With a string of injuries and suspensions, RIFC made quick work to add two defenders to their permanent roster at the end of this week.

The news started last night with the announcement that Rio Hope-Gund would extend his 25 day contract for the rest of the season. Rio impressed in his cameos so far this season, starting with his debut against the Oakland Roots. In his brief time at the club, his best performance came in Westchester last Sunday, playing the full 90 and racking up a 7.2 on Fotmob. He played in a hybrid center back/right back role that took full advantage of his skillset with the defender racking up an 82% pass accuracy, 5 defensive actions, 5 duels won and even a chance created.

Khano kept cooking this afternoon adding MLS veteran Aimé Mabika to the squad.

Who is Aimé Mabika?

Aimé Mabika is a 6’6″ 26 year old central defender who last played with Toronto FC. He started life in Zambia before moving to Lexington, Kentucky at the age of eight. Here, he won the 2016 Gatorade High School Player of the Year before staying local at the University of Kentucky. At UK, Mabika overlapped with familiar faces Clay Holstad and JJ Williams, which should help him blend in with the squad.

With 60 appearances for MLS sides and one appearance for the Zambia national team, Mabika brings strong experience to the squad. In his last season with Toronto, Mabika only managed 457 minutes. In the season before, he managed over 1,500 and showcased some key stats that could be crucial for RIFC.

What does he bring to RIFC?

First and foremost, depth. With Karifa Yao and Hugo Bacharach sidelined with injuries and Frank Nodarse suspended, The Tide were left with just Grant Stoneman, Rio Hope-Gund and rookie Cole Dewhurst as available options at center back. We were so short that I was going to bring some shinguards Saturday just in case they needed a warm body on the bench.

The main hope here is that we never have to see Clay Holstad or Zachary Herivaux out of our midfield again. With this duo operating as a pairing behind Maxi Rodriguez, it gets the best out of all three midfielders and helps this team control games more effectively.

The other hope is that we have true competition for places at center back. The defense hasn’t covered itself in glory so far this season. But, with it being more of a war of attrition at this point, Khano has had very few options to shake it up. By bringing in a defender with the experience and skill level of Mabika, there’s no guarantee that anyone is keeping their place in the starting eleven.

During his time in the MLS, the defender managed an 87.8% passing accuracy, which included a 91% accuracy on short and medium length passes, and a 71% on long balls (95th percentile in MLS in 2023). He was also resilient defensively, winning 76% of his tackles and 74% of his duels in 2023 which ranked in the 88th and 94th percentile of MLS. His 78% win-rate in the air shouldn’t be surprising given the 6’6″ defender’s massive frame. A defender who strong in the duel and can pass? Sign me up!

We’ll see if we get a glimpse of Mabika tomorrow afternoon but either way, with the extension of Hope-Gund and the signing of Mabika, the team has addressed an area of need.