RIFC Adds Two Players to Inaugural Roster
Rhode Island FC’s preseason preparations are well underway on the training field as they continue to round out their roster off the field.
Rhode Island FC’s preseason preparations are well underway on the training field as they continue to round out their roster off the field. This week RIFC announced two further signings, Karifa Yao and Kofi Twumasi.
Yao should provide depth at the centerback position and Twumasi can provide depth in both the central midfield and centerback positions. Both players will be joining a USL Championship team for the first time in their careers.
Yao spent 2023 with both the Vancouver Whitecaps and Whitecaps 2, making seven appearance for the second team and five for the Whitecaps in four different competitions. His actual MLS experience with Vancouver was limited to one, very short appearance. The two previous years were spent in the Canadian Premier League with Calvary FC where he made 52 appearances and logged over two thousand minutes in each season.
In 2022 Yao — who checks in at six-foot-three inches and will be in his age 23 season this year — achieved an average FotMob match rating of 6.97, 5th best for Cavalry on the year and picked up three player of the match awards. In 2021, his average rating was 7.18, good for 3rd best on the team.
Yao is adept at winning duels, winning 66% percent of them in 2022 and dominant in the air, winning 72.6% of his aerial duels that year. Both are well above average marks for CPL centerbacks.
Yao’s two seasons in Cavalry — who’s fans voted him player of the year in 2021 — were on loan from CF Montreal where he spent the latter part of his youth career. Yao was selected by Vancouver in the MLS Re-Entry Draft after his option was declined by Montreal after the 2022 season. Yao has Canadian citizenship and it would appear he would occupy one of RIFC’s international roster spots.
Twumasi arrives in Rhode Island via Atlanta, after spending last season with Atlanta United 2 in MLS Next Pro. 26 of his 27 appearances were starts and he saw 2,257 minutes of action while completing 90% of his passes. His minutes played were second highest on the team and he easily led the team in tackles made with 45.
Turning 28 in August, Twumasi found himself making stops at four different European clubs from 2017 to to 2022. He started off in Romania at FC Viitorul Constanța from 2017-19, making one league appearance. While there, he went on loan FC Universitatea Cluj in 2018-19 — also in Romania — making 12 second division appearances. After that, he was off to Germany to join Rot-Weiß Oberhausen for two seasons in the Regionalliga West, the German 4th division. His European tour ended with one more year in the German 4th division with VfB Homberg in 2021-22.
Born in Ghana, Twumasi has gained US citizenship and thus should not require an international roster spot.
Both players arrive with plenty of experience to help them make their mark in the USL for the first time as RIFC itself draws ever closer to doing the same.