Rowdies Down Birmingham 4-1
Published on September 17, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Tampa Bay Rowdies fell behind early in Wednesday afternoon's road contest versus Birmingham Legion FC but roared back with four goals in the second half to secure three key points in the race for a playoff spot. The 4-1 result marked Tampa Bay's first victory in Birmingham since the club's first ever trip to Alabama in June of 2019.
The hosts jumped out in front on a counterattack opportunity in the 12th minute. After Tampa Bay's Blake Bodily fired a shot that was parried away by goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel, Birmingham swiftly moved the ball up the field, leading to a finish for striker Dawson McCartney.
"We were getting into some good areas, some wide areas in the first half," said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. "We just maybe didn't have the final ball or the commitment on the runs into the box. It wasn't quite there for us. Obviously, [Birmingham] went down and hit us on the counterattack. I think the goal they scored early maybe gave them a bit of wind in their sails. I definitely think we were the better team in the first half, although we weren't dominant. We made one or two adjustments going into the second half and that was enough for us to come away with a huge win."
The Rowdies flipped the script on Birmingham with two goals in quick succession in the 64th and 68th minute. Rowdies newcomer Alex Mendez set up the first tally when he pounced on an errant clearance at the top of the Birmingham's box and drove forward to the endline before slipping a pass to teammate Manuel Arteaga. The Venezuelan veteran made the most of the chance with a flick off the outside of his right boot to beat Van Oekel.
"Alex [Mendez] is a serious, serious player," said Casciato. "Alex has great quality. I think he's just catching his breath now, but he's going to go from strength to strength each game he has with us."
Back on the level terms, the Rowdies continued to push and were rewarded with a go-ahead goal only four minutes later from loanee Paul Marie. Bodily provided the service with a cross from the left flank that hopped off the turf before Marie met it with a headed effort in front of the goal to take the lead.
Marie, making just his fourth appearance for the club, doubled Tampa Bay's advantage in the 89th minute, converting a pass from Arteaga inside the six-yard box with a striker that skipped off the turf on its way across the goal line. The Frenchman has now bagged three goals and one assist for the Rowdies in the last two matches.
"We knew Paul [Marie] had a lot of quality coming in," said Casciato. "He's a great guy that works hard for the team who has great quality and experience. He's come in and definitely given us a lift and a boost."
Substitute Luis Alvarez notched the fourth of the afternoon for Tampa Bay in the final minute of second half added time. The Honduran attacker latched on to a long ball played into Birmingham's defensive half by teammate Joey Skinner and took his time before lining up a curling shot straight into the top right corner of the goal to seal the result.
Wednesday's four-goal tally equaled Tampa Bay total goals scored in the club's previous five trips to Birmingham. It's also the most goals the Rowdies netted in a single match this season, following on the heels of three-goal showing against Colorado Springs this past Saturday.
"Confidence and momentum is huge for these players," said Casciato. "We have good players on the front line, and we have guys coming off the bench to challenge those guys. I think you saw that today. It's continuing to do the right things and being positive, creating more chances and being dangerous. I'm a big believer that if you take care of today, then tomorrow will look after itself. It's been a bit rocky at times, but we've been heading in the right direction and hopefully you see more of that progress this Saturday."
The emphatic victory puts the Rowdies (25 points) within two points of Rhode Island FC (27 points) for the final playoff seed with six matches left to play in the regular season. Indy Eleven (26 points) also sits between the Rowdies and Rhode Island in 9th place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Next up, the Rowdies return to Al Lang Stadium this Saturday, September 20 for a meeting with North Carolina FC at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary
BHM - McCartney (Daley), 12'
TBR - Arteaga (Mendez), 64'
TBR - Marie (Bodily), 69'
TBR - Marie (Arteaga), 89'
TBR - Alvarez (Skinner), 90+8'
Caution Summary
TBR - Crisostomo, Yellow Card, 38'
BHM - Tregarthen, Yellow Card, 77'
TBR - Marie, Yellow Card, 90+2'
TBR - Azocar, Yellow Card, 90+6'
Lineups
Rowdies: Hamid, Vancaeyezeele, Castellanos (Mendez, 46'), Guillen, Azocar, Wyke, Crisostomo, Bodily (Alvarez, 84'), Marie (Sharp, 90+1'), Arteaga (Lasso, 90+2'), Pacius (Skinner, 84')
Rowdies Bench: Bandre, Lasso, Skinner, Alvarez, Mendez, Sharp, Rodriguez
Birmingham: Van Oekel, Daley (Turnbull, 90+3'), Suarez, Rufe (Centeno, 90+3'), Paterson, travis, Martinez (Tregarthen, 58'), McIllhatton, Vassell (Tabort Etaka, 75'), Damus, McCartney (Laszo, 58')
Birmingham Bench: McMullen, Centeno, Kavita, Hamouda, Turnbull, Laszo, Tregarthen, Tabort Eraka
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- University of Rhode Island Football to Play 2026 Home Games at Centreville Bank Stadium - Rhode Island FC
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