RIFC came away with a vital 1-0 win over Indy Eleven tonight.  The 3 points pushes RIFC back into a playoff spot, as they jump Indy Eleven and move to 8th in the Eastern Conference.  It was a must win game for RIFC, though Khano would tell you that you try win every game.  Which is totally valid, especially for a head coach.  Either way, it was mission accomplished tonight.  Here are my quick takeaways:

Interesting 11

I feel like I pretty regularly talk about the lineup in these blogs.  Maybe too much sometimes when I don’t have much else to say.  But here, it’s definitely warranted.  When I first saw the 11, I thought we would see Mabika, Yao and Hugo in a back 3 with Frank Nodarse out at RWB.  Instead, Frank joined Yao and Mabika in the back 3 and Hugo moved up to midfield with Amos at RWB.  While I like Hugo in midfield, I was hoping to see Frank on the right, allowing Amos to play centrally.  But it seems like we are never moving away from a Clay/Amos RWB rotation.  It was also interesting to see no Clay or Maxi from the start, with Herivaux and Brito joining Hugo in the midfield.  I wasn’t the biggest fan of that decision, but at the end of the day, it ended up working as we got the result we were looking for

A Goal is a Goal

In a game in which neither team created a big chance and both sides finished with 8 shots (2 on target), it came down to an own goal:

A vital breakthrough moment for @RhodeIslandFC gives them the lead! 🔓 pic.twitter.com/0TeFJ4s0Ne

— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) September 14, 2025

Clay did well there to flick the ball to Noah and Noah did what he had to: get the ball into a dangerous area.  Unfortunately for Indy Eleven, defender James Musa couldn’t clear the ball away and instead played it off his own post and in.  While we all would’ve loved to see an RIFC player score, along with some better chances created, a goal is a goal.  All that matters at the end of the match is RIFC had a ball go in and Indy Eleven didn’t

A Red Card Apiece

It was a bizarre ending to this one and it started in the 88th minute when Aime Mabika got a red card.  It was for DOGSO (denial of a goal scoring opportunity) just outside the box.  This is usually reserved for when a defender takes down an attacker who is through on goal with no other defenders back.  I thought in real time that Aime got level with the attacker and it was shoulder to shoulder.  However, I spoke with our resident referee consultant Joe Burns, who told me it was a red. As a fan, I still reserve the right to disagree.

Just a few minutes later, Indy would get a red card of their own via Elvis Amoh.  Indy put in a dangerous free kick in the 92nd minute that Koke didn’t get to.  There was a scramble and Grant Stoneman miraculously cleared it off the line before Amoh’s acrobatic effort went over the top of the goal.  Amoh then got up and hit JJ Williams in the back, likely out of frustration, and was sent off.  RIFC held on to their 1-0 lead and got the massive victory

Up Next

For RIFC, it’s back to back road games in Miami and El Paso.  For us here at Tide Talk, we’ll have a postmatch pod tomorrow night as always.  Timmy will also have his player ratings, which is always a great read.  I will be back here on Friday to preview another crucial game for the amber and blue.  Until then, UP THE TIDE!