2025 Rhode Island FC Season Preview
Rhode Island will look to pick up where they left off as they kick-off their 2025 campaign Saturday night!
Following a historic campaign that saw Rhode Island FC reach the USL Championship in the team’s inaugural season, 2025 is shaping up to be another exciting year for the Amber and Blue.
Whether you’re a new fan just dipping your toe into the world of Rhode Island FC or a loyal fan who’s been on the train since day one, there’s plenty to look forward to.
2024 – What Happened?
On March 16, 2024 Rhode Island FC welcomed fans to Beirne Stadium in Smithfield for the club’s first ever regular season match against New Mexico United, which ended in a 1-1 draw with Rhode Island’s goal being credited as an own-goal. Credit for the first goal in RIFC history would go to Albert Dikwa, who bagged a brace in the club’s second match which also ended in a tie.
The team got their first win on against Las Vegas on April 20, thanks to first half goals from Stephen Turnbull and Noah Fuson.
Following the win Rhode Island appeared to hit a rough patch, losing to Phoenix 3-1, drawing twice more against North Carolina and Sacramento, and losing to Colorado 3-1, before tying arguably the best team in the league Louisville and being the first team to hold them without a goal.
Rhode Island would continue to find its footing before earning the second win of the season, a 5-2 thrashing against that same Louisville team. The win seemed to be a turning point in the season for the Amber and Blue, winning 10 of their final 19 games with 6 ties and just 3 losses.
Finishing the season 12-7-15 put Rhode Island at fifth in the East, setting the scene for a historic Cinderella run. Spending the entirety of their postseason on the road, Rhode Island was able to outlast Indy Eleven 3-2, shutout Louisville once more 3-0, and edge past Charleston Battery 2-1, before finally running out of gas against Colorado Springs in the final.
Extensions
Khano Smith will be back at the helm again for Rhode Island in 2025 and it was announced that Smith had signed a multi-year extension with the club.
Karifa Yao, who was named Rhode Island’s Defender of the Year for 2024 also returns to anchor the back line. Yao was an integral member of the defense, appearing in all but one match last season and he led the team in minutes played (3,247), passes (1,508), clearances (153), and blocks (29). His first season in the USL also saw him tally his first goal during the club’s draw against Sacramento Republic FC on May 11.
Clay Holstad also signed a multi-year deal with Rhode Island ahead of the new season, solidifying himself as a key component in RI’s midfield. The midfielder scored four goals and had two assists in 2024, playing a total of 3,052 minutes across 34 appearances and earning nods on the USL Team of the Week in March and October.
The league’s Golden Playmaker and Rhode Island’s Player of the Year Noah Fuson inked a new multi-year deal back in January, keeping the forward in Rhode Island for the foreseeable future. Fuson had a league-leading 10 assists in 2024, with nine goals in 37 appearances for the club. Throughout the course of the season Fuson had 18 goal contributions, with half of them coming in the team’s final six games of the season.
Finally, defender Frank Nodarse also penned a multi-year extension with Rhode Island after an impressive 2024 season. Nodarse was one of only two players to appear in all 38 games for the club last season, making 35 starts in the back line and scoring a career high six goals in 3,015 minutes. With five of his six goals coming in the form of headers, make sure to be on the look for “Air Frank” during set pieces and corner kicks throughout 2025.
Departures
Following the USL Final, Rhode Island announced their initial end of season roster moves which included the loss of several prominent names from 2024.
It was announced that Morris Duggan (Minnesota United) and Jack Panayotou (New England Revolution) would both be returning to their parent clubs. Duggan appeared in just nine matches totaling 908 minutes for the Amber and Blue, but his presence on the field made it feel like he was here much longer. Panayotou appeared in 12 matches for RIFC, playing 763 minutes and putting up three assists on the season.
In January the club announced that defender Stephen Turnbull had been transferred to Birmingham Legion FC for an undisclosed fee. Turnbull was another stalwart on the Rhode Island back line, appearing in all 34 regular season matches with 31 of those being starts and tallying three goals.
Other losses included goalkeeper Nate Silveira, Rhode Island’s first player signed from the Ocean State and recipient of the 2024 Anchored in Community Award, who announced his retirement from professional soccer. Nathan Messer, Mark Doyle, Gabriel Alves, and Conor McGlynn all had their options declined and have since signed with other clubs across USL.
Additions
It was quite the busy off-season for the club, as they bolstered the roster with several signings that are sure to fill holes and add the necessary depth that the team needs going into the new year.
Rhode Island announced their first acquisition back in December, signing 2024 USL All-League First Team selection and former Detroit City FC midfielder Maxi Rodriguez. Rodriguez spent the last four seasons with Detroit, leading the team in both goals (10) and assists (9) in 2024 as his former squad finished third in the Eastern Conference.
Despite losing Morris Duggan to Minnesota United, Rhode Island will attempt to fill that gap after signing Hugo Bacharach, a first-round MLS SuperDraft pick in 2024 who made his professional debut with Minnesota and finished his first season with nine appearances for the club’s MLS Next Pro squad and three for the first team.
Rhode Island added two more new faces in January, announcing the signings of midfielder Taimu Okiyoshi and defender Dani Rovira. Okiyoshi signed his first professional contract after playing at Marshall University where he started 62 of 63 games across three seasons, including captaining his squad in the national championship game in 2024.
Rovira debuted in the USL Championship in 2019, accumulating 138 appearances across six seasons with the Pittsburg Riverhounds. Winning the Players’ Shield in 2023, Rovira scored one goal and tallied 14 assists during his time with Pittsburg and spent four years playing with his current Rhode Island teammate Albert Dikwa.
Finally, Rhode Island rounded things out with the signings of two new defenders in Aldair Sanchez and Cole Dewhurst.
Schedule
With plenty to look forward to in 2025, here are just a few dates to circle on your calendar.
Rhode Island will kick off its 2025 campaign with a five game road trip, beginning March 15 with a rematch of last season’s Conference Championship against the Charleston Battery. RIFC will also face off against Phoenix, Loudoun, Oakland, and Detroit before welcoming fans to Tidewater Landing for the home opener on May 3.
Rhode Island will be participating in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup once again in 2025, looking for redemption after bowing out early in 2024. RIFC will join all 24 USL Championship teams participating and will enter the competition in the Third Round from April 15-16.
On April 27 RIFC will travel to Westchester for their first match of the inaugural Jägermeister Cup, a game that will see some familiar faces in Conor McGlynn and Price Saydee who both signed with Westchester SC in the offseason.
If you couldn’t get enough of the excitement of last season’s rivalry against Hartford you’ll want to ensure you’re part of the action again in July when the Amber and Blue host not one, but two iterations of El Clamico back-to-back. Rhode Island will welcome the Latics on July 19 for regular season action, and then again on the 26th for the Jägermeister Cup.