After falling 3-1 to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on Friday, Rhode Island FC returns home to Beirne Stadium looking to bounce back against Louisville City FC on Saturday, May 25 at 4 p.m. RIFC’s last match at home featured one of its better attacking performances, as it held a one goal advantage against unbeaten Sacramento Republic FC until deep into second half stoppage time before settling for a 2-2 draw. An equally tough test will head to the Ocean State in a Louisville team that is unbeaten in its last four matches with only one loss on the season. As the search for RIFC’s first-ever win at Beirne Stadium continues on Saturday, here is everything you need to know about the match.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, May 25
Kickoff | 4 PM ET
Location | Beirne Stadium, Smithfield, RI
Broadcast | ESPN+
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Match Hashtag | #RIvLOU
LOUISVILLE CITY FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 12-Danny Faundez, 18-Damian Las, 30-Ryan Troutman
DEFENDERS (11): 2-Aiden McFadden, 3-Jake Morris, 4-Sean Totsch, 5-Arturo Ordoñez, 6-Wes Charpie, 13-Amadou Dia, 20-Sam Gleadle, 32-Kyle Adams, 63-Sebastian Sanchez, 67-Owen Damm, 80-Hayden Stamps
MIDFIELDERS (7): 8-Carlos Moguel Jr., 11-Nial McCabe, 17-Taylor Davila, 22-Dylan Mares, 23-ELijah Wynder, 25-Jansen Wilson, 27-Evan Davila
FORWARDS (7): 7-Ray Serrano, 10-Brian Ownby, 14-Wilson Harris, 16-Adrien Perez, 21-Jorge Gonzalez, 24-Tola Showunmi, 70-Issac Cano
Chasing the Top Spot
Heading into Saturday’s match at Beirne Stadium, Louisville City FC (7W-1L-1D) sit second in the Eastern Conference standings, having played two less matches than league-leading Charleston Battery. Louisville’s seven wins and 22 points are second only to Charleston’s 27 points with eight wins. LouCity’s only loss on the season came in a tightly contested 3-2 match against the Eastern Conference leaders on April 9. Since then, the club is unbeaten in its last four matches (3W-0L-1D), and have outscored its opponents 12-2 in that time. Louisville’s run of three-straight clean sheets finally came to a close last time out, when the club battled to a 2-2 draw with Las Vegas Lights FC. Commanding shutout wins against Hartford Athletic (6-0) and Orange County SC (3-0) in its two prior matches showcased complete offensive dominance by The Boys in Purple. Of the club’s seven wins, five were won by two or more goals. LouCity also leads the USL Championship with 28 goals scored and +19 goal differential.
Sharing the Wealth
Louisville has boasted a balanced attack in 2024, with 10 different players combining for 28 goals. Among USL Championship’s top goal scorers, three different LouCity players occupy spots inside the top 20. Leading the way for the Eastern Conference powerhouse is Wilson Harris, whose eight goals are second-most in the league, just four shy of Charleston’s Nicholas Markanich in the race for the Golden Boot. Lousivlle’s Ray Serrano sits in ninth with five goals on the season and Taylor Davila’s three goals match 12 other USL Championship players in a tie for 19th. Davila and Serrano both scored in Louisville’s 2-2 draw in Las Vegas, with Serrano’s fifth goal of the season tying the match to preserve the club’s unbeaten streak in the 70th minute. Prior to the draw, the club’s last nine goals across two shutouts were all scored by eight different players.
Road Warriors
While Louisville holds a perfect 5W-0L-0D record at home and have struggled on very few occasions this season, the club has been most vulnerable on the road. It was away from Lynn Family Stadium where The Boys in Purple fell in the club’s only loss of the season at Charleston Battery. Before Serrano’s 70th minute equalizer in Las Vegas, Louisville trailed during a match for only the second time through nine matches. Securing the road point preserved LouCity’s four-match unbeaten run and added to its 2W-1L-1D overall record away from home. Against an RIFC team that has proven it can handle USL Championship top talent at Beirne Stadium, a strong start will be crucial for Head Coach Danny Cruz’s side in its first-ever trip to the Ocean State.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Koke Vegas, 22-Jackson Lee, 30-Nate Silveira
DEFENDERS (6): 2-Nathan Messer, 3-Stephen Turnbull, 4-Collin Smith, 5-Grant Stoneman, 15-Frank Nodarse, 16-Gabriel Alves, 24-Karifa Yao
MIDFIELDERS (12): 7-Prince Saydee, 8-Jack Panayotou, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 18-Joe Brito, 19-Kevin Vang, 21-Kofi Twumasi, 23-Marc Ybarra, 25-Kevin Orduy, 28-Conor McGlynn, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 80-Isaac Angking
FORWARDS (4): 9-JJ Williams, 10-Chico, 11-Noah Fuson, 14-Mark Doyle
Taming Top Talent
Rhode Island FC (1W-3L-6D) are no stranger to the USL Championship’s top teams at Beirne Stadium this season. The club has faced both conference leaders at home and are unbeaten in those two matches. RIFC first held a high-powered Charleston attack scoreless in a 0-0 draw on April 6 before showcasing one of its best attacking performances of the season five weeks later, coming just seconds from delivering Sacramento Republic FC its first loss of the season in a 2-2 draw in its last home match. The draw against Charleston was one of only two matches where the league leaders were held scoreless, and RIFC’s quick start against Sacramento saw the Western Conference leaders trail for the first time in 2024. Now, an equally tough test awaits the Ocean State club in its search for its first-ever win at Beirne Stadium as it welcomes a Louisville team that has only lost once and outscored its opponents 28-9 through nine matches.
Setting the Tone
Although RIFC struggled to hold onto the lead in its last two matches, the Ocean State club has scored first in both, with the opening goal coming early in the first half of each match. The pair of matches also saw two first-time goalscorers for RIFC. Karifa Yao netted his first career goal against Sacramento, while Frank Nodarse scored his first for the Ocean State in the 13th minute at Colorado Springs. Against a Louisville team that has only trailed on two occasions this season, both coming on the road, getting on the scoresheet early will be crucial for RIFC as it will look to dictate the momentum from the opening whistle. In the club’s only win of the season so far at Las Vegas, a two-goal first-half lead provided the exact recipe for RIFC to claim its first set of three points.
Getting over the Finish Line
Despite a strong first half showing in its last two matches, RIFC gave up a late stoppage time equalizer against Sacramento and three unanswered second-half goals in Colorado Springs. The late Sacramento goal was the second given up by RIFC in second-half stoppage time in as many home matches. Facing a Louisville side that has not been shut out once in 2024, RIFC will need to focus on maintaining its defensive composure through the final whistle. For RIFC Head Coach and General Manager Khano Smith, silencing a high-octane Louisville attack that has shown no signs of slowing down will be a priority objective. RIFC has shown increased promise in the attacking third and an improved eye for goal, but keeping LouCity out of the net and limiting defensive lapses, similar to the resolve shown during the win in Las Vegas, will play a major role in shaping a positive result on Saturday.
