ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —  The Tampa Bay Rowdies survived a ten-goal thriller in the Round of 32 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night at Al Lang Stadium, prevailing 6-4 over Birmingham Legion FC after extra time.

Tampa Bay will now host FC Dallas in the Round of 16, with the date and kickoff time for that match set to be confirmed on Thursday afternoon.

The Rowdies also will face Birmingham again Saturday in regular league action. That kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.  

“It was an entertaining game, a stressful game at the end for sure, but we managed to get over the line and we’re now on to the next round of the cup, which is the important thing,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “We’ve now got an MLS team to play, which will be a great night for everyone here at Al Lang.”

It was smooth sailing for the Rowdies through the first half and most of the night. In the 79th minute, forward Cal Jennings was subbed off the field after completing a hat trick and increasing Tampa Bay’s lead to 4-0. But Birmingham did not go down lightly. The visitors scored in the 82nd minute, 89th minute, the third minute of stoppage, and then finally converted from the penalty spot in the sixth minute of stoppage time to send the match into extra time.

Damian Rivera opened the scoring for the Rowdies in the 25th minute. Receiving a ball from Blake Bodily on the left flank, Rivera slipped into the box and shook off a defender before firing a shot past keeper Fernando Delgado. Rivera was also involved in Tampa Bay’s second tally in the 34th minute. The young Rowdies attacker lunged out as Delgado was attempting a clearance at the top of the box, getting just enough of the ball to redirect it to an unmarked Jennings to finish.

Birmingham’s rally started only three minutes later through a strike from Enzo Martinez. Kobe Hernandez-Foster then cut the lead to two goals with a left-footed strike from outside the box that beat Rowdies keeper Jordan Farr to the far post. Tyler Pasher put the visitors back on level terms with a finish in the box and then a second from the penalty spot after Tampa Bay’s Eddie Munjomas was whistled for a controversial penalty.

Needing something special to regain some momentum in the match, the Rowdies found just that with a miraculous strike from Manuel Arteaga in the 102nd minute of extra time. Munjoma provided the assist with a dangerous cross from the corner and Arteaga took it from there with a sizzling overhead kick to put the Rowdies back in front. Seven minutes later, Arteaga sealed the result with a second goal.

OPEN CUP

Now in its 109th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s Club Championship – has crowned a champion since 1914 in every year except 2020 and 2021.

The Rowdies enter the Round of 32 alongside seven other USL Championship clubs and eight MLS teams to face the advancing 16 teams from the third round. In 2023, the Rowdies were knocked out of the competition in the third round.

The U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge trophy.

The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.