After upsetting No. 1 seed Louisville City FC with a 3-0 win at Lynn Family Stadium on Saturday in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Rhode Island FC heads to South Carolina to take on Charleston Battery with the Eastern Conference title on the line. After becoming the first expansion team to qualify for a conference final since 2019, RIFC has a chance to pick up its first-ever trophy with a win in Charleston at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium. Ahead of a highly-anticipated Eastern Conference Finals matchup, here is everything you need to know.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, Nov. 16
Kickoff | 7 p.m. ET
Location | Patriots Point Soccer Stadium, Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Broadcast | ESPN+
Radio | SiriusXM FC Channel 157, 106.3 The Wolf (106.3 FM)
RIFC Official Watch Party | The Guild
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Match Hashtag | #CHSvRI
Last Meeting | Oct. 19, 2024: CHS 1, RI 1 – Mount Pleasant, S.C.
CHARLESTON BATTERY
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 0-Enzo Mori, 1-Adam Grinwis, 24-Daniel Kuzemka
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Mark Segbers, 3-Josh Drack, 5-Leland Archer, 15-Samuel Biek, 16-Graham Smith, 23-Juan Sebastián Palma, 62-Nathan Dossantos
MIDFIELDERS (10): 4-Chris Allan, 6-Aaron Molloy, 7-Prince Saydee, 8-Emilio Ycaza, 10-Arturo Rodríguez, 11-Viggo Ortiz, 14-Jay Chapman, 19-Robbie Crawford, 32-Charlie Dennis, 80-Juan David Torres
FORWARDS (5): 9-MD Myers, 13-Nick Markanich, 17-Zeke Soto, 31-Mattie Dennis, 36-Jackson Conway
Looking for Redemption
Charleston Battery was moments away from winning the 2023 USL Championship Final in front of a sold-out home crowd last season before Phoenix Rising SC found the back of the net with a 90th-minute equalizer to send the match into extra time. The Eastern Conference club would eventually fall to Phoenix 3-2 in a penalty shootout. Now, the club will look to return to the championship match in back-to-back seasons for the first time after earning its highest regular season finish since 2019 (No. 2 seed) and most recently defeating Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 in come-from-behind fashion in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Markanich Machine
Nick Markanich continues to shatter goalscoring records in the USL Championship this season as his explosive career in Charleston nears an end. The 24-year-old broke the single-season goal scoring record with his 26th and 27th goals of the year in the club’s 2-2 draw vs. Detroit City FC on Oct. 5, surpassing the previous record of 25 goals, held by Cameron Lancaster (Louisville City FC, 2018) and Hadji Barry (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 2021). With two goals during the 2024 playoffs, including the match-tying goal vs. Tampa Bay last weekend, Markanich is the first player in league history to reach the 30-goal mark during a season. The feat also currently stands as the most in any professional domestic league, including Major League Soccer. The striker is the only player to receive two Player of the Month honors in 2024, most recently doing so following a five-goal month of August that helped secure Charleston’s playoff berth. Markanich’s breakout season saw him secure a six-figure move to Spanish second-division side CD Castellón following the 2024 season, becoming the latest league talent to depart for Europe.
Defending Home Turf
Charleston has been strongest in front of its home supporters at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium this season, losing just one match with a 13W-1L-3D overall record. The Eastern Conference club hasn’t lost in 14 home matches dating back to May 24, outscoring opponents 36-10 and keeping six shutouts in that time. Excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the near-perfect record at home is Charleston’s best since 2017, when it went 10W-1L-5D in front of its home fans.
RHODE ISLAND FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Koke Vegas, 22-Jackson Lee, 30-Nate Silveira
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Nathan Messer, 3-Stephen Turnbull, 4-Collin Smith, 5-Grant Stoneman, 6-Morris Duggan, 15-Frank Nodarse, 16-Gabriel Alves, 24-Karifa Yao
MIDFIELDERS (12): 8-Jack Panayotou, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 18-Joe Brito, 19-Kevin Vang, 20-Zachary Herivaux, 21-Kofi Twumasi, 23-Marc Ybarra, 28-Conor McGlynn, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 80-Isaac Angking
FORWARDS (4): 9-JJ Williams, 10-Chico, 11-Noah Fuson, 14-Mark Doyle
Rhode Warriors
Rhode Island FC has plenty of experience battling teams who are strong on their home turf. Although Charleston has only lost once at home this season, RIFC’s recent win over Louisville in the Eastern Conference Semifinals established the Ocean State club as the only team to win at Lynn Family Stadium across 2024 in 19 total matches, doing so twice. The pair of wins marked the only two multi-goal losses for Louisville this year. The 3-0 conference semifinal win was the only shutout loss suffered by the league leaders at home, and RIFC’s 5-2 win in June marked the most goals scored by a visiting team in the history of Lynn Family Stadium. Additionally, RIFC is one of just four teams to take a result away from Charleston this season, after the two sides drew 1-1 in late October.
Williams Keeps Rolling
Rhode Island FC carried over its attacking efficiency from the end of the regular season to its first-ever playoff run, bringing its total to 23 goals in the midst of tying a club-record eight-match unbeaten streak. In that span, JJ Williams has been explosive in the attack, scoring a brace to carry RIFC over Louisville after netting the first two hat tricks in club history in back-to-back matches. Scoring an resounding eight goals in his last three, Williams has propelled himself to the top of the all-time goalscoring list for RIFC, tying Albert Dikwa “Chico” with 11 goals to lead the club in its inaugural campaign as the only two players in double-figures. With four goals in October before the playoffs began, Williams earned October’s USL Championship Player of the Month and shows no signs of slowing down as the club eyes its first-ever trophy on Saturday.
More History in the Making
After becoming the first expansion club to qualify for a conference final in its first year since El Paso Locomotive FC in 2019, Rhode Island FC has the chance to make more history on Saturday and achieve something that hasn’t been done by a first-year team in nearly a decade: win a conference title. The last time a club advanced all the way to the championship match in its first year was Louisville City FC in 2015. LouCity went on to make the conference final every season for the next nine consecutive years, holding a streak that wasn’t broken until Rhode Island FC beat Louisville on Saturday.
The potential to make more history comes after RIFC finished fifth in the Eastern Conference, setting the all-time single-season record with 15 draws and finishing with the third-lowest loss total (seven) across the entire 24-team league. After defeating the league leaders on the road, RIFC is truly in unprecedented territory as it fights towards a first-ever Eastern Conference title.