RIFC Notebook: Rhode Island Signs Reigning League MVP
RIFC Notebook: Rhode Island Signs Reigning League MVP
Rhode Island FC is serious about building a team capable of winning in year one.
While a lot of the focus locally has been on the construction of the Tidewater Landing Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island FC has been busy building a roster that could take many by surprise in their first year in the USL Championship.
This past week, RIFC announced the signing of Albert Dikwa. Dikwa, 26 years old, is the reigning Golden Boot winner in USL having scored 20 goals during the 2023 season for Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Dikwa also won the league’s Most Valuable Player award and aided Pittsburgh in their Supporters Shield victory.
This signing is massive. This is like if Shohei Ohtani signed with the Boston Red Sox this off-season. Signing a reigning league MVP is a big swing for RIFC and shows their commitment to starting on the right foot this season.
With the signing of Dikwa, Rhode Island has built a very impressive room of 2023 USL Championship goal scorers.
Dikwa: 20 goals
JJ Williams: 12 goals
Prince Saydee: 10 goals
While Dikwa drew headlines this past week he wasn’t the only forward that RIFC signed. Rhode Island also announced the signing of Noah Fuson who scored ten goals last season with Columbus Crew 2. The 24-year-old has spent the last two seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side and was a part of the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro championship-winning team.
Going full throttle
This past weekend was Winter Weekend for the Boston Red Sox and was highlighted on Friday night with Red Sox leadership being pelted with a tidal wave of boos after failing to go “full throttle” in their offseason acquisitions. I would encourage Red Sox ownership to look at RIFC’s moves this offseason as a benchmark for what going “full throttle” looks like.
Rhode Island is certainly putting together a very talented team. Time will tell if they put the right pieces together and can be competitive this season, but the investment is there. It will be critical for the team to be competitive in 2024 for fans to buy in locally right away.
We are talking about preseason
Rhode Island started preseason training at Wide World of Indoor Sports in North Smithfield last week and will continue training locally before heading to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
RIFC announced on Thursday their 2024 preseason schedule which includes a two-week trip to IMG Academy in Florida and a six-day swing through Bermuda.
Match 1: TBD
Match 2: Feb 7th against Orlando City SC at IMG Academy
Match 3: TBD at IMG Academy
Match 4: Feb 13 against New England Revolution II at IMG Academy
Match 5: Feb 24th against Bermuda Select Team in Bermuda
Match 6: Feb 27th against Bermuda Select Team in Bermuda
Match 7: TBD against New England Revolution II
Match 8: TBD against Providence College
The upcoming games include a match against Orlando City SC from the MLS and two matches against New England Revolution II. All matches are closed-door events for fans, except the two games in Bermuda, which are yet to be confirmed for fans.