RIFC are back out on the road after 4 consecutive home games at Centreville Bank Stadium as they take on Miami FC on Friday night. If you take into account that Hartford is pretty close by, it’s the first real away trip for the amber and blue since August 2nd in Pittsburgh. And as I’m sure to be saying every week from now on, this is a big one. RIFC are clinging to the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and will need all the points that they can get in order to hang on to it. As always, we’ll take a look at the previous meeting between the two sides as well as a quick picture of each team’s season and how the game may play out.

RIFC and Miami FC last met at Tidewater on June 7th. After a great chance for Miami FC within the first few minutes, RIFC dominated the rest of the first half. They finished the first 45 with 10 shots (6 on target), which is more than the team have put forward in several full games this season. But great goalkeeping from Bill Hamid kept Miami FC in the game. It went to halftime 0-0 and Miami would get the lone goal in this game via a Sebastian Blanco free kick in the 54th minute. It was poor goalkeeping from Jackson Lee who made the save but couldn’t push the ball wide, instead pushing it off the post and in. Overall, this was a game where RIFC’s first half performance should have produced a couple of goals and helped put the game away early. But they let Miami stick around and ended up coming away from the game with nothing.

Contract News

The team announced on Monday that they had exercised contract options for Koke Vegas and Amos Shapiro-Thompson. Both players will be back in amber and blue in 2026. This is great news as for me, Koke and Amos are two players who are right at the top of the list of guys I’d want back with this team next year.

Koke has always been a leader on and off the field, but he’s improved as a shot-stopper from 2024 to 2025. He had 7 clean sheets in 28 games last season but has 8 in 16 games in the league this year. Obviously the defense in front of him deserves some of the credit, but Koke has been an integral part of RIFC’s great defensive record in 2025.

Amos missed basically the entirety of 2024 with a long term injury. He made 3 appearances including the playoffs and played a total of 76 minutes. In 2025, Amos has made 22 appearances in the team’s 24 league games so far, with 14 starts and over 1,100 minutes played. His energy and tenacity out on the field immediately stands out and is something every team needs.

Recent Form

• RIFC are coming off a massive 1-0 win at home against Indy Eleven. A Noah Fuson ball across the box forced an own goal that was the difference. The win meant RIFC jumped ahead of Indy Eleven and into 8th place in the conference. For more on the game, check out the Player Ratings from Timmy and my very own Riptide Report

• RIFC have conceded just 4 goals in their last 8 games. 3 of those came at Hartford, with the other one coming in a 1-0 home loss to top of the league Lou City. However as I mentioned at the top, 7 of those 8 games were at Tidewater. There is an old adage in sports that “defense travels”, and RIFC will need to make sure that remains true. They will need to do so without Aime Mabika, who will be serving a suspension for his red card against Indy Eleven last time out. Luckily though, RIFC do have a lot of cover defensively so it shouldn’t be a major issue

The Big Question

Can RIFC find some goals in the 305?

I probably could put this question on every Prematch blog the entire season. We all know of RIFC’s offensive struggles. They’ve been well documented. 17 goals in 24 games is pretty abysmal. And as much as last season doesn’t have any bearing on this season, I have to point something out. Just because it’s kind of funny, depending how you think of it. RIFC scored 56 goals across 34 games in 2024. 11 of those came in two games against Miami FC. That means in those two games, RIFC scored 65% of the goals they’ve scored in the entirety of the 2025 USL season so far. But let’s move on to this game.

I feel like I’ve been saying this for at least a couple of months now, but it really is now or never for this RIFC team. If they want to make the playoffs they have to start getting goals. RIFC are coming up against a Miami FC team that have conceded 38 goals this season, good for the 6th worst in the league. 14 of those have come over the last 8 games. This is a Miami team that is there to be scored on. And after they inexplicably exchanged goalkeepers with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, RIFC won’t have to deal with Bill Hamid in this one. As mentioned earlier, he was the main reason why Miami FC got their win in Pawtucket earlier this year. Instead it will be Nicolas Campisi, who was having a poor season in Tampa Bay before moving to Miami.

On the Move

Miami FC officially announced today that they will be moving away from FIU’s stadium. They’re headed about 30 minutes south to Homestead, FL. A development group that includes Miami FC co-owner Riccardo Silva is spearheading a $300 million project for an 80 acre sports and community complex that will include a 15,000 seat stadium. There’s no word yet as to when this move will happen, but it should be a good thing for the team. Inter Miami have been playing in Fort Lauderdale, but are set to move to a new stadium in Miami in 2026. A move away from the city, albeit not that far, is probably a good thing for Miami FC’s long-term prospects. I know this has nothing to do with the upcoming game, but the news broke as I was writing this blog so I felt compelled to put it in. As for the game against RIFC….

Recent Form

Miami FC have lost 4 of their last 5 games while conceding 11 goals. The losses were against Louisville, Indy, Loudoun and Hartford before getting a 0-0 draw last time out in Las Vegas. Lately I’ve been going over recent games individually. But all you really need to know here is that Miami FC are pretty bad. I could probably just end this entire section here and get on to the predictions. But for some more context….

Roster Decisions

Miami have made some…..interesting moves recently. As I mentioned earlier, they traded away Bill Hamid to Tampa Bay for their goalkeeper Nicolas Campisi about a month ago. Campisi was brought in by Tampa Bay this offseason to replace Jordan Farr, who went to DC United. However, Campisi only started Tampa Bay’s first 9 league games before losing his job to Ethan Bandre. Interestingly, Campisi’s last league game for Tampa Bay was against RIFC where he let in 3 long range efforts in a 3-0 loss. So from the outside looking in, it makes no sense whatsoever for Miami FC to trade away their veteran goalkeeper for someone who lost their starting role on a very poor Tampa Bay team. But here we are.

Miami also moved on from defender Bolu Akinyode. Akinyode had played all 90 minutes in all but one of Miami FC’s games this season until he mutually parted ways with the team a couple weeks ago. He was quickly picked up by Loudoun United and made his debut for them last weekend. Akinyode is a solid veteran defender who returned to Miami ahead of this season after spending 2024 with El Paso.

The Big Question

Have Miami FC given up on 2025?

Miami FC had a pretty good run earlier this season from April through the middle of June. After losing their first 4 games in the league, they won 5 of their next 8 league games along with 2 losses and 1 draw. However, the June 18 win over Charleston Battery that ended that 8 game stretch was the last win Miami FC have had this season. They haven’t won in their last 14 games in all competitions: 12 in the league and 2 in the Jagermeister Cup (both against League One opposition).

So the question needs to be asked: have they thrown in the towel? It seems pretty likely. Awful form over the past few months and recent roster moves seem to suggest the team is just trying to get this season over with. The only bright spot for Miami FC currently is forward Francisco Bonfiglio. He’s 2nd in the league in goals this season (13) behind Charleton’s Cal Jennings (15). Bonfiglio is also only 23 years old. He’s a player Miami FC can build around so long as they can keep him in the 305.

I have RIFC getting a massive 3 points here. And shockingly, getting some goals. As I just pointed out, I think this Miami FC team has given up on 2025. They are still alive, as they’re 6 points out of 8th place with 6 games left. This game is certainly a must win for them but I can’t see it happening. I do worry about Bonfiglio though, who I think will get on the score sheet. And for RIFC, I can see the team creating similar chances to what they did last time against Miami. And without Bill Hamid to keep them out, I think RIFC convert some. They also put 3 past Campisi in their last meeting when he was playing for Tampa Bay. The same could happen here. All we can do is hope.

Up Next

I will be back here immediately following the game Friday night for my usual Riptide Report. Hopefully the team doesn’t make me look like an idiot for this prediction. Timmy will follow up with his Player Ratings and the Postmatch Pod will be here as well for an entertaining look at the game. Until next time, all there’s left to say is: UP THE TIDE!