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Rowdies Announce 2019 Championship Schedule

By Rowdies Communications, 12/19/18, 12:00PM EST

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (December 19, 2018) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies will play all 17 of their home games on Saturday nights under the lights at Al Lang Stadium in the coming season.

The United Soccer League released the Championship schedule Wednesday afternoon, revealing the path the Rowdies will take through the 2019 season. The regular season will open the weekend of March 8-10 and end the weekend of October 18-20 before an expanded postseason begins.

Last week it was confirmed that the Rowdies would open the season on the road, visiting Memphis 901 FC on March 9 in the season opener, but we now know the Rowdies will play four of their first six matches at home, starting with a home opener against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on March 16.

The best way for fans to show their support is by purchasing season tickets for the 2019 Rowdies season. To secure the best seats at Al Lang Stadium, call (727) 222-2000. Single-game tickets will be available in February, with more information to come.

Tampa Bay will play a balanced schedule, facing off against each of its 17 Eastern Conference foes once at home and once away for a 34-game schedule. All 17 homes games will be played on Saturday nights, up from 15 in 2018.

Highlight matches on the Rowdies home schedule include April 13, when back-to-back USL Cup champions Louisville City FC visit Al Lang Stadium, June 8 against North Carolina FC and August 24, when Memphis comes to St. Petersburg for the first time.

The 2019 USL Cup Playoffs will expand to include 10 teams from each conference, with the lowest four seeds in each conference opening the postseason in the Play-In Round, provisionally slated for Wednesday, October 23 with the No. 7 seed hosting the No. 10 seed and the No. 8 seed hosting the No. 9 seed for a place in the Conference Quarterfinals.

Following the Play-In Round, the two teams to advance will be placed into the main bracket for the Conference Quarterfinals, with the lower remaining seed facing the conference’s No. 1 seed and the higher remaining seed facing the No. 2 seed.

The single-elimination format will then continue for the following four weekends in a fixed-bracket format with the higher seed in each matchup serving as host through the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. The 2019 USL Cup will be held between November 14-18, 2019 and be hosted by the conference champion with the better regular-season record.

The Rowdies full schedule is below.

March (2 home, 2 away)
Saturday, March 9 - @ Memphis 901 FC
Saturday, March 16 - vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, March 23 - @ Saint Louis FC
Saturday, March 30 - vs Loudoun United FC

April (3 home, 1 away)
Saturday, April 6 - vs Hartford Athletic
Saturday, April 13 - vs Louisville City FC
Wednesday, April 24 - @ Atlanta United FC 2
Saturday, April 27 - vs Charlotte Independence

May (2 home, 2 away)
Wednesday, May 1 - @ Indy Eleven
Wednesday, May 8 - @ Nashville SC
Saturday, May 18 - vs New York Red Bulls II
Saturday, May 25 - vs Swope Park Rangers

June (3 home, 2 away)
Saturday, June 1 - @ Birmingham Legion FC
Saturday, June 8 - vs North Carolina FC
Saturday, June 15 - vs Charleston Battery
Saturday, June 22 - @ Bethlehem Steel FC
Saturday, June 29 - vs Ottawa Fury FC

July (1 home, 3 away)
Saturday, July 6 - @ Swope Park Rangers
Saturday, July 13 - @ Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, July 20 - vs Saint Louis FC
Saturday, July 27 - @ New York Red Bulls II

August (3 home, 2 away)
Saturday, August 3 - @ Charleston Battery
Saturday, August 10 - vs Birmingham Legion FC
Wednesday, August 21 - @ North Carolina FC
Saturday, August 24 - vs Memphis 901 FC
Saturday, August 31 - vs Nashville SC

September (2 home, 3 away)
Saturday, September 7 - @ Charlotte Independence
Saturday, September 14 - vs Atlanta United FC 2
Wednesday, September 18 - @ Ottawa Fury FC
Saturday, September 21 - vs Bethlehem Steel FC
Saturday, September 28 - @ Louisville City FC

October (1 home, 2 away)
Friday, October 4 - @ Loudoun United FC
Saturday, October 12 - vs Indy Eleven
Saturday, October 19 - @ Hartford Athletic