After battling to a scoreless draw vs. Loudoun United FC at Beirne Stadium last Saturday, Rhode Island FC will hit the road for its final road trip of the 2024 regular season as it heads to Patriots Point Soccer Stadium to take on Charleston Battery at 7:30 p.m. Facing a win-and-in playoff scenario against a team who has already secured its spot in the postseason, Khano Smith’s men will be hungry to secure three points on the road. Ahead of the vital late-season meeting, here is everything you need to know about the match.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Saturday, Oct. 19
Kickoff | 7:30 PM ET
Location | Patriots Point Soccer Stadium
Broadcast | NESN, ESPN+
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Match Hashtag | #CHSvsRI
LOUDOUN UNITED FC
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
Record-Breaking Markanich
No striker in USL Championship history has been as productive as Nick Markanich, who recently broke the single-season goalscoring record with his 28th goal of the year in the club’s 2-2 draw vs. Detroit City FC on Oct. 5. The previous record holder scored 25 goals in the regular season. Markanich’s strike vs. Detroit also broke the club’s single-season goalscoring record, set by Paul Conway in 2001, when he scored 27 goals across all competitions. His 28 goals this season stand as the most in any professional domestic league, including Major League Soccer. The 24-year-old 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 following Charleston’s run for a second-consecutive USL Championship Final appearance.
Snapping the Slide
Although Charleston sits 10 points clear in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with its playoff berth already secured, the club is winless in its last two, having secured just two wins (2W-2L-2D) and eight points in its last six games. Most recently falling victim to a 2-0 shutout at the hands of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC last weekend, Charleston conceded in the second minute and was unable to climb out of a two-goal first-half hole, despite completing a season-high 697 passes and outshooting the Riverhounds 5-0 in the final 40 minutes. Returning home for the final two matches of the regular season, Charleston will be hungry to pick up some much-needed momentum heading into the playoffs. With 17 wins on the season, a win on Saturday would also break Charleston’s single-season wins record, set at 17 from the club’s historic 2023 season.
Revisiting old Friends
Saturday’s match will also feature a reunion for Charleston forward Prince Saydee, who signed for Rhode Island FC in December and spent the first chunk of 2024 as a member of the Ocean State club. The match will mark the first time Saydee will face his former squad since making the move across the Eastern Conference on June 27. The accomplished striker has amassed 15 goals and 16 assists in more than 100 appearances across five USL Championship clubs.
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
Fuson Returns
Saturday will mark the return of USL Championship assist leader and Rhode Island FC playmaker Noah Fuson, who returns to action after serving a one-match yellow card accumulation suspension vs. Loudoun. Prior to his absence, a highlight-reel goal and league-leading ninth assist of the season in the club’s 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies made Fuson the first player in club history to record multiple goal contributions in back-to-back matches, totaling five involvements in his last three. With two matches remaining, Fusons’ nine assists sit alone atop both the team and the USL Championship. Fuson is also second on the team with six goals, having scored two in his last three matches.
Resilience in the Back
RIFC’s scoreless draw vs. Loudoun was the second such result against its Eastern Conference counterpart, sixth scoreless draw of the season and first time a scoreless draw has happened twice against the same opponent. Although the Ocean State club could not find the breakthrough in front of goal, it was on the other end of the field where a resilient defensive performance took RIFC one step closer to an inaugural playoff berth. Between the sticks, three important saves from Koke Vegas gave the veteran goalkeeper his seventh clean sheet of the season, and the club’s first shutout in six matches. The three saves brought Vegas’ regular-season USL Championship total to 198 in three seasons, bringing him within two saves of reaching the 200 mark.
Win and We’re In
With three points on Saturday, Rhode Island FC would officially clinch a berth in the 2024 USL Championship playoffs, capping a successful inaugural regular season.
In the event of a tie or loss, RIFC could also clinch given the following scenarios around the league:
RIFC draw AND two of the following thee results:
- Hartford Athletic ties or loses at FC Tulsa (Oct. 19, 6 p.m.)
- North Carolina FC ties or loses at Tampa Bay Rowdies (Oct. 19, 5 p.m.)
- Birmingham Legion FC ties or loses at Indy Eleven (Oct. 19, 7 p.m.)
RIFC lose AND both of the following results:
- North Carolina FC loses at Tampa Bay Rowdies (Oct. 19, 5 p.m.)
- Birmingham Legion FC loses at Indy Eleven (Oct. 19, 7 p.m.)