After an incredibly frustrating result at home against Miami FC on Saturday, RIFC are back in action Wednesday night.  They’re headed down to Lynn Family Stadium for a meeting with Louisville City, the top team in the league.  RIFC will hope the quick turnaround will make it easier to move on from Saturday.  And Louisville will look to keep their torrid run going.  Here’s what to look for from both sides:

RIFC come into this one sitting 8th in the Eastern Conference with 12 points from 11 games.  It’s an underwhelming start for a team that made it to the final last year and brought back most of the roster for 2025.  There’s been a lot of doom and gloom from the fanbase after the home loss to Miami FC just a few days ago.  Khano Smith looked a bit dejected after the game and acknowledged the team needed to have more quality in the final third.  The players appeared to be aware that it isn’t good enough, and Amos Shapiro-Thompson said as much directly to the fans after the game.

So what can this team do to turn things around?  It starts with looking inward.  We’ve seen these players perform at a much higher level.  They need to take ownership and go out and just do it.

As for which players will take the field in Louisville, it’s tough to call.  Khano seemed to indicate changes might be coming, but I’m not sure what solid options the team has.  I would go with this setup, which is similar to what I put forth in the last Prematch Lookout:

• Goalkeeper
  • With Koke out for at least a month with a quad injury, this is Jackson Lee’s job. His performance against Miami wasn’t encouraging, however I have full faith in Jackson to put that behind him and come out strong in Louisville
• Defense
  • Mabika has been the team’s best defender since signing and should be the first name on the team sheet so long as he’s fit. Rio should also get some time with this being a mid-week game
• Wingbacks
  • Aldair Sanchez is a lock on the left, while Noah Fuson moves out to the right to accommodate Maxi moving further up
• Midfield
  • As I wrote in the last Prematch Lookout, this is an energy midfield. Amos, Zach, and Clay can be very disruptive and help create quick transitions
• Attack
  • Albert Dikwa keeps his spot here, as I don’t like any of the alternatives. Maxi Rodriguez joins him in a free role that will allow him to roam and take up good positions to score

Keys to the Game

• Don’t Concede Early
  • Goes without saying, but Lynn Family Stadium is one of the most difficult places to play in the league. RIFC were the only visiting team to win their last season and did it twice with a 5-2 win during the regular season and a 3-0 win in the playoffs. Weathering the early storm will be crucial
• Quality in the Final Third
  • In the words of Khano Smith “We’re just never going to win games if we don’t score goals”. Very obvious statement, but it’s true. Khano voiced his frustration after the match on Saturday and pointed to the lack of quality in front of goal. RIFC have had good possession but haven’t done much with it. That has to change in order to get a result against a tough Louisville team
• Set Pieces, Set Pieces, Set Pieces
  • When you don’t have the quality in the attacking third, one way you can make up for it is with set pieces. RIFC have the height with Frank Nodarse and Aime Mabika to do better from corners. The delivery has been solid too (mostly from Aldair Sanchez). Defensively, RIFC have conceded 11 goals in the league this season and 6 of them have come off of set pieces. 4 of them have come from corners, while the other 2 were a header from a free kick and the direct free kick on goal last time out. While the defense hasn’t been the biggest issue for this team, improving on set pieces in both areas is a must

Lou city enter this game first in the Eastern Conference, and the league as a whole, with 25 points from 11 games. On top of that, they have yet to lose this season with 7 wins and 4 draws. While Lou City were expected to be in this position coming into the season, it’s the way they’ve done it that has been suprising.

Last season, Lou City were blowing teams away with an incredible attack. That has come back down to earth this season. They sit 7th in the league in goals scored, which is still great but nowhere near their pace from 2024. Defensively however, Lou City have been nearly impenetrable. They’ve only conceded 6 goals in their 11 games in the league in 2025. It’s a vast improvement from a team that was middle of the road last season in that category.

You can chalk up the decrease in goals to losing Wilson Harris, who was 2nd in the league last season with 19 goals. Lou City still have great attacking talent to watch out for, which we’ll see here with the players to watch:

• Damian Las (GK)
  • 2nd season with Louisville, both seasons on loan from Austin FC. Tied for most clean sheets, but 17th in saves per 90. Has improved this year but defense in front of him has been a lot better
• Kyle Adams (DF)
  • 2nd full season with Louisville. Team captain and one of the best defenders on the team
• Taylor Davila (MF)
  • Runs the midfield and is tied with 3 other teammates for most goal contributions with 4 (2 goals and 2 assists)
• Ray Serrano (FW)
  • Leads team with 4 goals. Most dangerous among many attacking threats
• Phillip Goodrum (FW)
  • 3 goals and 1 assist this season. Signed during last season, likely as a replacement for an outgoing Wilson Harris

Keys to the Game

• Press the Backline
  • Surprisingly, Lou City haven’t been great with the ball this season and are 17th in average possession. They’re 3rd in possession won in the final third, however. This just means that they create chances by winning the ball back high up the field rather than control games by having most of the ball. With RIFC being one of the better teams in the league at controlling possession, Lou City’s pressing becomes that much more important
• Be Better on the Ball
  • Going along with the previous point, Lou City need to be better in possession. They don’t necessarily need to control possession, but they need to be a little bit better with the ball at their feet. They’re currently 23rd in the league in accurate passes per match. That’s a number that needs to improve at least slightly in order to better manage games and see them through
• Beat RI
  • Lou City have 2 losses and 1 draw against RIFC so far. They drew 0-0 in Smithfield during the regular season last year and suffered 2 defeats at home. They’ll be looking to get their first 3 points against a team that has been a thorn in their side. As gracious as their fans were to us after the playoff game last year, I’m sure they’re dying to get their revenge

As tough as this game is on paper, I think RIFC will bounce back from Saturday’s performance and earn a point.  RIFC have been solid defensively and this Lou City team isn’t as prolific in attack as last season.  I think they’ll still score though, with RIFC getting a goal of their own from a corner.  Finally. 

I’ll be back Wednesday night after the match for a rapid reaction.  Hopefully we will at least see an improved performance.  Until then, UP THE TIDE!