to leave Charleston with a point is a decent result, but we all know we can get better."
Next up, the Rowdies are back at Al Lang Stadium to host USL League One's Sarasota Paradise in the opening round of the Prinx Tires USL Cup group stage on Saturday, April 25. Kickoff for the matchup with Sarasota is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary
TBR - Cruz (Oliveira), 79'
CHS - Martinez (Messer), 81'
Caution Summary
TBR - Dolabella (Yellow Card), 18'
TBR - Cruz (Yellow Card), 40'
TBR - Ostrem (Yellow Card), 45'
TBR - Dossantos (Yellow Card),
CHS - Pakhomov (Yellow Card), 77'
CHS - Smith (Yellow Card), 90'
Stats Summary TBR / CHS
Shots: 11 / 13
Shots on Goal: 3 / 4
Saves: 2 / 2
Corner Kicks: 5 / 6
Fouls Conceded: 11 / 12
Offside: 0 / 4
Possession: 56.6 / 43.4
Lineups
TBR: Waite, Cruz, Schaefer, Dossantos, Ostrem, Dolabella (Hilton, 60'), Schneider, Micaletto (Oliveira, 60'), Conway (Leerman, 46'), Cicerone, Myers (Henderlong, 90+1')
TBR Bench: Pack, Leerman, Rodriguez, Hilton, Oliveira, Perez, Henderlong
CHS: Zamudio, Houssou (Martinez, 67'), Akpunonu, Smith, Masser, Foster (Kissiedou, 67'), Pakhomov (Suber, 83'), Cabrera (Berry, 56'), Ycaza, Kelly, Swan
CHS Bench: Kuzemka, Berner, Martinez, Suber, Blackstock, Wayne, Held, Kissiedou, Berry
United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 18, 2026
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- LSC Picks up Point, Third Clean Sheet of the Season in Draw at Orange County - Lexington SC
- Hounds Down Detroit Behind Dikwa Goals - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Rising Sinks Miami FC 3-0 at Pitbull Stadium - Phoenix Rising FC
- Hartford Athletic Pressures Loudoun FC, Comes Up Empty in Scoreless Stalemate - Hartford Athletic
- Egbuchulam Strikes Late But Detroit Falls Short in Pittsburgh - Detroit City FC
- Loudoun Fights for a Point on the Road - Loudoun United FC
- LouCity Flies Past Sporting JAX Behind Wilson's Stoppage-Time Winner - Louisville City FC
- Monterey Bay FC Drop Third Road Match of 2026 at Colorado Springs - Monterey Bay FC
- Switchbacks FC Secure Three Points at Weidner Field against Monterey Bay FC - Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
- Rowdies Battle for a Point in Charleston - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Martinez's Late Equalizer Splits Points Between Battery, Rowdies - Charleston Battery
- Phoenix Rising Acquires Forward Dominique Badji from D.C. United - Phoenix Rising FC
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