Rhode Island FC advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals – for the second time in their two-year history – with a 2-0 win over North Carolina FC.

North Carolina FC went out with a whimper in their final USL Championship game as a club as Rhode Island dominated in possession, shots, tackles, and duels throughout the match – although it sure didn’t feel like it from the stands in North Carolina.

The first half was relatively even, with an extended period of North Carolina possession and chances – but Rhode Island were the better side by far in the second half, showcasing their depth with the likes of Dwayne Atkinson, Maxi Rodriguez, and Albert Dikwa entering late to change the game.

For as much as I’ve questioned various decisions of Khano throughout the regular season, it’s hard to argue he’s been anything less than perfect in these playoffs so far – with his gameplan to neutralize Charleston, and his attacking substitutions for this match.

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

A few honorable mentions:

1. My dad and I have some solid Away Days on our resume, but this was by far my favorite. So, first and foremost, an honorable mention to him for being up for a 24-hour trip to North Carolina for this match.
2. On a related note, the traveling support in general was outstanding – covered by Matt Hands in his Riptide Report as well. I’d say we more than doubled – if not tripled – my expectations. The energy was cranked to 100 for hours before kickoff, and the limbs after Chico’s first goal is a scene I’ll never forget.
3. Ole Time BBQ – glorious, no-frills, Carolina barbecue. Fried chicken, vinegar-based barbecue sauce, mac and cheese, and hush puppies… all great. And it all tastes so much better when it’s approximately half the price of what that same plate would cost at home.

Rhode Island FC Player Ratings:

Koke Vegas (GK) – 7/10

Two playoff games, two clean sheets for Koke Vegas and the Rhode Island FC defense in these playoffs. Koke made four total saves, including a nice save in just the third minute, and a great save with his feet in the 94th minute.

Hamady Diop (D) – 7/10

Similar to his numbers from last weekend, Hamady Diop led all players in touches (100) and accurate passes (78/76 – 91% accuracy). His defensive decision-making was sound once again, and he bailed the team out on more than a couple of dangerous balls over the top.

Once again, I was most impressed with his decisive, driven, progressive passes in to and through the midfield.

Karifa Yao (D) – 7/10

Eight duels won including 3/3 aerial duels – another quintessential Yao performance as he anchored the backline. He made a great tackle in Charleston last weekend off a giveaway of his own making – this week, he made an even more crunching tackle to break up a NCFC counterattack after a bad giveaway by Maxi.

Frank Nodarse (D) – 5/10

Frank contributed positively in possession with some good long balls into the final third, but was having some issues with Oalex Anderson during North Carolina FC’s attacks. I believe Frank got nutmegged at least twice, leading to two of North Carolina’s best chances of the game. In Frank’s defense, North Carolina got some balls in over the top that made all of our defenders look slow, at various moments.

Aldair Sanchez (MF) – 6/10

Relatively low involvement for Aldair with just 31 touches. We did have a good look at him in the second half when NCFC attacked in front of our section. While the numbers really weren’t there tonight, and he was only able to attempt a single cross, I thought he battled and had a positive impact defensively.

Hugo Bacharach (MF) – 8/10

He’s done it again. In a double pivot working with Zach Herivaux, Hugo has just put in an absolutely enormous shift. He was tied for the most defensive contributions (13) including a game-high 7 tackles, and a game-high 14 duels won out of 19. No doubt about it, Hugo was the most dominant force in the midfield between both teams.

I did think his work on the ball left a bit to be desired, as more than once he was slow to make a decision and ended up getting his pocket picked, or made the wrong pass and gave North Carolina an opportunity to break.

Zach Herivaux (MF) – 6/10

Quality Zach performance – he’s organized and thoughtful off the ball with his pressure, and a crucial part of Rhode Island’s buildup. It can be easy to miss with how visible and involved his midfield partner, Hugo Bacharach, was – but Herivaux still played a big role in the match.

Amos Shapiro-Thompson (MF) – 5/10

Amos was playing well, but I thought it was the right call by Khano to replace him after 75 minutes – the right side was pretty hopeless as far as attacks. He did have a deflected-shot chance that very nearly trickled into the back of the net in the first half.

Noah Fuson (F) – 8/10

There was plenty to like over the course of 90 minutes in this Noah performance. His tight, technical passing with Herivaux (and at times players like Aldair, or JJ) continues to be a joy to watch.

He looked a bit indecisive in the final third at times, but still managed to create a game-high four chances, have five shots of his own (one on target), and three accurate crosses out of nine attempted – including a handful of dangerous corner kick attempts.

Of course, his most notable contribution came from the right wingback position (where he shifted to accommodate Atkinson and Dikwa) in the 81st minute, when he sent an early, looping cross to the far post with Dikwa there to head it in.

JJ Williams (F) – 5/10

Ultimately it was a tough night for JJ, but his impact on this match can’t be reduced to numbers.

Yes, JJ failed to convert his two best chances of the match in the 61st minute, where he was in alone with the NCFC keeper (slightly concerning, considering some of the chances that he missed last week) and the 79th minute, where he sent a spilled ball just wide. Yes, he also lost a game-high 15 out of his 18 duels (1/11 on the ground, 2/7 in the air).

But the first Chico goal doesn’t happen without JJ – he’s drawing in two defenders that leads to Chico being wide open. And even that may not happen if not for JJ competing for every single aerial ball in the 80 minutes leading up to it. Besides, JJ’s holdup play led to several of our more promising breaks and chances, especially in the first half. He was also tied with Hugo Bacharach for the most headed clearances (4).

Clay Holstad (F) – 4/10

I’ll find new ways to complain about how we’re using Clay every week; Clay Holstad with zero defensive actions in a match is just an egregious waste of his talents. I expect it to continue next week (because, at this point, why would you change it?) but hope that we can find a better solution next season.

Clay made some good runs up the right, but ultimately was just not involved enough until he shifted into the midfield for the final quarter of the game – at which point he was already on tired legs.

Subs

Dwayne Atkinson – 5/10

Dwayne’s best action of the game was a long-range shot that he put on target in the 79th minute (shortly after he entered the game) and caused a spill by the NCFC keeper that JJ nearly buried.

Maxi Rodriguez – 5/10

Maxi and Hugo in a double pivot is a look that some fans have been asking for. Not only was it nice to see Maxi get some non-garbage time minutes, but I thought he looked comfortable functioning more like a metronome than a maestro in this match.

Albert Dikwa – 9/10

If two goals to send your team to the Eastern Conference Finals in just 15 minutes played isn’t a near-perfect substitute appearance, I don’t know what is.

Aime Mabika – N/A

Grant Stoneman – N/A

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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.