After taking its first-ever lead at home, putting on one of its best attacking performances of the season and battling to a dramatic 2-2 draw with unbeaten Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday, Rhode Island FC returns to USL Championship action on Friday with a trip to Weidner Field to take on Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. The Western Conference club has won three-straight matches and has not conceded a single goal in that time. Colorado Springs will prove a tough test in RIFC’s search for its second win of the season.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Friday, May 17
Kickoff | 9 PM ET
Location | Weidner Field, Colorado Springs, CO
Broadcast |CBS Sports Golazo Network
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Match Hashtag | #COSvRI
COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Christian Herrera, 23-Joe Rice, 56-Luis Zamudio
DEFENDERS (7): 2-Koa Santos, 3-Wahab Ackwei, 4-Delentz Pierre, 5-Matt Mahoney, 6-Matt Real, 14-Duke Lacroix, 41-James Musa
MIDFIELDERS (8): 7-Tyreek Magee, 10-Zach Zandi, 13-Stevie Echevarria, 17-Jairo Henriquez, 18-Aidan Rocha, 19-Marco Rios, 20-Yosuke Hanya, 80-Devon ‘Speedy’ Williams
FORWARDS (6): 8-Jonas Fjeldberg, 9-Ronaldo Damus, 11-Quenzi Huerman, 21-Alex Anderson, 27-Juan Tejada, 99-Maalique Foster
Two is the Magic Number
After dropping its first five matches of the season and being shutout in four of those matches, Colorado Springs (3W-5L-1D) has turned a corner with three consecutive 2-0 wins in league play. Now unbeaten in four-straight matches, the club most recently came away with all three points on the road against Hartford Athletic. The win came courtesy of a first-half goal from Yosuke Henya, his first of the season, and a late Ronaldo Damus penalty that secured all three points for the visitors. Goalkeeper Christian Herrera led a Colorado Springs defense that stayed strong throughout the late stages, making a pair of saves en route to his third-straight shutout. Prior to the win in Hartford, the club’s previous two wins came on the road against Oakland Roots SC and at home against El Paso Locomotive FC.
Damus Finding his Form
After scoring only one goal as a team through its first five matches, much of Colorado Springs’ recent attacking success can be credited to Ronaldo Damus, who has scored all of his team-leading four goals in the last four matches. The proven USL Championship talent enjoyed a 14-goal season with San Diego Loyal SC last year after a stint with GIF Sundsvall in 2022. In 2021, Damus capped off a title-winning season with Orange County SC and was named USL Championship Final MVP. In the club’s last win at Weidner Field, a 2-0 victory over El Paso Locomotive FC, Damus carried his team to victory with a brace that earned him a spot on the Week 9 USL Championship Team of the Week. The following week, the forward netted his second late penalty conversion in as many matches against Hartford to secure all three points once again. Damus currently accounts for half of his team’s eight total goals, and is the only player with multiple goals to his name so far this season.
Setting the Tone Early
A quick start will be crucial for Colorado Springs on Friday, who have struck first in each of its last four matches, and are unbeaten (3W-0L-1D) when taking a lead. The club has scored inside the first 25 minutes in three of its last four matches, and have maintained composure with the lead to take 10 points from four matches and shoot its way up the Western Conference standings.
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
Breakthrough at Beirne
Prior to RIFC’s 2-2 draw with unbeaten Sacramento Republic FC, the Ocean State club (1W-2L-6D) had never led at home, and RIFC’s only two goals in front of the home fans came in the dying minutes of matches where it was trailing. Saturday’s draw told a different story. The match featured two first-half goals at home for the first time in club history and marked the first multi-goal showing at Beirne Stadium. Stephen Turnbull’s powerful strike in the 31st minute gave Rhode Island FC its first-ever lead at home and Karifa Yao’s first career USL Championship goal just before halftime put RIFC up 2-1 going into the break. Through 90 minutes, RIFC outshot Sacramento 21-9, and held the Western Conference leaders to just two shots on target in the second half. The performance was a stark contrast to its five total shots in a 0-0 draw vs. North Carolina FC the week prior. Head Coach and General Manager Khano Smith will be hoping for a similar offensive output from his team in Colorado Springs as RIFC searches for its second win of the season.
Panayotou Party
After joining Rhode Island FC on loan from Major League Soccer side New England Revolution, 19-year-old midfielder Jack Panayotou had an impressive showing in his USL Championship debut Saturday, getting the start and collecting his first RIFC assist in the process. The Cambridge, Massachusetts native showed composure under pressure and provided a creative spark in the midfield that played a major role in the club’s newfound attacking success against the Western Conference leaders. Panayotou’s four chances created, including his corner-kick assist to Yao in the 42nd minute, was part of an 80 percent overall passing accuracy, a performance that garnered high praise from Smith following the match.
Late Composure
Despite a much-improved attacking performance, RIFC left Beirne Stadium with a sour taste in its mouth after a second half stoppage-time equalizer from Sacramento denied the Ocean State club its first-ever win at home. After finding itself just minutes away from taking all three points, Sacramento capitalized on a set piece effort in the third minute of stoppage time to tie the match at 2-2. The goal was the second stoppage-time goal conceded in as many home matches by RIFC. If the club can pull from a more defensively sound performance, much like the late stages of RIFC’s 2-1 win over Las Vegas Lights FC, and combine it with Saturday’s attacking output, Smith and his staff will have a recipe for success in Colorado Springs.