After matching a club record third-straight win over Tampa Bay Rowdies at Beirne Stadium on Saturday, Rhode Island FC returns home for the second of two-straight home matches on Sunday as it prepares for its second and final meeting of the season vs. Loudoun United FC. With just five points separating the two clubs in a tight Eastern Conference playoff race, Sunday’s match is vitally important as RIFC continues its quest for a top four, playoff hosting finish. With an RIFC win securing a postseason berth, here is everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s Eastern Conference battle at Beirne Stadium.
AT A GLANCE
Date | Sunday, October 13
Kickoff | 4:00 PM ET
Location | Beirne Stadium, Smithfield, RI
Broadcast | NESN, ESPN+
Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)
Match Hashtag | #RIvsLDN
LOUDOUN UNITED FC
Roster
GOALKEEPERS (2): 1-Dane Jacomen, 23-Hugo Fauroux
DEFENDERS (8): 2-Keegan Hughes, 3-Keegan Tingey, 5-Yannis Leerman, 6-Kwame Awuah, 16-Cole Turner, 22-Robby Dambrot, 24-Jacob Erlandson, 35-Ethan Pendleton
MIDFIELDERS (9): 4-Tommy McCabe, 8-Florian Valot, 12-Drew Skundrich, 13-Alex Nagy, 18-Pape Amadou Wane, 19-Surafel Dagnachew Mengestu, 34-Brian Chavez, 40-Gavin Turner, 44-Isaiah Johnson
FORWARDS (8): 7-Wesley Leggett, 9-Tommy Williamson, 10-Kalil ElMedkhar, 11-Isaac Espinal, 14-Zach Ryan, 15-Riley Bidois, 17-Christiano François, 30-Abdellatif Aboukoura
Just Enough
After picking up its third shutout road victory of the season in a 2-0 win at Hartford Athletic over the weekend, Loudoun United FC could not carry that momentum into a midweek 1-0 loss vs. Indy Eleven. Falling victim to its fourth shutout in the last eight matches, the hosts conceded a goal off of a corner kick in the 83rd minute, and could not claw their way out of the late deficit. Including the win at Hartford, Loudoun has won just twice in its last eight outings, going 2W-4L-2D and picking up eight points. While the recent form has kept the Virginia club in playoff contention, the club currently sits on the outside looking in. On Sunday, a result is a must for Loudoun to remain in the playoff picture.
Leading the Line
On the attack, Zach Ryan leads the way for Loudoun with 10 goals, one of 14 USL Championship players to reach double-figures. Scoring his most recent goal of the season in a 4-2 win over Birmingham Legion FC on Sept. 13, the forward officially matched his most productive season, netting double-figure goals for the second consecutive campaign with Loudoun after finishing with 10 goals and two assists in 2023. Wesley Leggett closely follows Ryan with eight goals this year, scoring vs. Hartford to break a six-match drought. Leggett joins Kalil ElMedkhar (6) and Abdellatif Aboukoura (5) as one of four players to register at least four goals for an efficient Loudoun United FC attack this season that has put away 43 goals.
Fantastic Fauroux
Loudoun’s clean sheet at Hartford over the weekend marked the 9th of the season for goalkeeper Hugo Faroux, and first since the club’s 0-0 draw with RIFC on August 23. The experienced shot-stopper has conceded multiple goals in a match only once in his last eight appearances, and that came during the club’s 4-2 win over Birmingham. In total, Fauroux’s 31 appearances this season — playing every minute in goal for Loudoun — mark the highest single-season total of his four-year professional career. Faroux has conceded an average of just one goal every 80 minutes in 2024.
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 Island Takeover
JJ Williams and Noah Fuson stole the show for Rhode Island FC in the club’s 3-1 win over Eastern Conference rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies, combining for two second-half goals to take all three points. The feat marked just the second time in club history that two of the same players have combined for multiple goals in a match, after Joe Brito and Frank Nodarse linked up twice in the club’s 3-3 draw vs. Indy Eleven on July 5. Fuson’s assist to William’s 83rd-minute strike was his team-leading ninth of the season, which also leads the USL Championship. After five goal contributions in his last three matches, Fuson also sits second on the team with six goals. Williams’ goal and assist during the contest marked his first time registering multiple goal contributions in an RIFC shirt, and first against his former club. Williams made 31 appearances for Tampa in 2023 before signing with RIFC in 2024. Williams was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for his performance while Fuson was selected as a reserve. The double honors marked the fourth and fifth Rhode Island FC players in the last two match weeks to get the nod.
Second-Half Super Heroes
Saturday’s win marked the third-straight match in which Rhode Island FC scored two goals in the second half to take all three points. The Ocean State club has done so in all of its last six wins, scoring 28 of its 47 total goals in the second half this season, including 14 of its last 17 dating back to late July. RIFC also sits third in the league with 15 goals scored in the final 15 minutes of matches, behind only Charleston Battery and Louisville City SC, each with 19.
Win and We’re In
After last week’s win over Tampa Bay, Rhode Island FC currently sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Ocean State club is tied with Tampa on points (46), just one point shy of fourth-place Indy Eleven (47) and three points behind third-place Detroit City FC (49). While an RIFC win would prominently put the Ocean State club in heavy position to secure a home playoff spot, three points would still require outside results to move RIFC into fourth position on the table at the weekend’s end. In addition to a win over Loudoun, RIFC would need both Indy and Tampa Bay to lose or draw to overtake fourth place. And while a home playoff match cannot be secured for Rhode Island FC this weekend, a trip to the postseason can be secured by simply leaving Beirne Stadium on Sunday with a win.