Rhode Island FC Falls Apart Against Memphis 901 FC

The draw kings debacle

Photo Courtesy of USL Championship

Rhode Island FC headed down to Memphis for a mid-week matchup and after a positive performance for most of the match, RIFC fell apart.

Khano Smith deployed a 4-2-3-1 with Koke Vegas starting in goal. Karifa Yao, Stephen Turnbull, Kofi Twumasi, and Frank Nodarse made up the back line while Marc Ybarra and Conor McGlynn served as defensive midfielders.

Mark Doyle, Clay Holstad, and Gabriel Alves were the trio in the midfield while JJ Williams was the lone striker up top.

Memphis 901 FC nearly found a goal early on in the match as Marlon got behind the back line in the eighth minute but his shot trickled wide of goal.

A trademark of Smith’s tactical style has been how his team presses and it paid off in the 18th minute as after forcing a turnover and winning a throw-in, Williams flicked a pass to McGlynn who smashed the ball into the net. McGlynn had an unfortunate miss in the 26th minute that would have seen Rhode Island double its lead.

RIFC’s back line was tested as Marlon was a constant threat in the attack. The forward found ways to get in on goal and test Vegas. The Rhode Island goalkeeper made plenty of great saves throughout the match. his save in the 43rd minute was phenomenal.

In the second half, Rhode Island was able to maintain possession as they looked to see out the win. Vegas continued to be a star in net and RIFC was solid in the back.

Smith made his first change as Noah Fuson and Joe Brito replaced McGlynn and Doyle in the 63rd minute. Brito would make an immediate impact as a Noah Fuson shot squeaked past Tyler Deric and Brito slid to punch it home.

Vegas’ impressive night came to an unfortunate end as a risky challenge saw him get issued a red card. Jackson Lee was forced to enter the match after the card as he replaced Fuson. Memphis converted on the ensuing free kick to make the finale of the match much more intriguing.

To make matters worse, Karifa Yao ended up fouling a Memphis 901 attacker in the box and a penalty was awarded in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time. Marlon calmly whipped the shot into the back of the net to tie the match.

Vegas’ red card was the moment of the match. It changed the course of the game and seemingly doomed RIFC to a 2-2 draw. Vegas is a veteran player, he needs to be smarter when protecting a lead.

RIFC doesn’t play until June 22 when they return to the road to face Louisville City FC. That will give fans plenty of time to forget about a terrible ending to a match that Rhode Islan easily could have won.