Rhode Island FC Draws Monterey Bay FC 1-1 in Pawtucket

There is such a thing as being too unselfish

Photo Courtesy of Rhode Island FC

Rhode Island FC has a problem… a huge one.

At the moment, they stand 10th in the league with just six goals for in seven whole matches. There are players in the league with higher totals than that. That record is tied for second-worst in the league both proportionally and totally with only the lowly Hartford Athletic scoring fewer. That’s an abysmal tally by any standards, and especially so by the standards of the team that won the Eastern Conference last season.

Now, to be fair, Head Coach Khano Smith has had a limited set of players to work with. Striker JJ Williams is out injured, and fellow striker Albert “Chico” Dikwa is still returning to match fitness having been out for several weeks himself.

The backline has seen similar injuries, but thanks to the great play of newer signings like Aime Mabika, Rio Hope-Gund, Taimu Okiyoshi, and Aldair Sanchez the impact hasn’t been as great. Unfortunately, that defensive solidarity belies their complete inability to attack.

For one, they lack the aggressiveness that the now-sold fullback Stephen Turnbull brought to the attack. More immediately important, however, is the play of Williams and Dikwa.

Williams is a boom-or-bust player. He has had more multi-goal games than he has had single-goal games for the club and more games with no goals than the previous two categories combined.

Dikwa adds more to the attack than Williams does. Where Williams is a poacher, Chico makes plays happen and gets the ball to the right place. It’s no coincidence that Williams and Chico play best when on the pitch together.

That said, after a magical season with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2023, Chico has not reached those heights with RIFC. Sure, he’s a great playmaker and an incredible second-striker, but his goal tally and proportion are similar to Williams. Neither is bringing the goals the club needs them to, despite consistently outshooting and outpossessing the opponent.

Rhode Island goalkeeper Koke Vegas continues to be excellent between the sticks, as he made several key saves and was only beaten when let down by his defenders in the 17th minute. Rhode Island chased the match after that, and while it chased hard, the Tide missed every opportunity they were given until midfielder, supersub, and local hero Joe Brito chested down a Monterey misclearance off a corner in the eighteen-yard box in the 77th minute and volleyed it home into the top-right corner of the net. The goal should certainly be a contender for goal of the week, no doubt about it.

With the tie, Rhode Island FC are not just out of the Open Cup due to last week’s close 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution, but have fallen to 10th in the USL Championship Eastern Conference, two full spots from the playoff zone. They also have accumulated three draws through seven matches, and again are putting themselves into early competition against last season’s record-setting draw numbers.

Rhode Island FC will have their next match away against Birmingham Legion FC on Wednesday, May 14, at 8:00 PM ET. The match will feature multiple reunions, as Smith returns once again to face his former club while defender Turnbull takes the pitch against his old club Rhode Island FC for the first time in his career.