After more than a week of rest following Rhode Island FC’s first win of 2025, a 3-0 win at Oakland Roots SC, the Ocean State club will hit the road for its first midweek game of the season on Tuesday as it looks to earn its first-ever win in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup vs. USL League One expansion side Portland Hearts of Pine. Maine’s first professional soccer team has hit the ground running in its first-ever season. The club advanced to the Third Round of the Open Cup in dramatic fashion after a miraculous comeback vs. USL Championship side Hartford Athletic on April 2, when Portland took down the visitors in a penalty shootout. Ahead of Tuesday’s all-New England Open Cup clash, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Tuesday, April 15
Kickoff | 7 p.m. ET
Location | Lewiston High School – Lewiston, Maine
Broadcast | Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Game Hashtag | #PORvRI
PORTLAND HEARTS OF PINE
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Hunter Morse, 23-Kash Oladapo
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Jaden Jones-Riley, 3-Nathan Messer, 4-Samuel Mahlamäki Camacho, 7-Sean Vinberg, 19-Shandon Wright, 21-Colby Quiñones, 66-Kemali Green
MIDFIELDERS (9): 5-Mikey Lopez, 6-Pat Langlois, 8-Michel Poon-Angeron, 10-Ollie Wright, 17-Mickey Reilly, 47-Nathaniel James, 77-Masashi Wada, 80-Jay Tee Kamara, 90-Khalid Hersi
FORWARDS (5): 9-Azaad Liadi, 11-Evan Southern, 12-Jake Keegan, 14-Titus Washington, 22-Walter Varela
Quick Turnaround
Playing in its inaugural season in USL League One, Portland Hearts of Pine was defeated for the first time in its young history last time out, falling to South Georgia Tormenta FC 2-1 in USL League One action, conceding a goal in regulation for the first time ever. Portland was previously undefeated in its first four games of the season across all competitions, kicking off its inaugural season with a pair of 0-0 draws and collecting two wins in the U.S. Open Cup to advance to the Third Round. Now, Portland will need to bounce back on an extremely quick turnaround, returning to Maine with just two full days of rest separating Saturday’s loss from Tuesday’s game vs. Rhode Island FC.
Cupset Kings
Maine’s first professional soccer team reached the Third Round of its first-ever U.S. Open Cup campaign after starting the competition with an easy 4-0 win over amateur side Clube Desportivo Faialense in its first-ever home game on March 20. Hearts then upset USL Championship side and regional rival Hartford Athletic in a penalty-shootout on April 2. After neither side could find the back of the net through 90 minutes of regulation in the Second Round fixture, Hartford eventually struck first in the second half of extra time. However, despite being down a goal and down a man after a 96th-minute red card, Portland found a miraculous late equalizer with just three minutes to play when Jake Keegan sent an inch-perfect lob over the goalkeeper that snuck into the back of the net, forcing a penalty shootout to send Hartford home empty-handed in front of a packed house at Lewiston High School.
Messer Mania
Tuesday’s cup game will mark the first time that former Rhode Island FC defender Nathan Messer will play against the Ocean State club in a competitive fixture. Messer made his first professional start and scored his first professional goal in Rhode Island FC’s Open Cup loss to Charlotte Independence on April 16, 2024, after signing his first professional contract with the club just one month prior. This year, Messer has been a regular in Portland’s starting 11 and has found success in the Open Cup, scoring his first goal in Portland Green with a powerful long-range free kick in the club’s first-ever win vs. CD Faialense in the First Round. In Saturday’s loss to Tormenta, Portland’s first-ever League One goal came from yet another Messer free kick, as his effort forced the goalkeeper to push the ball back out into the feet of Pat Langlois, who pounced on the rebound and found the back of the net.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jackson Lee, 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer
DEFENDERS (7): 4-Hugo Bacharach, 14-Rio Hope-Gund, 15-Frank Nodarse, 2-Dani Rovira, 3-Aldair Sanchez, 5-Grant Stoneman, 24-Karifa Yao, 16-Cole Dewhurst
MIDFIELDERS (10): 80-Isaac Angking, 18-Joe Brito, 20-Zachary Herivaux, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 8-Taimu Okiyoshi, 21-Maxi Rodriguez, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 19-Kevin Vang, 23-Marc Ybarra
FORWARDS (3): 10-Albert Dikwa, 11-Noah Fuson, 9-JJ Williams
Redemption
Tuesday night will mark Rhode Island FC’s second-ever U.S. Open Cup game, and will present the opportunity for Khano Smith’s side to pick up its first-ever win in the historic competition. In its first and only other U.S. Open Cup game, the Ocean State club fell 5-4 in a penalty shootout to USL League One side Charlotte Independence following a dramatic 4-4 tie after extra time. Although the Ocean State club took two leads and equalized with just five minutes remaining in extra time during that game, the resilient effort wasn’t enough to see out a win, and the club will head up north on Tuesday looking for a first-ever cup win vs. League One competition to advance.
Team of the Week Trio
Rhode Island FC, who enters Tuesday’s contest with more than a week of rest after a bye-week, picked up its first win of the season in dominant fashion last time out. Exploding for three goals in the final ten minutes of the first half to defeat Oakland Roots SC on the road, RIFC tied a club record with three selections to the USL Championship Team of the Week. After combining for the first goal of the afternoon, Jojea Kwizera and Albert Dikwa “Chico” both earned selections, while Clay Holstad rounded out the trio with a goal and assist, registering multiple goal contributions in a game for the first time in his RIFC career. The much-needed win came after a 0W-2L-1T start to the season, and marked just the second time in club history the Ocean State club has scored three goals in a single half.
Solid in the Back
The win in Oakland saw goalkeeper Koke Vegas keep his first clean sheet of 2025, and eighth of his Rhode Island FC career. After letting up six goals in three games to start the season, the RIFC back line was in desperate need of a shutout, and that’s exactly what it got in its first-ever trip to Oalkand. The team combined for 16 won tackles, 17 clearances and 11 interceptions on the afternoon, barely allowing Oakland room to attack and restricting the Roots to just 12 touches in RIFC’s 18-yard box and one shot on target. Against Maine, RIFC will need to capitalize on its momentum and continue to be efficient on both sides of the ball to limit what has proven to be a dangerous Portland attack.