RIFC kick off the Summer of Tidewater Saturday night at 7pm with a matchup against Miami FC. I’ve dubbed it that because starting now until the end of August, 10 of RIFC’s 14 games are at home. We will be loving life all summer, so long as the team holds up their end of the bargain on the field (which I’m fully confident in). Before we kick off on Saturday night, let’s take a look at both teams:

Somehow it feels like forever since we’ve seen this team play. Blame Lilley-ball I guess. After back to back matches against Lilley’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds, I’m looking forward to seeing a different opponent. I’m sure Khano and the boys are too.

RIFC find themselves 6th in the Eastern Conference through the first third of the USL Championship season. If you want a great look at how the team is doing so far, I urge you to check this out:

Timmy and Andrew did a fantastic job looking at each individual player and how they’ve performed up until this point.

As for this upcoming game, RIFC will be without some players, which has sadly been a trend all season. After being listed on the availability report last week, it’s been reported that Koke Vegas is out:

Good morning from Pawtucket.

Koke Vegas is not participating in training ahead of RIFC’s match with Miami tomorrow night.

Rhode Island’s captain and goalkeeper has a lower body injury. @abc6 @rhodeislandfc #wickedgoodsoccer pic.twitter.com/nIsallCEpJ

— Ian Steele (@RealianSteele6) June 6, 2025

Koke has been playing really well but luckily RIFC have a great backup. It looks like he will be out for a few weeks according to Khano Smith. Aime Mabika also showed up on that availability report, so I’m assuming he will be out for this one. Jojea Kwizera will definitely be out, as he is away on international duty with Rwanda. With that being said, I’m switching things up this week and coming out with a lineup that I think would work, not necessarily what I think Khano will actually go with. So here goes:

• Goalkeeper
  • As just mentioned, Koke is expected to be out for a few weeks so Jackson Lee slots right in. Great opportunity for him to show what he can do as one of, if not the best backup in the league right now
• Defense
  • We’re bringing the band back together: Yao on drums, Nodarse on bass (he’s just a chill guy), and Stoneman on guitar. Unsure who sings
• Wingbacks
  • A return for the wingbacks! I’m never sure if this should go with the defense or the midfield, so it gets it’s own bullet point. Aldair Sanchez has been great as a more traditional LB this season but he’s shown he can do a job getting forward and putting in dangerous crosses. Noah Fuson, perhaps controversially, moves out wide to RWB. He’s shown he can do a job there and moving him facilitates what I’m looking for in attack
• Midfield
  • It’s not the adult midfield from last year, but it’s the energy midfield. All 3 players provide tons of energy to get stuck in and start some quick transitions that the team benefitted from during their run last year
• Attack
  • Hear me out on Maxi. Although the graphic shows him as a striker, he would have more of a free role here. Think Noah Fuson last season. While Maxi is would be great playing in that midfield 3, I think giving him a more creative role with 3 strong midfielders behind him would allow him to get in better positions to score. And the attack struggling of late, that is what the team needs

Keys to the Game

• Goals Galore!
  • This game was dubbed the “goals galore” game in the marketing before the season started. This is an obvious reference to the last time these teams met: an 8-1 drubbing by RIFC in the last game of the 2024 regular season back in October. While I’d be shocked to see anything close to that on Saturday night, this is a team that RIFC should be able to get multiple goals against
• Don’t Get Complacent
  • Miami FC had a historically bad season in 2024. It was arguably the worst in league history. And while there are several players who returned for this season, the team is nowhere near as bad as they were last year. RIFC will need to forget about that 8-1 win and treat this team like any other opponent they will face this year. I have full faith that the players will do this but human nature can still creep in
• Quick Transitions
  • This goes along with the lineup I put forth. RIFC have struggled to break teams down in the final third and I think creating these quick transitions could help alleviate that. I’ve been going on about this for what seems like forever, but the team has enough talent in attacking areas to get the job done. Hopefully we get to see more of that this weekend

As I’ve already mentioned, Miami FC are a completely different team than they were last year. There are so many ways I can point this out, but one of them is they are 1 point off of their total for last season. They had 11 points in 34 games in 2024 and right now have 10 points through their first 9 games. Miami FC have also matched their win total from all of last season with 3 so far this year. And those 3 wins in 2025 have come against San Antonio, North Carolina, and Loudoun, all teams in the top 4 of their respective conferences.

New manager Gaston Maddoni has brought a more aggressive style to Miami FC in his first season. They are still bad with the ball and are near the bottom of the league with an average of 44% possession in their league games. Passing numbers are bad too as they are 20th in accurate passes per match. Where the aggression comes in is Miami FC have the most successful tackles in the league. Pair that with the 3rd most fouls in the league and we could be in for a feisty affair.

As for who is likely to be out there, here are some players to keep an eye on:

• Bill Hamid (GK)
  • New signing for this season. 34 years old. Came up through D.C. United’s academy and made close to 200 appearances for them. 8 caps for the USMNT. Past his prime but provides great leadership for a team that desperately needed it
• Daltyn Knutson (CB)
  • Knutson returns from a team that conceded an astonishing 89 goals last season. For comparison, the next worst team conceded 57. Part of a much improved defense this season and leads the team in clearances
• Diego Mercado (MF)
  • One of several Argentinians in the club (including the manager). Signed from 2nd division Argentinian club Ferro Carril Oeste before this season. Combative defensive midfielder
• Sebastian Blanco (MF/FW)
  • 37 year old attacking midfielder. In the US, most notably played for Portland Timbers from 2017-2023. Leads the team in chances created but only has 1 assist so far
• Francisco Bonfiglio (FW)
  • Leads the team with 6 goals this season. Spent time in academies in his native Argentina and at Villareal in Spain before signing for Miami FC. Most dangerous player on the field for his team

Keys to the Game

• Measured Aggression
  • As mentioned above, this Miami FC team loves to fly into challenges. They’re 2nd in yellow cards and 3rd in red cards this season with 3, just behind Colorado Springs and Hartford who each have 4. Keeping all 11 players on the field will be critical in what should be a really fiery game in the midfield
• Win the Ball in the Attacking Third
  • While Miami FC are first in successful tackles per match, they’re in the middle of the pack at possession won in the final third. All this really means is that they don’t win the ball back close enough to goal. And for a team that has struggled in possession, that isn’t good. Similar to what I was talking about with RIFC, if they can press higher up the field, they can create better chances at goal
• Let Blanco and Bonfiglio Cook
  • Blanco isn’t guaranteed to start or go the full 90 at his age, but he has started most games this season. He and Bonfiglio are easily the two best players for Miami FC and they need to get them on the ball to cause problems for the opposition. If Blanco isn’t there, you can look to Cristian Vazquez, another new Argentinian signing, who leads the team with 3 assists

I think the good guys take this one. For as much as Miami FC have improved, that improvement is being compared to an embarrassing 2024 season. They absolutely cannot be taken lightly, however RIFC are just a better team overall. This is a Miami FC team that can be pressed into making mistakes on the ball and RIFC should be good enough to take advantage.

As always I’ll be back with the Riptide Report following the match, where hopefully I’ll be celebrating the first 3 points at Centreville Bank Stadium for RIFC. The Postmatch Pod will follow on Sunday night for an informative and entertaining look at the game. And Timmy will have his player ratings, where I’m sure I’ll find a few things I disagree with him on. Until next time, UP THE TIDE!