Rhode Island FC's 2025 Struggles Continue
The Tide can't hit an ocean sized net
Rhode Island FC came into Saturday’s match with a truly wonderful thing to see on the team sheet. Strikers JJ Williams and Albert “Chico” Dikwa, wingers Noah Fuson and Jojea Kwizera, and attacking midfielder Maxi Rodriguez all started tonight’s match.
Perhaps they need more time to gel.
The defense didn’t have its best match ever, either. Prior to Saturday’s match, they were the fourth-best defense in the USL Championship Eastern Conference. However, the defense has noticeably declined with goalkeeper Jackson Lee between the sticks.
Generally, Lee is a great goalkeeper. He’d start for a number of teams within the league, but it’s evident that goalkeeper Koke Vegas — who has been out since the beginning of June and who is also RIFC’s captain — is able to lead and command a defense in a way that Lee is not, even if they’re generally both good shot stoppers.
Even so, the reason they’ve been losing games mostly goes back to their offense. Again, it’s great that everyone’s back, but while RIFC had no problem generating balls into the box, they had every problem they possibly could in actually scoring them. So while perhaps a better defense could have gotten the club a single point from this game, only the offense could get all three, and they didn’t even come close.
The first half was actually pretty classic Rhode Island FC. If it weren’t for the white shirts (which are beautiful, by the way), this half could have been mistaken for having happened at almost any point in RIFC’s history.
Lee made three saves that involved balls being shot directly at him from some distance and with a lot of speed. Rhode Island definitely went into the half disappointed, but it probably would’ve chosen more of the same if it had known how the second half could go.
The second half started with Pittsburgh Riverhound striker Augustine Williams beating Lee with a shot from more than 20 yards out. After the first half, he may have been surprised it also wasn’t shot right at him.
Only moments later, Pittsburgh midfielder Bertin Jacquesson got a pass from defender Beto Ydrach in the six-yard box, and beat Lee with a rifle shot to his near post. The commentators suggested he should have done better and Rhode Island FC were down 2-0 not even fifteen minutes into the second half.
It only got worse when Rhode Island striker JJ Williams threw an elbow at the face of a competitor and got red-carded, deservedly, in the 69th minute. He’ll also be out of their next match.
RIFC were now one player and two goals down. That wasn’t enough to stop Hartford Athletic last week, but then perhaps RIFC are no Hartford Athletic. The match ended 2-0, with Pittsburgh taking all available points.
Rhode Island FC plays their next match at home in Pawtucket, Rhode Island next Wednesday, August 6, at 7:00 PM ET against Maxi Rodriguez’s former side Detroit City FC.
Complete frustration offensively. Makes it hard to watch - RIFC never seems to have numbers in the offensive third, and you can't depend on gift penalties from a shove in the back going away from goal.