Rhode Island FC vs San Antonio: 3 Thoughts

It was a day to remember for Rhode Island FC following their first match in their brand new home in Pawtucket on Saturday afternoon.

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

It was a day to remember for Rhode Island FC following their first match in their brand new home in Pawtucket on Saturday afternoon. Despite a scoreless draw against the top team in the West — making them the first team to keep San Antonio off the score sheet in 2025 — Rhode Island put on a show for the sold-out home crowd and provided fans with just a glimpse of the things to come now that they have their very own stadium.

Here are three takeaways from the match.

1. Rhode Island Loves Soccer

Rhode Island FC co-founder and chairman Brett Johnson had nothing but praise following RIFC’s first match at Centreville Bank Stadium.

“I’m so proud of the way this is touching Rhode Islanders…It’s everything I could have dreamed of and hoped for seven years ago,” Johnson said.

With an announced attendance of 10,700 for the first match at Centreville Bank Stadium — exceeding the 10,500 seat capacity thanks to the addition of standing room only for the opener — Rhode Island FC topped the USL Championship attendances for the week. Fans were lined up well before gates opened on Saturday, and once they were allowed to enter it only took what felt like a few moments for the concourse to be buzzing with activity.

Way back when the concept of this stadium first came around, there were plenty of pessimists voicing their opinions on why professional soccer in Rhode Island could never work and how no one really cared enough to fill any kind of stadium they tried to build. After jumping through numerous hoops and dealing with setback after setback, it’s safe to say that Rhode Islanders could not have been more excited for their team to have a home of their own.

When the sky opened up in the dying minutes of the match, rain coming down with a vengeance, you could see the seats clear out as people took cover on the concourse but the roar of the crowd only grew louder as the fans continued to cheer for their team and provide them with the necessary motivation to push through and fight until the final whistle.

2. Depth and Rotation

Rhode Island’s line-up for Saturday was a bit different than what fans may be used to seeing from the Amber and Blue. Amos Shapiro-Thompson, who dealt with an injury for much of 2024 and didn’t see the field until Rhode Island’s last regular-season game, earned his first USL Championship start and was named the Defiance 1636 Man of the Match.

Missing both Karifa Yao and Frank Nodarse — two key players in the Rhode Island who missed extremely minimal time in the 2024 season — Khano Smith put together a backline that saw newly signed Rio Hope-Gund and midfielder Zach Herivaux filling in the necessary gaps. The pair put up a solid defensive performance, along with Grant Stoneman and Aldair Sanchez, to contribute toward the shutout.

Albert Dikwa — returning to play after dealing with an injury — entered Saturday’s match in the 60^th minute and delivered a solid shift. After the match, Smith mentioned he would be getting more minutes as he continues to progress, and expects he will be able to go longer in their next match.

As the team continues to work toward getting healthy and experiment with lineups and formations, as long as the players continue to show up each day and put in the effort that the fans know they can, this team will continue to improve as the season progresses after dealing with early setbacks and bumps in the road.

3. The Revs Are Coming

With the excitement of the first game out of the way, all attention turns to arguably Rhode Island’s biggest test as they host its northern neighbors, the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 32. New England head coach Caleb Porter and the Revolution have seemingly turned things around, winning five of their last six games after an extremely shaky start to their 2025 season in MLS.

Notably, the Revolution did not participate in last year’s Open Cup after the MLS announced it would not have teams participate due to schedule congestion with the introduction of the Leagues Cup. New England’s last Open Cup match was a 1-0 defeat against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on May 9, 2023, a team that included current RIFC members Albert Dikwa and Marc Ybarra.

Rhode Island will look to keep its Cup momentum going after earning its first Open Cup victory over newcomers Portland Hearts of Pine back on April 15. Speaking about Wednesday’s matchup Smith mentioned fielding a lineup of fresh bodies, acknowledging that the team is “pretty banged up, but they don’t give up”.

When asked about the expectation when facing his old team Smith spoke on the respect he and the team have for New England and Porter, but they aren’t afraid of the competition.