Tampa Bay Rowdies cruised to a dominant 4–0 victory over Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday night, with Matt Myers stealing the show by netting a hat trick. A.J. Paterson opened the scoring in the 30th minute, Myers added a brace before halftime, then completed his treble with two quick goals early in the second half.

The Rowdies controlled the first half from the moment Paterson broke the deadlock, heading or striking home — the details unclear — but the scoreboard read 1–0 with an hour still to play. Birmingham barely had time to regroup. Myers made it 2–0 just nine minutes later in the 39th minute, and the Legion went into the break with plenty of work to do.

Whatever Birmingham manager's halftime message was, it didn't land. Myers struck again in the 56th minute, finishing off a ball from Max Schneider to put the game firmly beyond reach at 3–0. Four minutes later, he completed his hat trick, making it 4–0 and effectively ending the contest as a competitive affair.

Frustration crept into Birmingham's game from that point. Jay Heaps had already been booked just before Myers's third goal, and Romario Williams and Samuel Shashoua followed him into the referee's notebook in the 68th and 72nd minutes respectively. Tampa Bay picked up a couple of yellows of their own through Charlie Ostrem and Laurence Wyke, but by then the result was long settled.

The comprehensive win strengthens Tampa Bay's position in the USL Championship standings as the season enters its final stretch, while Birmingham will need a sharp turnaround to arrest what was a thoroughly disappointing evening on the road.