Micaletto's late wonderstrike lifts 10-man Rowdies past Miami FC 3-2

USL Championship · By Sarah Mitchell · July 27, 2026

Marco Micaletto bent a late winner past Miami FC and sent the Tampa Bay Rowdies home with a 3-2 road victory despite finishing with 10 men at Pitbull Stadium. With about 10 minutes left, Micaletto delivered the kind of finish that turns a chaotic night into three points.

Tampa Bay had built a two-goal lead, then watched Miami claw all the way back into the match. The home side’s rally forced the Rowdies to absorb pressure while short-handed, and the scoreline was level again before Micaletto settled it with a strike that cut through the tension and restored Tampa Bay’s control at the decisive moment.

The result was the latest reminder that this Rowdies group can survive ugly stretches, but it also exposed the danger in giving an opponent that much room to breathe. Miami did not need long to make Tampa Bay pay once the game opened up, and the comeback from two goals down showed real fight from a side that refused to fold in front of its own crowd. For Tampa Bay, the difference was composure in the final phase and a midfielder willing to take the moment.

Micaletto’s finish also fit the profile of the player Tampa Bay targeted when it acquired him from Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Nov. 25, 2025. He arrived after a 2025 campaign that produced seven goals and three assists, and his résumé already included two USL League One All-League selections with South Georgia Tormenta FC and MVP honors in the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro Cup for Columbus Crew 2. Tampa Bay did not need a theory on paper in Miami, only a player with the confidence to cash in under pressure.

Tampa Bay Rowdies — Wikimedia Commons — Franksgiving via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Rowdies’ own recap called it a shorthanded 3-2 win, and the league’s match report framed it the same way, a 10-player Tampa Bay victory in a back-and-forth clash after Miami rallied from a two-goal deficit. That makes the performance feel like a test, not just a result. The Rowdies found the answer this time, but stronger opponents will make them pay more often if they keep inviting this kind of scramble.