The day has finally arrived. While the team was required to submit their roster updates to the league within two days of the Final being played, they chose to hold off on announcing the updates publicly until after Thanksgiving. This makes sense: it allowed fans to digest the Final’s results, spend time with the team and coaches at the block party (phenomenally well done by the club), and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday in peace.

But at noon on Monday, the team dropped the news we’ve all been anxiously waiting for. You can find it here.  Here is my biggest instant reaction to the updates: 

The Core Returns

The core of the team is contracted to return next year, which is great news in terms of continuity heading into the first year at our new stadium. With the way the team gelled at the end of the season and into the playoffs, keeping most of the roster intact makes RIFC a top contender to win the league next year.

We’d heard strong rumors that most players would return, but seeing it confirmed in writing is a relief. For those who caught last week’s fantastic Quahog Corner, we now have confirmation that Kevin’s plums did not let him down.

Of course, it would be impossible, and bad business, for everyone to return. But it’s still tough to see who won’t be coming back (more on that below). Khano and the front office have done an incredible job recruiting high-character people who understand what it means to contribute to a community, which makes it even harder when players move on.

All this said, it’s important to remember one major caveat: this update reflects which players are contracted to return. As anyone familiar with soccer outside the USL knows, contracts don’t guarantee permanence. If a bigger club comes calling with a tempting offer, it could be tough for RIFC to keep that player. Here’s hoping we don’t have to cross that bridge.

Now, let’s dig deeper into the buckets outlined in the team’s update.

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The following players will be returning to RIFC for the 2025 campaign as part of already agreed on contracts:

• Koke Vegas
• Stephen Turnbull
• Grant Stoneman
• JJ Williams
• Albert Dikwa “Chico”
• Jojea Kwizera
• Zachary Herivaux
• Marc Ybarra
• Karifa Yao

Reaction:

Some of these names—Koke, JJ, Chico, Herivaux, Kwizera—were known to be on multi-year contracts, so no surprises there. What’s exciting is seeing so many other key contributors make this list. Turnbull, Stoneman, Ybarra, and Yao were regular starters, and I LOVE that they’ll be back.

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Options exercised, returning for 2025:

• Noah Fuson
• Clay Holstad
• Frank Nodarse
• Jackson Lee
• Joe Brito

Reaction:

Inject this right into my veins.  This is probably the most important section of the entire update. Noah (the club’s Player of the Year), and Clay (Defiance 1636’s Player of the Year) are both set to return. Frank, a fan favorite (shoutout Matt Hands) and regular starter, is also returning.  Jackson Lee will also remain and will continue to push Koke for the starting GK role. This should mean he’s likely to receive the rehab assistance of the club during the offseason to make sure he is ready to get back on the field as soon as possible after this ankle injury sustained the day before the Final.  

Finally, in a slightly surprising move, Brito will remain with the club. He was a high energy, impact substitution for the second half of the year but I assumed the team would move on considering he didn’t have a natural fit on this team. Let’s see if he can carve out a bigger role for himself next season.

As noted earlier, contracts aren’t a guarantee that they will be here next season. That applies most to this group above. Jackson Lee has shown that he has the quality to be a starter in the USL and his MLS rights are owned by LAFC who drafted him almost exactly one year ago.  Additionally, Fuson, Holstad, and Nodarse all have the quality to at least get a look from an MLS club or a club from a bigger league outside the US. I’ll be holding my breath and keeping my fingers crossed until the season kicks off next March. (Someone check in on me every couple days, please.)

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Options declined, in talks to return:

• Kevin Vang
• Amos Shapiro-Thompson
• Isaac Angking
• Kofi Twumasi

Reaction:

The assumption here is that the club wants to renegotiate terms. I really hope Amos and Isaac stick around; both showed promise in limited minutes. Injuries held them back, but at full strength, they can contribute a lot.

I’m surprised to see Kofi Twumasi on this list. He’s solid, but perhaps the club feels confident they can find a cost-effective replacement. As for Kevin Vang, this isn’t unexpected, but I hope he finds a team where he can continue to develop.

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Returning to parent club:

• Morris Duggan
• Jack Panayotou

Reaction:

Sad, but expected. While another loan is possible, I can’t see that actually happening. Duggan played too well and deserves to return to Minnesota United with a chance to earn a spot on the first team. Replacing him will be a top priority for Khano and his staff.

As for Jack P, I’m not sure Khano wants to play a game of loan yo-yo with the Revs. Additionally, it’s also been rumored that the team will be picking up an attacking midfield player which would likely push Jack out of regular playing time anyway. From that perspective, the Revs won’t want to send him back to RIFC considering he didn’t even get much playing time in his second loan stint this past season.  

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Options declined, will not return:

• Nathan Messer
• Mark Doyle
• Gabriel Alves
• Conor McGlynn

Out of contract, will not return:

• Collin Smith
• Nate Silveira

Reaction:

No surprises here. These players saw little to no game time. That could be because they couldn’t get past the players in front of them, or it could be that the system evolved over the course of the year to a point where they were not a great fit for the team’s playing style. Best of luck to this group and I thank them for their contributions both on and off the pitch this season.

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Final Thoughts

Interestingly, every player is accounted for in this update. That isn’t always the case when other USL teams post their roster updates. For example, Detroit City FC’s roster update made no mention of Maxi Rodriguez who was later named to the USL Championship First Team All-League. He’s a phenomenal player that every club in this league would kill to have. His omission suggests he likely has signed for another club. (Man, how great would it be if Rhode Island signed a player like that? 👀)  

Stay tuned to Tide Talk for more offseason coverage. Bookmark our excellent Offseason Tracker to get the latest and greatest in roster update news. And be on the lookout for more in-depth analysis of the team as the 2025 roster continues to take shape. 

Lastly, be sure to tune into the Quahog Corner tonight (Dec 2) for a special off-season episode discussing the roster updates.

All that and more at your favorite source for RIFC content for the fans, by the fans.

Up The Tide!