Including the previous Tampa Bay Rowdies, it was the 25th season of a franchise in the Tampa Bay metro area with the Rowdies moniker.

On October 2, 2018, the Tampa Bay Rays baseball club announced their purchase the Rowdies for an undisclosed amount, pending St. Petersburg City Council approval.

Once the sale was finalized, Rays presidents Matthew Silverman and Brian Auld became vice chairmen of the soccer club.

They, along with Rowdies vice president and chief operating officer Lee Cohen, became the team's directors.

[1][2] The Rowdies hosted Major League Soccer teams in the Suncoast Invitational for the third year in a row.