I had to let this result sit for a couple of hours before I could even start writing. Rhode Island FC went down to South Carolina, played Charleston Battery to a scoreless result after 120 minutes, and then defeated them in a penalty shootout to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

On paper, the game looked relatively even. In reality, Rhode Island FC was the aggressor for the majority of the 120 minutes and had several chances to win the game in regulation and extra time. For reference, Rhode Island had 211 passes in the opposition half compared to just 160 for Charleston.

Pundits were universally expecting Rhode Island FC to go for a “smash and grab” (how’d the anti-football work out for Hartford on Saturday night?) and instead, Khano’s men went to Charleston and played football that made the fans proud.

For a full recap of player ratings for the entire 2025 regular season, please click below.

Rhode Island FC Player Ratings:

Koke Vegas (GK) – 8/10

Very good match from the captain. He made four saves, including a game-saving stop on a breakaway chance for Cal Jennings in the 58th minute and a full-extension, diving save on a long range shot from Molloy in the 120th minute. But beyond the saves, Koke snuffed out countless dangerous Charleston balls over the top and on the ground with his ability to read the game and speed off his line.

Although he didn’t make any saves in the penalty shootout, he certainly made his presence felt, diving the right way multiple times. Again – a stark comparison to Antony Siaha’s shambolic penalty performance on Saturday night.

Frank Nodarse (D) – 6/10

Frank may not receive the same attention as Diop or Yao for his performance, but he was an important part of the near-perfect backline that kept the league’s best offense scoreless for 120 minutes. He appeared more comfortable and impactful playing as a center back than he has at right wingback since returning from injury in September.

Frank does look less comfortable on the ball – which I used to consider a strength of his – than players like Bacharach, Diop, and Mabika. Nonetheless, he chipped in with the second most defensive contributions on the team (10) and second most passes into the final third (13).

Karifa Yao (D) – 8/10

Massive performance from our defensive anchor. He led all players with 15 defensive contributions, including 7 clearances. Not only did Karifa bail the team out again and again from dangerous situations – he worked hard off the ball in this match, and helped the team to win the ball back in the Charleston half more than once.

Hamady Diop (D) – 8/10

The vision for Diop has been clicking into place with fans as he’s improved all throughout October – but Saturday was the first time he looked like one of the best players on the pitch. He was just as much of a brick wall defensively as Yao, but was also one of the most important players to our possession game with his progressive passing and carrying of the ball. Diop was tied with Charleston’s Aaron Molloy for the most touches in the game (112), resulting in a game-high 20 passes into the final third.

Diop is incredibly composed on the ball – always willing to take an extra touch to open up the right pass or suck in the defense. Even when the ball lands at his feet in dangerous situations, he’s just as likely to dribble out of trouble as he is to smash it long.

He also stepped up to the spot and buried his penalty during the shootout.

Jojea Kwizera (MF) – 5/10

Fairly pedestrian game from Kwizera – there were some good attacking moments and work with Herivaux and Fuson, and then some moments where indecision (or the wrong decision) cost him.

I don’t really agree with Kwizera’s second yellow, so I have a hard time holding it against him. I’m not sure the refs had a good handle on that situation at all.

Hugo Bacharach (MF) – 8/10

Hugo was absolutely everywhere on the pitch tonight. He started in the midfield as part of a double pivot with Zach Herivaux and made it his business to be involved in damn-near every 50/50 ball for all 120 minutes. Seriously – he led all players in both duels won (12) and duels lost (13).

Hugo, like Diop, was crucial to our ball progression as he chipped in with 12 passes into the final third of his own. Hugo isn’t just a build-up-merchant though when playing in the midfield, as he was regularly involved in the final third and even created two attacking chances – including a chance for JJ that saw Hugo put in a cross all the way from the touchline.

Hugo was another penalty hero, as well.

Zach Herivaux (MF) – 7/10

Herivaux was excellent in the 80 minutes that he played (it’s wild how 80 minutes feels like he only played half of the game). As always, Zach was effective on the ball at driving forward and linking up with the forwards, but also no slouch at all on his off-ball and defensive responsibilities. If anything, I would’ve liked to see Zach get on the ball more than just the 50 touches that he had.

Amos Shapiro-Thompson (MF) – 7/10

A performance fitting for the Defiance 1636 Player of the Year award-winner. Only 36 touches for Amos in 80 minutes but his effort and engine were absolutely off the charts, as per usual for him. It’s not only that he would run the entire length of the field to keep a ball in play or attempt a cross from the touch line – it’s that he would immediately be back in the mix at the halfway line breaking up Charleston counterattacks without missing a beat.

Through his tenacity, Amos was able to get the ball in some dangerous positions on the right (which has been a black hole for the team for most of the season). Even if his technique let him down in the final third at times – he’s not a right wing, after all – he was easily still a net positive thanks to his defensive work rate.

Noah Fuson (F) – 6/10

With Noah’s reputation against Charleston, I came into the match expecting an iconic Noah performance. Noah generated two chances and had his share of promising attacking moments, but it wasn’t one of his best performances – though he may have been our best forward on the night.

I’d say the good news is that getting Fuson 87 touches in a game is a great sign for the offense, even if it didn’t yield any goals in this match. On the other hand, losing eight out of his nine duels is a tough stat for the night. I thought his effectiveness dropped off significantly after he moved to right wingback in the second half.

JJ Williams (F) – 5/10

For as good as our defensive performance was – Charleston was pretty sound defensively as well, as they kept our front three relatively quiet. For example – JJ, usually a dual monster if nothing else, won just three out of his 14 duels. He played all 120 minutes, but had only 29 touches (the fewest of any outfield player to play 90 minutes).

JJ had a headed chance hit the woodwork in second half stoppage time, and also forced a save on a set piece shot – but otherwise wasn’t hugely impactful in this match. He did deliver from the penalty spot though, as one of five Rhode Island players to bury their chance in the shootout.

Clay Holstad (F) – 5/10

Remember how we’ve all insisted all season that Clay isn’t a right wingback? Well, I don’t think he is a right forward / right wing, either.

Don’t get me wrong – Clay brought the same intensity that he brings to every match, but it feels like an underutilization of his skills in the center of the field to deploy him wide. As a result, Clay had only 44 touches and relatively low involvement both defensively and in build-up play.

Assuming Clay is healthy, I don’t expect to see Khano make any changes, so expect to see Clay stuck here again on Saturday.

Subs

Dwayne Atkinson – N/A

Albert Dikwa – 5/10

I’m not saying this was an exceptional performance, but it was a perfectly functional substitute performance. Chico racked up 30 touches in just 40 minutes – more than JJ Williams mustered in 120 minutes, and created the same number of chances (one). Chico was willing to drop a bit deeper to pick up the ball, and applied solid pressure off the ball at times.

Marc Ybarra – 5/10

Ybarra subbed on for the injured Clay Holstad in the 88th minute and slotted into the midfield seamlessly. Per usual, he was very competent at maintaining and recycling possession, as well as breaking up Charleston opportunities.

Aldair Sanchez – 6/10

Aldair came on in the 91st minute to indirectly replace Kwizera after he was shown a red card. While Kwizera is more of a dribble-y forward, Sanchez is more defensively sound and a crossing specialist. He didn’t get many chances to whip in crosses in this match, but he played well nonetheless.

Aime Mabika / Maxi Rodriguez – N/A

It’s a lot of pressure to be subbed on solely to take a penalty, and both players delivered. Mabika, of course, delivered the game-winning penalty – with great poise, I might add, for a 6’6″ center back.

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Rating Scale:

• 1/10 – Abysmal. You might as well have me on the pitch.
• 2/10 – Very bad
• 3/10 – Bad
• 4/10 – Below Average
• 5/10 – Average. The player did their job.
• 6/10 – Good
• 7/10 – Very good
• 8/10 – Great
• 9/10 – Outstanding
• 10/10 – Transcendent performance. Watch out, because Real Madrid may come knocking.