The Charleston Battery triumphed 2-1 over the Tampa Bay Rowdies in Round 4 of the USL Jägermeister Cup group stage on Saturday at Patriots Point. Charleston effectively spoiled the Rowdies’ run in the tournament after the result prevented Tampa Bay from advancing to the knockout stage. MD Myers’ tally in the second half proved to be the match-winner. The Battery completed a clean sweep of the Rowdies with the third win over the Florida club in 2025.
The night kicked off amid sweltering temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and the game’s significance weighed heavily on Tampa Bay, since the visitors needed a win to guarantee their spot in the knockout phase by winning Group 6.
Charleston, looking to play spoiler, were on the front foot early. Graham Smith nearly put the Battery in front with a header from a cross by Arturo Rodríguez in the 3rd minute, but his effort went just wide of the post.
Moments later, goalkeeper Christian Garner was tested and made his first save of the night, denying Nick Moon.
The game began to settle as it neared the middle stage of the half. At the half-hour mark, Charleston dominated possession with 72% and had completed 175 passes to Tampa Bay’s 72.
The complexion of the game changed in the 40th minute when Garner was involved in a heavy collision after making a successful high claim against Blake Bodily. Garner was unable to continue after the contact and was replaced by Luis Zamudio, assessed as a concussion substitution.
With 10 minutes of stoppage time added, the Battery pushed forward for a breakthrough goal before halftime.
That moment came in the fourth minute of stoppage time when the Rowdies authored their own demise with an own goal by Robert Castellanos, gifting the Battery a 1-0 lead. The issue was forced by Rubio Rubín, who delivered a cross to Cal Jennings in the box, but Castellanos’s attempt to disrupt the play led to a deflection that sent the ball into the net.
At the break, Charleston took the 1-0 lead while also holding roughly 67% of possession.
Play resumed in the second half with the Rowdies looking to make the most of the remaining 45 minutes left to win Group 6, or face the uncertainty of losing the group and being knocked out.
Charleston, however, were just as eager to add to their lead out of the break. Halftime sub Aaron Molloy came within inches of doing that in the 66th minute off a free kick, but his strike hit off the crossbar.
MD Myers made an instant impact off the bench and doubled the Battery’s lead in the 71st minute, roughly 10 minutes after entering the match. Molloy provided the service with a perfectly played through ball between the lines, and Myers won the foot race with Thomas Vancaeyezeele before slotting his shot into the far corner to make the score 2-0.
The goal was Myers’ 12th of the season across all competitions, and his fourth against the Rowdies in 2025. Molloy’s assist was his third of the year.
Tampa Bay began to make a last-ditch bid for a comeback in the dying moments of the match, with Woobens Pacius hitting a shot off the post in the 84th minute.
The Rowdies managed to pull one back in the 91st minute via Joey Skinner to cut the score to 2-1.
Charleston held on to secure the 2-1 victory, sinking Tampa Bay’s aspirations in the Jägermeister Cup. The Rowdies were effectively knocked out of the tournament after the results around Group 6 saw the Rowdies slide to second place and out of a wild-card spot.
The Battery completed a season sweep with their third victory of 2025 over Tampa Bay across all competitions. Charleston’s three wins were by a margin of 7-3.
Despite the result, Charleston’s run in the Jägermeister Cup comes to a close in the group stage after a record of 1W-2L-1D (5pts), including one penalty shootout win, placing them fifth in Group 6. Greenville Triumph SC won the group, leapfrogging the Rowdies after defeating FC Naples.