2024 Rhode Island FC season

Rhode Island FC

2024 season
Head coach	Khano Smith
Stadium	Beirne Stadium, Smithfield, RI
USL Championship	Eastern Conference: 8th place
U.S. Open Cup	Third Round
Highest home attendance	5,252 (March 16)
Lowest home attendance	3,481 (June 26)
Average home league attendance	4,207
Biggest win	LOU 2–5 RI (June 22) RI 3–0 ELP (June 26)
Biggest defeat	TB 4–1 RI (March 30)
Home colors Away colors
2025 →
All statistics correct as of 1:00, July 6, 2024 (UTC).

The 2024 Rhode Island FC season is the first ever season for Rhode Island FC. The club debuted in the USL Championship, the second tier of professional soccer in the United States.

Preseason

RIFC announced their first player signing on November 1, 2023,^[1] and continued to add players to the team over the course of the winter. By mid-January, the team had announced 15 players under contract, and brought players and coaches together for training camp starting on January 15, 2024.

Training camp was held in outdoors in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and indoors at a facility in North Smithfield, Rhode Island.^[2] The team worked out in Rhode Island before continuing on to a two-week session at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, including closed-door friendlies against MLS and MLS reserve clubs. A 6-day training session in Bermuda, capped by two exhibition matches against a Bermuda select team, was held in late February.^[3][4] A free friendly against Providence College's men's soccer team rounded out the team's preseason.

High-profile signings including Koke Vegas,^[1] JJ Williams,^[5] and reigning USL most valuable player and golden boot winner Albert Dikwa,^[6] led to high expectations for an expansion team. The team entered the season with projections of making the USL playoffs, and being a contender for a home playoff game at the end of the season.^[7]

Regular Season

March

The team played its inaugural regular season game against New Mexico United on March 16, 2024, at Beirne Stadium.^[8] The game was announced as a complete sellout with attendance of 5,252 people. After falling behind in the second half, RIFC scored an equalizer in stoppage time to finish with a 1-1 draw. The goal was initially credited to Mark Doyle,^[9] but was determined to be an own goal scored by New Mexico's Chris Gloster.^[10]

After the inaugural home game, RIFC had a two-game road trip to Monterey Bay FC and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. In their initial away game, Albert Dikwa scored the first goal by an RIFC player, following up with a second goal later in the game.^[11] Despite Dikwa's brace, the team tied Monterey Bay 2-2.^[12] In their game at Tampa, the team took a 1-0 first-half lead, but lost 4-1.^[13]

April

RIFC opened April with a pair of scoreless draws, home against Charleston^[14] and Pittsburgh.^[15] Goalie Jackson Lee, playing in place of injured Koke Vegas, recorded the first two clean sheets of his career, and was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for each game.^[16][17]

After not scoring or conceding in consecutive games, RIFC scored and gave up four goals in its U.S. Open Cup debut on April 16 at USL League One side Charlotte Independence. In the Third Round cup game, RIFC was tied 3-3 at the end of regulation, and 4-4 after extra time. During the ensuing penalty shootout, RIFC had a chance to win 4-3 in penalties, but ended up losing 5-4 in seven rounds of shots, with Charlotte advancing over RIFC to the Fourth Round.^[18] The eight-goal game was the highest-scoring to that point of the tournament.^[19]

Once back in league play, RIFC played at Las Vegas on April 20. Goals by Stephen Turnbull and Noah Fuson were enough to secure the first victory in team history.^[20] Turnbull and coach Khano Smith were named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for the goal and for the team's first win.^[21]

Playing at home against defending champions Phoenix Rising FC, RIFC closed the month with a 3-1 loss.^[22]

May

The team opened May with a goalless draw on the road at North Carolina. Koke Vegas returned from injury absence and recorded his first clean sheet for the team.^[23]

On May 10, RIFC announced that New England Revolution midfielder Jack Panayotou was sent on loan to the team.^[24] Panayotou played the following day in their game against unbeaten Western Conference first-place Sacramento Republic FC, providing an assist on the team's go-ahead goal.^[25] A late Sacramento goal resulted in a 2-2 tie.^[26]

On May 23, the Boston Globe reported that team President Brett Luy was leaving the team to take a special advisory position with Fortuitous Partners, the corporation that is developing the team's Tidewater Landing stadium.^[27]

The team's final game in May was against second-place Louisville City FC. The goalless draw at home was the first time in the 2024 season that a clean sheet was recorded against the Louisville team.^[28]

Player movement

In

No.	Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
1	GK	Koke Vegas	San Diego Loyal	Free transfer	November 1, 2023	[1]
28	MF	Conor McGlynn	Hartford Athletic	Free transfer	November 8, 2023	[29][30]
5	DF	Grant Stoneman	San Diego Loyal	Free transfer	November 8, 2023	[31]
77	MF	Amos Shapiro-Thompson	New York Red Bulls II	Free transfer	November 9, 2023	[32][33]
14	FW	Mark Doyle	St Patrick's Athletic	Free transfer	November 21, 2023	[34][35]
7	MF	Prince Saydee	Hartford Athletic	Free transfer	December 1, 2023	[36]
9	FW	JJ Williams	Tampa Bay Rowdies	Undisclosed fee	December 4, 2023	[5]
18	MF	Joe Brito	Union Omaha	Free transfer	December 7, 2023	[37]
16	DF	Gabriel Alves	Birmingham Legion	Free transfer	December 11, 2023	[38]
23	MF	Marc Ybarra	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	Free transfer	December 14, 2023	[39]
15	DF	Frank Nodarse	Rio Grande Valley FC Toros	Free transfer	December 21, 2023	[40]
22	GK	Jackson Lee	West Virginia Mountaineers	Free transfer	December 22, 2023	[41]
3	DF	Stephen Turnbull	New York City FC	Free transfer	December 29, 2023	[42][43]
17	MF	Jojea Kwizera	CF Montreal	Free transfer	January 4, 2024	[44]
12	DF	Clay Holstad	Columbus Crew 2	Free transfer	January 12, 2024	[45]
11	FW	Noah Fuson	Columbus Crew 2	Free transfer	January 16, 2024	[46]
10	FW	Albert Dikwa	Pittsburgh Riverhounds	Free transfer	January 19, 2024	[6]
24	DF	Karifa Yao	Vancouver Whitecaps	Free transfer	January 23, 2024	[47]
21	MF	Kofi Twumasi	Atlanta United 2	Free transfer	January 24, 2024	[48]
30	GK	Nate Silveira	Crown Legacy FC	Free transfer	February 20, 2024	[49]
19	MF	Kevin Vang	Providence Friars	Free transfer	February 20, 2024	[49]
2	DF	Nathan Messer	Providence Friars	Free transfer	March 13, 2024	[49]
4	DF	Collin Smith	New England Revolution II	Free transfer	March 29, 2024	[49]
25	MF	Kevin Orduy	Rio Grande Valley FC Toros	Free transfer	April 25, 2024	[50]
80	MF	Isaac Angking	Columbus Crew 2	Free transfer	April 30, 2024	[51]
8	MF	Jack Panayotou	New England Revolution	Loan	May 10, 2024	[52]
20	MF	Zachary Herivaux	Tampa Bay Rowdies	Undisclosed fee	July 3, 2024	[53]

Out

No.	Pos.	Player	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Source
8	MF	Jack Panayotou	New England Revolution	Recall of loan	June 4, 2024	[54]
7	MF	Prince Saydee	Charleston Battery	Undisclosed fee	June 27, 2024	[55]

Roster

As of July 3, 2024^[56]

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ESP	Koke Vegas
2	DF	USA	Nathan Messer
3	DF	USA	Stephen Turnbull
4	DF	USA	Collin Smith
5	DF	USA	Grant Stoneman
9	FW	USA	JJ Williams
10	FW	CMR	Albert Dikwa
11	FW	USA	Noah Fuson
12	DF	USA	Clay Holstad
14	FW	IRL	Mark Doyle
15	DF	CUB	Frank Nodarse
16	DF	BRA	Gabriel Alves
17	MF	RWA	Jojea Kwizera
18	MF	USA	Joe Brito
19	MF	USA	Kevin Vang
20	MF	HAI	Zachary Herivaux
21	MF	GHA	Kofi Twumasi
22	GK	AUS	Jackson Lee
23	MF	USA	Marc Ybarra
24	DF	CAN	Karifa Yao
25	MF	COL	Kevin Orduy
28	MF	USA	Conor McGlynn
30	GK	USA	Nate Silveira
77	MF	USA	Amos Shapiro-Thompson
80	MF	PUR	Isaac Angking

Competitions

Preseason friendlies

On November 20, 2023, Rhode Island FC announced that the Bermuda Football Association would host the team for a week of training from February 23 to 28, 2024. The partnership was spurred by Khano Smith, Rhode Island's manager and a former Bermuda national football team player.^[57]

Bermuda Select v Rhode Island FC

February 25	Bermuda Select	0–8	Rhode Island FC	Hamilton, Bermuda
6:00PM		Report	Fuson Kwizera Brito Saydee Ybarra	Stadium: Dame Flora Duffy South Field Stadium

Bermuda Select v Rhode Island FC

February 27	Bermuda Select	1–5	Rhode Island FC	Hamilton, Bermuda
8:00PM	Hall	Report	Dikwa Angking (trialist) Fuson Saydee	Stadium: Dame Flora Duffy South Field Stadium

USL Championship

Eastern Conference

Results summary

Regular Season

All times in Eastern Time Zone.

U.S. Open Cup

Along with 15 other teams in the USL Championship, RIFC entered the 2024 U.S. Open Cup in the third round. They played the first ever U.S. Open Cup game in club history in Charlotte, North Carolina against the Charlotte Independence of USL League One. The game ended in a 4–4 draw after extra time, with the Independence advancing to the next round after a penalty shootout.^[18]

Charlotte Independence (USL1) v Rhode Island FC (USLC)

April 16, 2024 Third Round	Charlotte Independence (USL1)	4–4 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p)	Rhode Island FC (USLC)	Charlotte, North Carolina
7:00PM	Obregon 26' (pen.), 95' Mbuyu 35' Álvarez 72'  81' Pack  108' Dimick  120'	Report	McGlynn 11' Messer 45+2' Twumasi  50' Holstad 50' Doyle  55' Yao  90+8' Turnbull 115'	Stadium: American Legion Memorial Stadium Referee: Shawn Tehini
	Penalties
	Belmar Mbuyu Álvarez Spielman Dimick Djedje Sorenson		Dikwa Fuson Kwizera Doyle Brito Holstad Alves

Player statistics

Goals

Place	Pos.	No.	Name	USL Championship	US Open Cup	USLC Playoffs	Total
1	FW	10	Albert Dikwa	4	0	0	4
2	DF	3	Stephen Turnbull	2	1	0	3
2	DF	12	Clay Holstad	2	1	0	3
2	FW	11	Noah Fuson	3	0	0	3
2	DF	15	Frank Nodarse	3	0	0	3
6	MF	28	Conor McGlynn	1	1	0	2
6	MF	17	Jojea Kwizera	2	0	0	2
6	MF	80	Isaac Angking	2	0	0	2
9	DF	2	Nathan Messer	0	1	0	1
9	DF	24	Karifa Yao	1	0	0	1
9	FW	14	Mark Doyle	1	0	0	1
9	MF	18	Joe Brito	1	0	0	1
9	FW	9	JJ Williams	1	0	0	1
Own Goals				1	0	0	1
Total				24	4	0	29

Assists

Place	Pos.	No.	Name	USL Championship	US Open Cup	USLC Playoffs	Total
1	FW	11	Noah Fuson	4	0	0	4
2	FW	9	JJ Williams	3	0	0	3
3	MF	8	Jack Panayotou	2	0	0	2
3	DF	3	Stephen Turnbull	2	0	0	2
3	MF	23	Marc Ybarra	2	0	0	2
6	GK	22	Jackson Lee	1	0	0	1
6	DF	4	Collin Smith	0	1	0	1
6	FW	14	Mark Doyle	0	1	0	1
6	FW	12	Clay Holstad	1	0	0	1
6	MF	18	Joe Brito	1	0	0	1
6	MF	17	Jojea Kwizera	1	0	0	1
6	MF	80	Isaac Angking	1	0	0	1
6	FW	10	Albert Dikwa	1	0	0	1
Total				19	2	0	21

Clean Sheets

Place	Pos.	No.	Name	USL Championship	US Open Cup	USLC Playoffs	Total
1	GK	22	Jackson Lee	3	0	0	3
1	GK	1	Koke Vegas	2	0	0	2
Total				5	0	0	5

Disciplinary

No.	Pos.	Name	USL Championship		US Open Cup		USLC Playoffs		Total
1	GK	Koke Vegas		1						1
3	DF	Stephen Turnbull	3						3
4	DF	Collin Smith	2						2
5	DF	Grant Stoneman	2						2
7	MF	Prince Saydee	1						1
9	FW	JJ Williams	1						1
10	FW	Albert Dikwa	4						4
11	FW	Noah Fuson	2						2
12	DF	Clay Holstad	6						6
14	FW	Mark Doyle	3		1				4
15	DF	Frank Nodarse	4						4
16	DF	Gabriel Alves	3						3
17	MF	Jojea Kwizera	2						2
18	MF	Joe Brito	1						1
21	MF	Kofi Twumasi	3		1				4
22	GK	Jackson Lee	2						2
23	MF	Marc Ybarra	3						3
24	DF	Karifa Yao	4		1				5
28	MF	Conor McGlynn	2	2					2	2
Total			45	3	3	0	0	0	48	3

League Honors

2024 Season

• USL Team of the Week
  • Week 2 – Clay Holstad^[58]
  • Week 3 – Albert Dikwa^[59]
  • Week 5, 6 – Jackson Lee^[16][17]
  • Week 7, 16 – Stephen Turnbull^[21][60]
  • Week 12 – Koke Vegas^[61]
  • Week 13 (bench) – Mark Doyle ^[62]
  • Week 16, 17 – Jojea Kwizera^[60][63]
  • Week 16 (bench) – Joe Brito^[60]
• USL Coach of the Week
  • Week 7, 16 – Khano Smith^[21][60]

References