RIFC leader earns league honor following undefeated three-win July
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (August 7, 2024) – Rhode Island FC General Manager and Head Coach Khano Smith has been named USL Championship Coach of the Month after leading his club to a 3W-0L-1D record in the month of July, extending a club-record unbeaten streak to eight matches in that time. Smith joins Detroit City FC’s Danny Dichio (March), Indy Eleven’s Sean McAuley (May) and Oakland Roots SC’s Gavin Glinton (June) as 2024 USL Championship Coach of the Month honorees.
The former Bermuda international has led the Ocean State club into playoff positioning with 13 matches remaining in the inaugural season. After earning one win and 10 draws through the first 13 matches of the season, Smith and the RIFC technical staff worked tirelessly behind the scenes to string together strong, competitive performances. The hard work would eventually pay off, as RIFC has now gone nearly two months without a loss and placed itself in the thick of the USL Championship playoff picture during a critical stretch of the season.
“We’re a new team,” said Smith. “We’ve always said to them, ‘We’ve always been close in matches, we’ve always been competitive, and things will start going our way at one point.’ It’s a whole new group of people that started playing together and working in January. It was going to take time for us to come together and get to the place and the continuity and the relationship compatibility of other teams. We’re certainly not finished. We know we have a long, long way to go, but it was great to have a good month.”
In four matches in the month of July, Smith’s squad led the league with a total of eleven goals. While the Ocean State club struggled early on in the season to find the back of the net, Smith and company stayed true to the team philosophy, eventually unlocking an attacking unit that has put away a league-leading 22 goals through its historic unbeaten run, and the fourth-most in the league overall at 33.
“I think it’s a group effort,” said Smith. “I certainly don’t do this on my own. Our staff know how important they are and vital to what we do. I have a lot of support and people that I can count on, so this is just a reflection of all of those people’s work, and most importantly, the players. They’re the ones on the field getting the results. So while it’s nice to be recognized for the results that the team is having, I’m not having the results. The team is.”
With this historic tribute, Smith is the 17th Rhode Island FC honoree to earn a league recognition in 2024, and first to win a Monthly honor:
| WEEK | DATE | NAME | HONOR |
| 2 | March 19 | Clay Holstad | Team of the Week |
| 3 | March 26 | Albert Dikwa | Team of the Week |
| 5 | April 9 | Jackson Lee | Team of the Week |
| 6 | April 16 | Jackson Lee | Team of the Week |
| 7 | April 23 | Khano Smith | Coach of the Week |
| 7 | April 23 | Stephen Turnbull | Team of the Week |
| 12 | May 28 | Koke Vegas | Team of the Week |
| 16 | June 25 | Khano Smith | Coach of the Week |
| 16 | June 25 | Stephen Turnbull | Team of the Week |
| 16 | June 25 | Jojea Kwizera | Team of the Week |
| 17 | July 2 | Jojea Kwizera | Team of the Week |
| 18 | July 9 | Frank Nodarse | Team of the Week |
| 18 | July 9 | Marc Ybarra | Team of the Week |
| 19 | July 16 | Albert Dikwa | Team of the Week |
| 20 | July 23 | Zachary Herivaux | Player of the Week |
| 21 | July 30 | Frank Nodarse | Team of the Week |
| July | August 7 | Khano Smith | Coach of the Month |
Up next, Rhode Island FC will complete its two-match road trip with a second encounter against Indy Eleven on Wednesday. Kickoff from Indianapolis is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and fans can cheer on the team at the club’s Official Watch Party at Providence Brewing Company. Following the conclusion of the road stretch, RIFC will return home to Beirne Stadium to welcome regional rivals Hartford Athletic for the first-ever home derby match on Saturday, August 10 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the next home match are available now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.