Rhode Island FC Salvages Point in Classic Draw Kings Showing

A return to mediocrity for RIFC

Photo Courtesy of Rhode Island FC

Rhode Island FC looked frustratingly returned to its early season form — as the club is on pace to set the USL Championship’s record for draws in a season — throughout Saturday’s match against Detroit City FC.

Despite decent control of an away game in which the Tide outshot, outpassed, and out-possessed the home team, they failed to take all their clear-cut chances and looked to be deservedly out of any points at all until RIFC midfielder Clay Holstad made it all happen entirely by himself to bang a beautiful moonshot into the back of Detroit’s net in the dying embers of the match.

I’ll come back to that, but 21 matches into the 34-match USL Championship season, it’s unclear whether Rhode Island is the team that’s scored for fun in recent weeks or the team that plays exactly to the level of their competition; no better and no worse. They stand in 8th place – dead last among the playoff places – in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference having drawn more than half of their matches.

Rhode Island is on pace to draw 18 games total, smashing the previous record of 14. Will that be enough to secure the first playoff berth in club history? Only time will tell.

Detroit came into Saturday’s match winless in its last five games, while Rhode Island came in on a three-game winning streak, and not having lost in seven. In case it hasn’t been spoiled for you already, the former and latter streaks were both maintained and extended.

Rhode Island FC’s three-man back line struggled early, as RIFC goalkeeper Koke Vegas made a tremendous diving save in only the third minute to stop a sure Detroit goal. The ball rebounded back into play, but the resulting second Detroit shot was skyed well over the goal, giving RIFC a break they may not have deserved.

The momentum did not all go Detroit’s way, however, as Rhode Island’s attack –led by strikers JJ Williams and Albert “Chico” Dikwa, midfielder Noah Fuson, and wingback Stephen Turnbull — generated several chances of their own. In some cases, these were stymied by the strenuous efforts of Detroit City’s defense and DCFC goalkeeper Nate Steinwascher. Rhode Island was also just as often foiled by a lack of effort from RIFC, especially Fuson, who seemed to shy away from the ball whenever too good a chance came along and through severe mishits by Williams, Chico, and Turnbull. Notable was an incredible chance in the 43rd minute engineered by Turnbull, who by individual hustle scammed the ball from Detroit and latched onto a through pass from Dikwa to go one-on-one with Detroit’s Steinwascher but the resulting shot dribbled disappointingly wide left and the score remained nil-nil to close out the first half.

The second half was much more sedate, with fewer clear chances, fewer great saves, and fewer agonizing misses, at least until a flurry of chances for Detroit City FC began with a corner in the 73rd minute. First, DCFC midfielder Maxi Rodriguez – who flopped and rolled around in hysterics every single time he was tackled – banged a should-have-been-goal off the crossbar, and then finally DC broke through in the 77th minute after RIFC failed multiple times to clear the ball.

Detroit striker Ben Morris received a bobbled ball from the Tide’s defenders and banged it into the net beyond Vegas’ left side, as he once again stood frozen to the spot when perhaps diving could have prevented the goal. Rhode Island FC received another blow shortly after as Isaac Angking fell down with a non-contact injury to the left knee. Hopefully, it was only a cramp from the heat but he was subbed off shortly after for fellow midfielder Joe Brito, who would have an outsized impact given his short minutes.

Rhode Island’s next chance came three minutes into stoppage time, when Holstad received a pass from Brito down Detroit’s right-hand side, then cut in with a burst of speed and beat several DCFC defenders to absolutely blast a trademark shot from outside and beyond the center of the box which screamed past a ducking Rodriguez and the diving Steinwascher’s right side and bulged the back of the net to tie the game. Rhode Island FC had a couple more chances before the seven minutes of second-half stoppage time expired, including a near-miss bicycle kick from Brito, but they ultimately failed to convert them.

Still, given the late comeback, few will be disappointed with Rhode Island scraping a point from this match, which feels almost more than they deserve, given their consistent inability to capitalize and convert on their statistical superiority.

Rhode Island FC will continue their away trip with their next match at Indy Eleven on Wednesday, August 7, at 7:00 pm ET, before returning home for their second rivalry match against Hartford Athletic at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, Rhode Island, at 7:30 pm ET on Saturday, August 10. The three-game eight-day stretch marks RIFC’s last of the season.