RIFC Adds Defender Frank Nodarse
RIFC Adds Defender Frank Nodarse
Rhode Island FC wasted little time reacting to the announcement that Rio Grande Valley FC would be ceasing operations by picking up Frank Nodarse, one of their key players from 2023.
Rhode Island FC wasted little time reacting to the announcement that Rio Grande Valley FC would be ceasing operations by picking up Frank Nodarse, one of their key players from 2023.
Nodarse will further bolster the back line options available to Khano Smith as he’s coming off a breakout season featuring at center back for the Toros. He finished the year with 25 starts in 28 USL Championship appearances and logged the fourth-highest number of minutes played for the Toros, who finished 9th in the Western Conference.
Nodarse looks capable of contributing to RIFC’s attacking play from his centerback position as he chipped in 3 assists last season and created 14 chances. His overall passing accuracy of 84.5%, long pass accuracy of 54.2% and dribble success rate of 60% were all above average marks for USL Championship defenders in 2023. His FotMob overall rating of 7.17, encompassing his all-around play and was the second highest rating for the Toros last year.
On the defensive end, Nodarse’s 2023 stats rank highly as well. He used his six-foot-three-inch frame well, winning 65.2% of his aerial duels. His per 90-minute averages of 2.17 interceptions, 1.48 tackles won and 5.91 duels won were all top rates among his fellow centerbacks in the league.
2023 was Nodarse’s second season with RGV and third overall season in the USL Championship, having first played in the league briefly in 2021 with the Charleston Battery. Before that, he made 13 appearances for Fort Lauderdale CF in USL League One back in 2020 and 2021. The 23-year-old also had three appearances with the Cuba U-20 National Team in the 2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship.
After a successful and highly rated season in 2023 as his old Club was folding, Nodarse could end up being an important addition to RIFC as his new Club is just about to get going for the first time on the field in 2024.