Rhode Island FC announced the signing of Aldair Sanchez today, formerly of the Sacramento Republic. This is the fifth signing of RIFC’s offseason and third in the defense after Hugo Bacharach and Dani Rovira.

Who is Aldair Sanchez?

Hailing from Vancouver Washington, Sanchez came up through the Portland Timbers academy, making one appearance for Portland Timbers 2 before playing two seasons at the University of North Carolina.

After leaving UNC, Sanchez joined USL League Two side PDX FC before signing with Sacramento Republic FC after a successful open tryout. Sanchez played two seasons for the USL Championship club and making 68 appearances.

One other note, Sanchez was drafted 49th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United on December 19, 2023.

What will he bring to RIFC?

The 22 year old Aldair applies his trade mostly as a left wing back/left back making 35 appearances in the USL Championship and 3 appearances in the US Open Cup last season.

Attack:

Sanchez ranked 22nd in Expected Assists + Expected Goals of any FB in the league who played over 750 minutes. At 0.85 successful crosses per game and 29% cross accuracy, he ranked in the 76th and 72nd percentile.

Defense:

While not a defensive standout, Sanchez has proven the ability to hold his own. Aldair won more than half of his ground duels per game, was rarely dribbled past (0.5 times per match) and racked up over 1.1 tackles per match.

Where will he fit in?

This seems like astute business from the club to sign a promising young player who is closer to the profile of Kwizera than any other member of the roster. If we can expect Jojea to continue to be called up for the Rwanda national team, it’s important that the club signed proper cover for him.

Comparing the two players, you will see Kwizera firmly ahead on key categories such as XG+XA (8.88 vs. 4.92), big chances created (15 vs. 5), However, while he may not have displayed the output of Kwizera, he has been dependable losing possession half as often (7.7 per game vs. 15.9), fouling less often (1 vs. 1.3 per game) and being dribbled past less (0.5 vs. 0.8 times per game).

Overall, this is clearly a depth piece in a position that needed cover. Last season we relied on the human Swiss Army knife Noah Fuson or a CB to cover an incredibly important position in our team. Also, at 22, there is promise that he could grow with the great coaching we’ve seen in Rhode Island

Up The Tide!