Tampa Bay Rowdies Home vs. Charleston Battery Preview
Written by James Knowles
Date: Saturday May 10, 2025
Kickoff Time: 7:30 pm EST at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, FL
Records: Tampa Bay Rowdies (4 pts 1W-1D-5L); Charleston Battery (15 pts 5W-0D-2L)
Standings: The Rowdies are 11th in the East and the Battery are third.
After taking a battering in the Open Cup midweek, the Rowdies need to bounce back with some type of response. As it happened, the Battery also lost in the Open Cup to MLS competition. As both teams only have the league - and Jager Cup - to focus on, Charleston’s attention will firmly be on earning three points. Get to Al Lang Stadium this weekend to cheer the boys on!
Where do we go from here?
After the 5-0 loss to Orlando City, both sets of fans were chanting. Away supporters were singing to their team, who went over to the side of the field, where they’d been penned in, to celebrate. Home fans, on the other hand, were not singing. Rather, they spent the remaining time telling Rowdies players and staff that, frankly, it was not good enough.
“Rowdies, wake up! It’s not good enough!” followed chants back to Orlando fans of “You’re nothing special! We lose every week!” Self-deprecating humor helps in times like these. Don’t let them have the last laugh. But, everyone woke up the next day, and the score hadn’t changed. There’s no one left to self-deprecate to. It’s just 5-0 staring back at you in some gaudy purple font.
Breaking down the game itself almost seems useless. What went well after all? Leave it to the coaching staff and players to sort that out in their video sessions. Fans are not privy to these, of course, so we’re left to rue the day. The scoreline matched the worst in Rowdies’ modern era history. So yes, through thick and thin; for better and worse. All the other cliches, too, are relevant right now.
If Tampa Bay are to get anything out of 2025, on-field results need to change - and quickly. It seems early for such dire pronouncements; but, fans are saying as much everywhere you look. It is not just this writer’s opinion. I’ve seen it and heard it. Not always in those words and not always with that level of despair. A 5-0 loss to Orlando City, though? Folks, that is dire.
This game will have been mentally draining for anyone who took part, from fans to the players on the field. So it seems hard to say that a response must come this weekend. The opponents are not far off the top of the Eastern Conference, which is also the top of the league right now. They have multiple in form goal scorers, including one who previously did it in Green and Gold.
The Rowdies have not magically overcome their recent injury problems. Blake Bodily returned to the bench on Wednesday. Youngster Alex Rodriguez even made his professional debut. But, neither of these will, on their own or together, put the team back where they need to be. Nick Moon, Lewis Hilton, Joey Skinner and Cammy MacPherson are all still questionable at best.
Defensively, it’s fair to say Tampa Bay are flailing. They haven’t kept a clean sheet in 2025 - at least not in a competitive match. Keeper Nico Campisi started the year with a few notable mistakes. While those haven’t continued at the same clip, his matches in league and Open Cup play have led to 18 goals conceded. This number is by no means all on his shoulders.
With all that said, keeping Charleston at bay will be difficult. Cal Jennings has six goals in Championship play so far, while MD Myers and Juan David Torres behind him each have three. But, something is needed here. Something has to happen. The club runs the risk of fans losing faith in this season. Considering it’s only May, and all the other off-field distractions, that would be a disastrous outcome.
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