RIFC fell 1-0 to Louisville City tonight at Centreville Bank Stadium. It was another rainy night at Tidewater and the game ended up being delayed by just under an hour due to lightning. I unfortunately missed my first match at Tidewater, as I was feeling under the weather. Still, I had to watch from my living room and make sure I got this blog out. When it comes to blogging…..
Per usual, here are my quick takeaways, this time from my couch:
Conceding First
RIFC conceded their first goal at home since the July 26th Jagermeister Cup game against Hartford Athletic. And it came pretty early on, via this Aiden McFadden rocket in the 18th minute:
As the USL’s post says, it’s impossible to say if this was meant to be a shot. But regardless, it was a fantastic strike of the ball that I don’t think any goalkeeper would have a chance at saving.
It’s never good to concede first, but it’s especially worrying when you’re an RIFC team that has struggled to score goals. There were a couple of chances to get an equalizer in the first half, including an Aime Mabika header that went right at the goalkeeper and a great counterattack in the 30th minute that ended when Aldair Sanchez slipped inside the box. Lou City would take their 1-0 lead into halftime, but it didn’t seem like a game that RIFC were entirely out of.
Attacking Subs Fall Short
Khano Smith chose to bring Dwayne Atkinson and Noah Fuson in for Marc Ybarra and Amos Shapiro-Thompson in the 64th minute. It was a good, positive substitution, and the kind of change you want to see when you’re a goal down and searching for an equalizer. Atkinson looked lively, as he typically has when he’s come off the bench. I thought he brought a lot to RIFC’s attack and the team’s push for an equalizer. Noah Fuson didn’t look as good and is unfortunately nowhere near his 2024 level. Mathieu Ndongo also made his debut, coming on for Clay Holstad in the 82nd minute. He didn’t look ready for this level, but he is only 18 and is a player RIFC are hoping to develop for next season and beyond. Ndongo isn’t someone I would expect to make a big difference for RIFC in 2025 and he likely made his debut because Albert Dikwa was listed on the availability report as out. In the end, despite looking good going forward at times, RIFC couldn’t find the final pass or shot to make the difference. You have to also give Lou City credit for killing off the game late. For the last few minutes plus stoppage time, they were able to clear away anything that got in and around their box and they spent more than a few minutes killing time in RIFC’s defensive third.
Results Over Performance
I thought RIFC put together a decent performance overall tonight. They limited Lou City to 4 shots, 1 on target and zero big chances. While Louisville were without leading goal-scorer Phillip Goodrum, much like Charleston last week they have enough depth to make up for it. I also felt that RIFC looked decent advancing the ball into the final third, particularly after Dwayne Atkinson came on (as I mentioned above). All in all, the performance probably deserved a point. But at the end of the day, you’re at the point in the season where the results are more important than your performances. Had this type of performance happened a couple months ago, I’d be sitting here writing about how the team is improving and is possibly trending towards going on a run. Unfortunately, this team is running out of time. RIFC can count themselves lucky that both Indy Eleven and Tampa Bay Rowdies lost tonight as well. This sets up a massive matchup next weekend with Indy Eleven, with RIFC currently 9th in the Eastern Conference, 2 points behind Indy in 8th.
Up Next
RIFC have a midweek meeting with Sacramento Republic in the Jagermeister Cup Semifinals before that aforementioned matchup with Indy Eleven next Saturday. Before that though, the podcast will be back tomorrow night at 8:30 and I may be making an appearance. I will also be back here with the Prematch Lookout on Tuesday to preview the Sacramento match. Until then, no matter what, UP THE TIDE!
Tide Talk 
Leave a reply to Joe Cancel reply