RIFC drew 0-0 at home to Hartford Athletic in front of packed crowd and on national TV.  It wasn’t a great look from a neutral standpoint to not see any goals.  But more importantly, from an RIFC standpoint it was yet another disappointing result.  The draw keeps RIFC in 10th and Hartford 12th in the Eastern Conference.  As always, here are my quick takeaways after the first derby of the season;

Physical Play

The most notable thing at the outset of this one (other than my guy Frank being on the bench) was the physical nature of the game.  And surprisingly, the ref was allowing it.  It seemed to benefit Hartford more than RIFC, as they used their physicality to break up play and make it hard for RIFC to play through them.  There were several moments where players were knocked to the ground and nothing was called.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not necessarily complaining.  Most of the time in this league I think fouls are called too often.  The referee reverted back to normal USL standards in the 2nd half though, blowing the whistle every chance he got.  Hartford ended the game with 18 fouls and 4 yellow cards

JJ and Hugo

The two positive takeaways from this game were JJ Williams and Hugo Bacharach.  JJ made an immediate impact when he came on in the 59th minute and paired with Albert Dikwa up front.  He won his 50/50 duels and did well to set up his teammates for chances.  He had a free kick as well that nearly snuck in low at the far post.  It’s clear that a healthy JJ is needed if this team is going to consistently create chances.

Hugo Bacharach was also a revelation after coming on.  For a purported center back, he was incredible on the ball.  He even played in midfield for 10-15 minutes and looked unbelievable.  He is another player who must start moving forward as he comes to full fitness.  What a player

Not Good Enough

I can sit here and point out some positives, as I just did with JJ and Hugo.  But at the end of the day, it’s the results that matter.  And the results haven’t been there.  The team is still averaging 1 point a game 17 games into the season.  And while it’s great to see a few good moments on the field, I’m past the point of just looking to be encouraged.  I’m looking for results, as we all should be.  And drawing 0-0 at home to worst team in the league, never mind your rival, is not the result any of us were looking for.  At this point, the buck stops with Khano Smith.  I still think he’s a capable manager with some forward thinking ideas.  But if that doesn’t translate onto the field and into results, what is even the point?

Up Next

It looks like it’s going to be a group effort tomorrow night for the podcast.  We’ll try to decipher what’s going on with this team and if things will ever turn around.  Timmy will also have his player ratings soon, which I’m really looking forward to.  Lastly, I’ll be back later in the week to preview another matchup with Hartford next weekend.  Until then, as always, UP THE TIDE!