Rowdies' Jagermeister Cup Run Ends in Defeat to Charleston
USL Tampa Bay Rowdies

Rowdies' Jagermeister Cup Run Ends in Defeat to Charleston

July 26, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release


CHARLESTON, SC - The Tampa Bay Rowdies fell, 2-1, on the road to the Charleston Battery in the final round of the USL Jägermeister Cup group stage. With Saturday's result, the Rowdies finished second in Group 6 of the tournament, missing out on their chance to advance to the knockout phase.

"I think we were the better team for large parts of the game," said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. "I thought we were very organized without the ball and did a good job limiting their opportunities. With the ball, we caused them some problems, and we had a couple big chances that we probably should have taken. The difference was Charleston were a bit more clinical in the final third."

Charleston jumped out in front just before the halftime break, ony a few moments after Rowdies Forward Manuel Arteaga sent a shot a few inches wide of the top right corner of Charleston's goal. The go-ahead goal originated from a dangerous cross delivered by Rubio Rubin toward Tampa Bay's near post. Rowdies Defender Robert Castellanos slid in to cut off the pass before Charleston's Cal Jennings had a chance to connect with it, but Castellanos's attempted clearance took an unfortunate bounce off the ground and ended up in the back of his own net.

"That first goal we conceded was a tough one to concede at that moment, right before halftime," said Casciato. "You could've gone in at halftime knowing you were the better team, and then you can really attack in the second half. Just the timing of that first goal hurt us."

Forward Woobens Pacius looked to put the Rowdies back on level terms moments after entering off the bench in the 53rd minute. A driven cross from midfielder Blake Bodily fell for an unmarked Pacius in front of goal, but his volley attempt was up and over the crossbar.

Charleston would pounce again to double their advantage in the 71st minute, with Aaron Molloy sliding a pass into space for forward MD Myers to collect and convert past Rowdies Keeper Ethan Bandre. Myers's goal was Charleston's first shot of target of the night.

Rowdies substitute Joey Skinner cut the lead in half with his first goal of the year in the first minute of stoppage time, rising to meet another pinpoint cross delivered by Bodily from the left wing. Pacius came inches away from leveling the match in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but his right-footed effort clipped the right post to stay out the net.

The Rowdies entered the weekend in control of their fate in Group 6 but finished on the outside looking in as Greenville Triumph SC advance to the Quarterfinals of the USL Jägermeister Cup as the top team in the group. With their cup run at an end, the Rowdies will now put all their energy into climbing above the playoff line in their final 14 matches of league play.

"The playoffs are going to be our full focus now," said Casciato. "We've seen an improvement game on game, with and without the ball. Now it's about making sure there's consistent results and consistent performances. Our focus is on getting above the playoff line and having a good run in the second half of the season."

Next up for the Rowdies is a trip to the Circle City for a USL Championship regular season matchup against Indy Eleven on Saturday, August 9, at 7 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in to watch the match on Tampa Bay 44 and ESPN+.

Scoring Summary

CHS - Castellanos (Own Goal), 45+4'

CHS - Myers (Molloy), 71'

TBR - Skinner (Bodily), 90+1'

Caution Summary

CHS - Ycaza, Yellow Card, 39'

TBR - Bodily, Yellow Card, 40'

TBR - Hilton, Yellow Card, 45+1'

TBR - Crisostomo, Yellow Card, 63'

Lineups

Rowdies: Bandre, Vancaeyezeele, Castellanos, Guillen, Moon (Skinner, 72'), Wyke (Lasso, 81'), Hilton, Crisostomo (Bassett, 72'), Bodily, Fernandes (Alvarez, 22'), Arteaga (Pacius, 56')

Rowdies Bench: Campisi, Lasso, Skinner, Bassett, Alvarez, Pacius

Charleston: Garner (Zamudio, 45'), Segbers (Blackstock, 61'), Archer, Smith, Dossantos, Houssou, Ycaza (Molloy, 46'), Kelly, Rubin (Myers, 62'), Rodriguez (Akpunonu, 90+1), Jennings (Martinez, 85')

Charleston Bench: Zamudio, Akpunonu, Blackstock, Rodriguez, Klein, Molloy, Ortiz, Myers, Martinez

Check out the Tampa Bay Rowdies Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 26, 2025


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