RIFC Notebook: Guess Who's Back?

Rhode Island FC Notebook: Back in time to kick off RI's inaugural season

Photo Credit: Rhode Island FC

On April 27th, 2023, I made the tough decision to stop writing and covering soccer on The Blazing Musket. I had been juggling covering the sport and working a 9-5 job since 2017, and the constant work without breaks finally caught up with me.

I felt I had accomplished as much as I could in my soccer coverage and decided to step away. Candidly, I did not miss covering the New England Revolution. What I did miss and is something I have missed since 2019 is covering professional sports in the state of Rhode Island.

Those who have been reading my work for years will likely remember that I was on the PawSox beat for the team’s final three seasons at McCoy Stadium and was one of the first to have the news that a professional soccer team would be coming to downtown Pawtucket.

As a lifelong Rhode Islander, I know that having a team we can call our own is crucial. We rally around our own and take pride in everything in the Ocean State. While reflecting on what I missed about writing I came to three main points.

1. Not having a creative outlet outside of my 9-5

2. Not being a part of the local sports community

3. And missing the chance to cover a team that I hope becomes a Rhode Island staple

So what does this all mean? As one of the four reporters who covered the final PawSox home game at McCoy Stadium, I will cover the first Rhode Island FC game in franchise history. I am back to cover RIFC and will get back to posting consistently. My plan, for now, is a weekly long-form story on the team that will cover a variety of topics. My goal is to help bridge the gap between soccer fans and the casual Rhode Islander who wants something to do on a Saturday night in the Summer and doesn’t want to hike up Rt 1 or up to Fenway.

Now, enough about me, let’s get to the fun stuff.

Rhode Island Tapping Into Northern RI Energy

RIFC will open USL Championship play on March 16th hosting New Mexico United. While the Tidewater stadium site in Pawtucket has drawn headlines it will not be ready for the 2024 season. Rhode Island will be playing in Smithfield Rhode Island at Beirne Stadium on the sleepy (literally) campus of Bryant University. RI added 250 seats to Bryant’s football stadium to increase the capacity to 5,252. For those unfamiliar with the venue, it is a rather cozy stadium for college football and a solid venue for soccer.

Many traveling to the games will likely leverage either Rt 146 or I-295 to get to the games with the campus located just off Rt 7. For food options (not sponsored) as someone who lives 15 minutes from the campus I would suggest Laura’s Bar & Grill (Smithfield), Blackies (Smithfield), and Pizzeria Romana (Lincoln). With part of the Pawtucket charm being local breweries, I would suggest Lops (Woonsocket) or Ravenous (Cumberland).

(Northern RI Power, The Mighty Blackstone River)

More Accessible Than The New England Revolution

If you are a Revs fan, you might have walked into a bar, restaurant, or someone else’s home and asked if they have Apple TV. RIFC fans will not have this issue. While all RIFC games will stream on Paramount+, the club will have select matches broadcasted on NESN. A little easier going somewhere and asking to put on NESN….

RIFC Roster

Finding the RIFC roster on the team’s and the league’s website is like a Where’s Waldo book. So here is the roster based on announced signings as of post.

(Name/Last Team)

Goalkeeper:

• Jackson Lee (West Virginia University)

• Koke Vegas (San Diego Loyal SC)

Defender:

• Grant Stoneman (San Diego Loyal SC)

• Stephen Turnbull (NYCFC II)

• Frank Nodarse (Rio Grande Valley FC Toros)

• Gabriel Alves (Birmingham Legion FC)

Midfield:

• Clay Holstad (Columbus Crew 2)

• Marc Ybarra (Pittsburgh Riverhounds)

• Conor McGlynn (Hartford Athletic)

• Amos Shapiro-Thompson (New York Red Bulls II)

• Jojea Kwizera (Montreal Impact)

• Joseph Brito (Union Omaha)

Forward:

• Jerome “JJ” Williams (Tampa Bay Rowdies)

• Prince Saydee (Hartford Athletic)

• Mark Doyle (St Patricks Athletic)

I am excited to be back and can’t wait to cover the inaugural season of Rhode Island FC. This is going to be quite the journey and we are all going to be along for the ride.