After a 10 day break, RIFC are back at it on Tuesday night for a meeting with Portland Hearts of Pine in the US Open Cup. With a strong contingent of RIFC fans heading up to Lewiston, it’s shaping up to be a brilliant day out. But what about on the field? RIFC are coming off of a win last time out, their first 3 points of the season. Meanwhile, Portland lost their first match in their now 5 game history on Saturday night. Here’s what to expect from both sides on Tuesday night:

After a 3-0 win out in Oakland last time out, RIFC are coming into this game with some good vibes. A player’s only meeting after the poor performance at Loudoun seemed to do what it was intended to. The team came out with a much better performance, albeit against a pretty poor Oakland team. So the major question on a lot of fan’s lips is whether the Oakland performance was a catalyst to jumpstart the season or if it was just a one-off.

For me, this question probably isn’t going to be answered in this Open Cup match. I expect that there will be some rotation, with the team back in action in the league with a trip to Detroit on Saturday. But I’m interested to see how much rotation there will be for this game. Rotation cost this team last year in the Open Cup and I wonder if that is on coach Khano’s mind at all heading into this one. So looking ahead at a possible lineup, rather than predict something, I’m just going to throw out a heavily rotated lineup as an exercise here to see what that might look like. And here is what it is:

This lineup has 7 changes from last time out. I think that’s the most that Khano Smith could possibly do. Here is how this all shapes out:

• GK:
  • Jackson Lee gets his first start here as he recently returned to the bench after recovering from injury. Lee should at the very least be our goalkeeper in cup competitions this season and I’m excited to see him back out there
• Back line:
  • Two changes here with Zach Herivaux and Rio Hope-Gund coming in for Grant Stoneman and Frank Nodarse respectively. With Rio on a 25 day contract, I think the team needs to take this opportunity to give him more playing time and see if that contract should be extended. And Herivaux, after not being available in Oakland, can come in here and get more minutes at RCB, where he may end up featuring more than we initially thought coming into the season.
• Midfield:
  • There’s 3 changes to the midfield here with Sanchez, Okiyoshi and Shapiro-Thompson coming in. Sanchez is a natural fit on the left and Okiyoshi has gotten a lot of playing time already this season. As for Shapiro-Thompson, he’s filled in on the right at times and I don’t see a reason why he can’t do the same here. Clay Holstad keeps his spot in the 11 as he has been a vital player for the team so far this season.
• Forward:
  • The forward line remains strong with a Fuson, Williams and Brito front 3. It’s worth rewarding Brito with some starting minutes here in the cup as he’s been solid off the bench so far this season. Starting Noah and JJ also gives the team some firepower to hopefully put the game away early.

The key here for RIFC is going to be to get out to an early lead. If they can do that, it should help calm some nerves it what could be a tricky game to navigate. The longer Portland stays in this game, the more chance there is of some more magic in the cup. That is something we don’t want to see at this stage, after having lost in our first Open Cup match last season at Charlotte Independence.

What a journey it’s been for Portland Hearts of Pine. By all accounts they’ve done a great job off the field and now have had a decent start to the season. They started with a 4-0 win in the Open Cup over amateur side CD Faialense. They followed that up with a 0-0 draw against FC Naples in the League One opener. Then came their best and most exciting game so far when they defeated Hartford Athletic 4-2 on penalties to advance to this stage of the Open Cup. They proceeded to draw 0-0 at Spokane Velocity before falling 2-1 to South Georgia Tormenta last time out in the league.

There was some rotation in that last match, which clearly signifies that Portland is currently prioritizing the cup. And why wouldn’t they? They upset a USL Championship team last time out and will have the belief that they can do the same here. That being said, here’s some players to look out for:

• Hunter Morse (GK)
  • Former FC Cincinnati draft pick. Spent time with FC Cincinnati II before signing ahead of this season. Good performance against Hartford last Open Cup match
• Nathan Messer (LB)
  • Former Providence College and RIFC player. 4 appearances for RIFC last season, only start being the first and only Open Cup game for RIFC so far, a loss against Charlotte Independence. Has started strong for Portland and is one of their better players
• Mikey Lopez (MF)
  • 32 year old with plenty of experience. Most recently with Birmingham Legion since 2019, but missed all of last year with an ACL injury. Brings talent and leadership whenever he is on the field,
• Patrick Langlois (MF)
  • Played in his native Australia before moving to League One with Northern Colorado Hailstorm last year. Team captain. Scored team’s 1st goal in league play last time out
• Titus Washington (FW)
  • First professional season after playing for Sacramento State and Seattle. A lot falls on his shoulders after red card in previous match against Hartford for Azaad Liadi

Portland are a team with some pretty good talent for their level, but I think it’s going to be an uphill battle for them on Tuesday. Two losses and a draw in the league so far isn’t terrible but also doesn’t instill a lot of confidence. A big win in their first competitive match was great, but it was against an amateur team. And I think they rode their luck against Hartford last time out. They’ve been a great story with the all of the buzz and excitement around the team. But in order for them to win this game, a lot will need to go their way. I think Portland needs to keep this at 0-0 for as long as possible. They need to be strong defensively and hope to take advantage of a defensive lapse from RIFC, which they are prone to this season so far.

I have this as a 2-0 win for RIFC. On paper, this should be an easy win but I think outside factors make it a little more difficult. Portland are really going to be up for it and anything can happen in 90 minutes. It’s looking like it’ll be a cold, wet night up in Lewiston. And you’re playing the game on a high school field. That being said, these are professionals and I expect them to have enough to get the job done.

I will be at the game, travelling up with fellow Tide Talk blogger Timmy. Other Tide Talk members will be up there as well, along with a strong contingent of fellow RIFC fans. I cannot emphasize enough how excited I am for this game. For a lot of us, this will be our first time seeing the team all season. And for as much as we’ve supported Portland Hearts of Pine in their infancy, for 90+ minutes, that ends. At kickoff on Tuesday night, we aren’t friends anymore. And that is part of what makes this so great. Until then, all there’s left to say is: UP THE TIDE!